# Butterfly's Mantids



## Butterfly (Jun 11, 2007)

Check out this little guyI hatched a while back.

I heard somewhere the S. Californicas can be a color change species. So I'm trying an experiment, we died the raffia grass in the tanks of 3 mantids. So far from the same ooth I have about 9 greenies, and 7 or 8 or so that are all different. Some brown, some pale yellowish, some brown streaked, some have greeen legs and brown joints and multiple shade's of browns on their bodies, one is kinda orange (we call him the great pumpkin) a few are even turning shades of pink! So as you can see it's getting pretty colorful over here







I'll try and get pictures of the others up soon too.


----------



## OGIGA (Jun 11, 2007)

Sounds like a good experiment. When I was raising them, I had one turn totally brown. It died from an unexplainable wound after it molted.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 11, 2007)

Im hoping for a blue one, lol. I took the raffia grass and soaked it in a water and food color mixture. Turned out pretty good, and it doesnt leak off when I mist them.

We'll see how it goes with the coloring, Ill keep you all posted though.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 20, 2007)

Some more pics of the big greenie that shed last night, she doesnt have the same band on her back as some of the others do. This girl may be the one I found outside as a nymph, shes the biggest one now compared to my 2 Chinese.


----------



## Asa (Jun 20, 2007)

My Carolina's are all brown.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 20, 2007)

> My Carolina's are all brown.


At first I was told they were Stagmomantis Limbata's then Carolinas then Californicas, I dont have a clue these days, but I do know shes different compared to the other greenie's from that ooth. So maybe she is a carolina or a limbata, Guess Ill have to wait till she's an adult to really be able to tell.


----------



## OGIGA (Jun 20, 2007)

I love that green color right after they molt.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 20, 2007)

Its funny, so does my Mom. She loooves looking at them and letting them walk around on her hand. She gets offended when one of them doesnt "want " to go to her. But at least she'll grab the camera and come out as soon as I squeak "Moooom someones shedding" lol I cant believe I turned my mom into a bug girl too. :lol:


----------



## athicks (Jun 20, 2007)

It feels cool when they walk on your hand!  

That mantid has a great green color


----------



## OGIGA (Jun 20, 2007)

Have you ever let it walk on your face? It feels *really *weird.


----------



## Butterfly (Jun 20, 2007)

> Have you ever let it walk on your face? It feels *really *weird.


Once.. but never again it creeped me out too much lol.

I have really long hair and one was crawling on my arm one day, I dont know how it happend but next thing I know a breeze came up, my hair flew around a bit and I have a full adult female European skittering across my face! AAaaccccck. lol. She was just as freaked as I was, I could tell because she was moving SO darn fast. I screamed for my mom and she caught her before she tangled herself in my hair more. Now when I work with my bugs, I put my hair in a ponytail.


----------



## Asa (Jun 20, 2007)

> Have you ever let it walk on your face? It feels *really *weird.


I wouldn't do that. They will strike at your eyes. Nearly mutilated mine. Had to get it fixed by an eye doctor because of a broken blood vessel.


----------



## OGIGA (Jun 20, 2007)

> > Have you ever let it walk on your face? It feels *really *weird.
> 
> 
> I wouldn't do that. They will strike at your eyes. Nearly mutilated mine. Had to get it fixed by an eye doctor because of a broken blood vessel.


I guess you're just really unlucky or I'm really lucky. I let them walk on me often.


----------



## Engraver30 (Jun 23, 2007)

My kids and myself also like when they mantids crawl on us. I even posted some pictures of a Chinese mantis crawling on their faces last week.


----------

