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How many flies do you have to put in a fresh culture for it to start producing? I just had my culture crash today and don't want to have to keep buying new ones. Also, do I have to add water to the medium every now and then? It seems like its getting dried out but I'm worried to drown them.

Went on a week long vacation and had my mother in law take care of Dante while I was away. She knows nothing about Mantids but I showed her how to feed him and just to mist his cage everyday. She said that he last ate Tuesday and that he was healthy up until Friday night. She went to hold him I...

Yeah he just got done eating a big roach so that's why he is so plump haha ? That explains why I didn't see the black lines before and now I do though, good to know its not totally out of the ordinary.

Hey guys. Here are some pics of what I am talking about: https://photos.app.goo.gl/rf2aNFBad9KR9vxt5 I noticed these 2 black lines under his(possibly her, I honestly don't know) abdomen, any idea what they are? He is still eating fine and not acting out of the ordinary.

Well that makes me feel better knowing that the red color isn't completely unusual.

I am getting a bit more worried. Today that eye is reddish in color. He did eat today though.

I figured they didn't have pupils like humans but it just threw me off because in the past I could see black pigment in both of his eyes.  This pic is kinda blurry but you can see that both his eyes have pigment in them. He seems to still be able to see though because I watched him tracking...

My Golden Hierodula molted last night (I can see the old exoskeleton in the enclosure) and now his right eye has less pigment in it than his left eye. Could something have gone wrong with the molt to have caused this or is it nothing to worry about? He also isn't eating like he normally would...

I just got them in today and Dante enjoyed his first roach. He was holding onto the carcass for like an hour after he finished eating it lol. Would you say this is a sufficient amount of holes though? I started with 5 in each spot but it started to get tedious so I did 2 in each spot but I...

Thanks for all that info, really helps a lot. In regards to the air holes roughly how big in diameter/ how many would you say is sufficient? I will probably just keep the tub bare and clean it periodically by transferring them but I'm wondering how do you actually transfer all of them? Like...

My golden hierodula molted again and I've decided I'm going to try feeding him red runners now but I want to make sure I get the right enclosure to house them in. I've read a few care sheets that suggest a sterilite or rubbermaid container with a screened lid, but I'm not sure what size I...

There are definitely more dead here's a new picture. I think they are probably suffocating like you're suggesting. So should I just poke holes in the lid of the culture or should I let some go?

There may be a few more dead ones in there but that was the majority of them at least. I'll look into doing the next culture myself. Thanks for the info, I figured it was probably normal but just wanted to be sure.

Hey Guys, I went to feed Dante tonight and noticed that there were a lot of dead fruit flies in the culture. I last fed him on Monday and there were no dead flies. My culture recently exploded. Last Friday I could only see maybe 10-15 flies and now since Monday I can see 100s of flies. I'm...

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I am using d hydei currently so I will continue to use those for the time being. I would buy the housefly pupae online but I live in Phoenix where temps get up to 110 F and I worry that if I buy them online they will all hatch en route. I will look into the...

Hey guys, My mantis just molted last night and I'm wondering if fruit flies are too small for him now. First pic is when I first got him a week ago and 2nd pic was taken today. If FF's are too small for him what would be a good food to give him next? I was thinking Housefly pupae but I...

I figured it had something to do with the oils or salts on my skin. I don't have any mild soaps though so I didn't want to wash my hands right before handling in case that could be harmful. I'll try getting a mild bar soap and wash with it beforehand to see if it helps because he is constantly...

Yeah ends up he is L2. I hope they arrive safely for you as well. By the way when I'm holding my mantis he likes to put his legs in his mouth and suck(?) on them. Is this just a grooming thing? I never see him do it in the habitat but he does it a lot when I'm holding him.

Yeah he is a small guy. I imagine L2, L3 but I'm not really sure. Hes a lot smaller than I was expecting though Edit: I'm going to send a message to the seller and ask though because I suppose its probably a good thing to know lol

That is brilliant! Thank you for that suggestion it makes me a lot more comfortable. I just fed him successfully for the first time and feeling a lot less nervous :)