# My Ghost Enclosure



## darkspeed (Dec 19, 2007)

Black sand on top of powdered peat moss. Kept at 85f and 70% humidity. Both are very dark brown/burgundy and have been kept in these conditions since L-2.


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## robo mantis (Dec 19, 2007)

Nice!! Is that ghost L4?


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## macro junkie (Dec 19, 2007)

robo mantis said:


> Nice!! Is that ghost L4?


1 of my ghost mantids is green..what does this mean?to high humdierty or to low?il get pics * mj goes to watch vid.


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## macro junkie (Dec 19, 2007)

they got alot of room..nice set up..do they ever fight?


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 19, 2007)

I love the green ones, God sure did give these guys the looks!


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## Kruszakus (Dec 19, 2007)

You keep them together at this stage? They look like L6/L7...

I'd give some twigs here and there - more space to perch on.


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## darkspeed (Dec 20, 2007)

I've only seen them encounter eachother once, and there was a brief boxing match that followed, but no injuries. They move about the enclosure from time to time, but always seem to find their way back to the same two perches, where it is easy pickins for the hydeis that congregate around the bottom of the plants.

Im not sure about the color thing... Rebecca gave me the darkest ghosts she had to begin with and they have been in a high temp /high humidity environment and are still as dark as when they were L-2.


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## Kruszakus (Dec 21, 2007)

Yeah, a tricky thing with bringing out the green color - in my case I do not know why, buy half of my females are green - I just spray them daily and keep them at 25-28C, and there is no green part of the interior - I just keep them in plastic boxes - but the green ones will be moved to bigger containers with some rhododendron branches - you know how sweet this mantis looks when stacked with cool interior.

The truth of the matter is, that you can't control the color - I have green, brown, light brown and sort of dark cherry ones - I keep the in the same conditions and still, their color varies like this - guess you just have to be born under a lucky star to get the most coveted color.


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## tier (Dec 21, 2007)

They are green beaucse you keep them too humid. They will die very soon if you do not reduce humidity.

Keep them at 40%-60% humidity and 30 °C day and 20°C night and they will do most well, but you won't have much green morphs.This is NOT a tropical mantid and it does NOT live in rain forrests; keep it dry!

regards,

tier

edit: Ok, maybe they won't die, but I think there are just a few green morphs because they become green in high humidity and low temperature but wont't do well in high humidity and low temperature in gerneral.



> I'd give some twigs here and there - more space to perch on.


Yes, 100% correct. 90% of the enclosure is useless because they cannot reach 90% of the space in the enclosure.

regards again,

tier


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## Kruszakus (Dec 22, 2007)

But I just mist them daily, sometimes every second day - just a bit. Besides, there probably isn't any other mantid that can tolerate humidity fluctuation like P. paradoxa.


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## Mantida (Dec 22, 2007)

I never misted mine, and my cages are really dry. I take them out and give them water, and one of mine is pure green and the other is turning green. Genetics probably.


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## pedro92 (Dec 24, 2007)

I know a guy who has alot of mantises and his are green from putting the container under a uvb light tube. so that means with sun they change color i guess


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## asdsdf (Dec 24, 2007)

If it is genetics, you could make two green ones reproduce, so that the offspring will be mostly green! (I sure can dream. &lt;_&lt; )


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## tier (Dec 25, 2007)

Hi

But there are only green females, no males 

I've never seen a green male ;-)

Merry Christmas,

tier

Well, I have about 20 Oothecas from green females now, we will see


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## macro junkie (Dec 25, 2007)

tier said:


> HiBut there are only green females, no males
> 
> I've never seen a green male ;-)
> 
> ...


i have 2 both are very green..but i dont know if there male or female.


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## Kruszakus (Dec 27, 2007)

Only female P. paradoxa can get green, males are always in different shades of brown.


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## nhaverland413 (Dec 27, 2007)

What plant is that in the enclosure?


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## darkspeed (Dec 28, 2007)

Not sure... just something I grabbed at home depot. I have since replaced it with some sweet little fake chrimson flowers in reaction to the suggestions made about needing more foliage.


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## macro junkie (Dec 28, 2007)

i take that back..i said mine are very green,,there not now i have seen mantida ghosts..now thats what u cal green.no imitations here,,


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## Mantida (Jan 4, 2008)

Kruszakus said:


> Only female P. paradoxa can get green, males are always in different shades of brown.


Activating a semi-oldish thread, but do you mean that the males never end up green as adults? Just never turn green whatsoever? Or never turn a pure green? Clarify on this please.

MJ has a male nymph that is green and brownish.


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## idolomantis (Jan 4, 2008)

i,m not a ghost mantis expert bud... i have some experience whit a phasmid who has there colors i tought that the male always are brown bud in my las generation i noticed some green adult males! so ithink it can be sometimes mantids have other colors then they actualy thought( i nhope you did understand it-.-)


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## macro junkie (Jan 4, 2008)

idolomantis said:


> i,m not a ghost mantis expert bud... i have some experience whit a phasmid who has there colors i tought that the male always are brown bud in my las generation i noticed some green adult males! so ithink it can be sometimes mantids have other colors then they actualy thought( i nhope you did understand it-.-)


male


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## idolomantis (Jan 4, 2008)

ya something like that yes...insect... always suprising


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## tier (Jan 4, 2008)

Hi

The picture showes a male, yes, but no green one! Have you ever seen a green Phyllocrania? That's not green!

Only females get green or bicolor, but no males!

regards


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## Mantida (Jan 4, 2008)

tier said:


> HiThe picture showes a male, yes, but no green one! Have you ever seen a green Phyllocrania? That's not green!
> 
> Only females get green or bicolor, but no males!
> 
> regards


So you mean a pure green then, very interesting why males don't get this color. I guess they lack pigmentation in green.


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