# New and improved enclosure



## Ricardo (Oct 27, 2010)

My new and improved mantis habitat. Paper towel substrate , ( Doubt it's moist anymore ) Some plastic leaves and twigs from the yard that I baked in the oven to kill bacteria. It's big ( To big ? ) And I spray it in the morning and before bed.

Extra heat comes from my bearded dragon cage bulb , which sits beside Gofrey's domain.

Advice and tips are welcome!


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## Jesskb (Oct 27, 2010)

The only problem with large enclosures like this is that nymphs have a hard time finding their food. You don't want to leave crickets in there with him for more than a few hours because they could gang up on the mantis, or a single one could kill it while its molting and vulnerable. I don't know what the top of the enclosure is made of, but screen is best because most mantis require a decent amount of ventalation. Also mantis hang upside down to molt, so if the top is not screen, you're going to want to provide horizontal branches for him to molt off of. I prefer to keep my mantises (especially nymphs) in smaller container for ease of feeding, but that's each person's decision.

From the behavior you've been seeing with your mantis I think it will probably molt soon, so provide it with a good place to do so asap. Also spray a little bit more than usual to up the humidity just a tad during the molting process. You're worried about him not eating, but is his abdomen flat? is it plump? A molting mantis usually will be pretty plump. Don't worry about him not eating till his abdomen starts looking flat or skinny.


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## Ricardo (Oct 28, 2010)

Jesskb said:


> The only problem with large enclosures like this is that nymphs have a hard time finding their food. You don't want to leave crickets in there with him for more than a few hours because they could gang up on the mantis, or a single one could kill it while its molting and vulnerable. I don't know what the top of the enclosure is made of, but screen is best because most mantis require a decent amount of ventalation. Also mantis hang upside down to molt, so if the top is not screen, you're going to want to provide horizontal branches for him to molt off of. I prefer to keep my mantises (especially nymphs) in smaller container for ease of feeding, but that's each person's decision.
> 
> From the behavior you've been seeing with your mantis I think it will probably molt soon, so provide it with a good place to do so asap. Also spray a little bit more than usual to up the humidity just a tad during the molting process. You're worried about him not eating, but is his abdomen flat? is it plump? A molting mantis usually will be pretty plump. Don't worry about him not eating till his abdomen starts looking flat or skinny.


Thanks for all the advice. I could really use some help with this guy  

Here's some pics I just took of his abdomen and some chopsticks I stuck through the enclosure

IS it not plump enough? Every time a cricket wanders to him, he just flicks it off


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## Jesskb (Oct 28, 2010)

well his abdomen doesn't look flat. A lot of my mantises will "flick" at food when they're about to molt. I would take any crickets out of his enclosure for the night because they will munch on him if he molts. Just keep an eye on him. You can keep trying to feed him everyday and he'll either get hungry enough to take the food, or he'll molt. But my money is still on him shedding his skin any day now


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## Ricardo (Oct 28, 2010)

he's resting on a chopstick that the crickets can't acsess. I also threw some apple skin in the bottom to keep em busy.

Godfrey should be fine . If he's going to molt he'll stay there, if he isn't then the 2 baby crickets won't stand a chance even if they do encounter him.

also what's a nymph? A stage in mantis growth?


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## Jesskb (Oct 28, 2010)

A nymph is a baby mantis. Crickets are really nasty bugs. A lot of people here have lost full grown healthy mantises from crickets attacking them. You also can't be sure that he will molt from the chopsticks. If he molts within the reach of the crickets they could kill him. Also if the mantis moves to a lower branch and isn't hardened up, a cricket can attack and kill it. With crickets, its really better not to take chances. If you've ever raised crickets before you know that they still eat the heck out of each other even when they have plenty of food.


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## Ricardo (Oct 28, 2010)

Jesskb said:


> A nymph is a baby mantis. Crickets are really nasty bugs. A lot of people here have lost full grown healthy mantises from crickets attacking them. You also can't be sure that he will molt from the chopsticks. If he molts within the reach of the crickets they could kill him. Also if the mantis moves to a lower branch and isn't hardened up, a cricket can attack and kill it. With crickets, its really better not to take chances. If you've ever raised crickets before you know that they still eat the heck out of each other even when they have plenty of food.


Thanks for the heads up. I think I'll quarantine the few odd crickets he hasn't eaten. If it hatched in august is significant growing a factor in what I can see from him?


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## sporeworld (Oct 28, 2010)

If you just have the one guy, get some long tweasers or if you've got talent that I lack, chopsticks, and hand feed him the crickets from a different container. Its more fun for you, and less risk for him. Kinda fun trying to garb a leg of the cricket and not break it off!

I've got too many "kids" to hand-feed them all, but most have had a moth or three from me and they have no resistance to the tools - if they're small enough. With my Dead Leaf and local kids, I just use my fingers. I feed my Gongys honey bees that I find chillin on the wall (lost?) with tweasers and make sure the pointy parts are pointing away from the face. I've read advice about pulling out the stinger, but I'm still too squeamish for that. The pro's here can correct me, but it seems unlikely that a honey bee stinger can peirce the claws of an adult Gongy...


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## Ricardo (Oct 28, 2010)

Sporeworld said:


> If you just have the one guy, get some long tweasers or if you've got talent that I lack, chopsticks, and hand feed him the crickets from a different container. Its more fun for you, and less risk for him. Kinda fun trying to garb a leg of the cricket and not break it off!
> 
> I've got too many "kids" to hand-feed them all, but most have had a moth or three from me and they have no resistance to the tools - if they're small enough. With my Dead Leaf and local kids, I just use my fingers. I feed my Gongys honey bees that I find chillin on the wall (lost?) with tweasers and make sure the pointy parts are pointing away from the face. I've read advice about pulling out the stinger, but I'm still too squeamish for that. The pro's here can correct me, but it seems unlikely that a honey bee stinger can peirce the claws of an adult Gongy...


I tried tweasers. impossible. these crickets are to tiny


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## sporeworld (Oct 29, 2010)

Well, I got caught with my figurative pants down today when one of my Gongy ooths popped. 25 little mouths to feed. So, like you, everything I have on hand is too big to feed them. But luckily, Petsmart has started carrying fruit flies in small containers (kinda nice ones too) for about $9. So, if your little guys is desperate, try Petsmart. They sell "small" crickets, too, and sometimes they're barely past pinheads...


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## Ricardo (Oct 29, 2010)

Sporeworld said:


> Well, I got caught with my figurative pants down today when one of my Gongy ooths popped. 25 little mouths to feed. So, like you, everything I have on hand is too big to feed them. But luckily, Petsmart has started carrying fruit flies in small containers (kinda nice ones too) for about $9. So, if your little guys is desperate, try Petsmart. They sell "small" crickets, too, and sometimes they're barely past pinheads...


thanks so much! I'm going to go to petsmart asap!

Fruitflies seem pricey though  

I don't know if I can afford fruitflies for his main food source.

hopefully once he starts eating his fruit flies he'll get into crickets more once he's healthy.


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## sporeworld (Oct 29, 2010)

He probably won't be eating prey as small as fruit flies for more than a week before he molts into something larger, and a single jar will last longer than that. Then crickets or house flies should be next (or Blue Bottles depending on size).


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## Ricardo (Oct 29, 2010)

Sporeworld said:


> He probably won't be eating prey as small as fruit flies for more than a week before he molts into something larger, and a single jar will last longer than that. Then crickets or house flies should be next (or Blue Bottles depending on size).


he ate his first cricket while I was at school!!!


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