# Hi



## Jahhluv (Dec 2, 2010)

He everyone. My name is Joel and I want to get into this hobby. I think they are some of the coolest looking creatures I have ever seen.

I have had an interest in them since I was a little kid and my Dad showed me one when he was working in the yard.

I dont know if this is the right place to post it. But, I would like to know what is the best species to start with and the place to get the best price to purchase one. I live in Kansas City Missouri. One of my hopes is to be able to raise some of the species that are typical of my area and release them. I havent seen any in my area in many years and I think it is terrible that kids in my neighborhood have never seen them.. I also would like to get some of the more unique looking species once I feel I am equipped with enough knowledge to care for them properly.

I currently own a little (actually he is a beast) black pug named Smush. I have a crested gecko named Chuy (Chelsea died). ( I dont know what morph he is).

I have 1 adult male designer leopard gecko, 2 adult female, 2 one year olds, and 9 babies. All of them are designers.(they are for sale CHEAP if anyone in the area is interested).

thank you all in advance and I hope to get to know most if not all of you.


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 2, 2010)

Welcome, you have quite a few pets there! But always room for 1 more if you ask me! :lol: 

I like a lot of mantis for new bies! There is the sheild, the budwing, lineola, ghost, creobroters, multispinas and many others, the choice is totatly up to you! But for ones common to the U.S. go with a chinese, or carolina, limbata and so on! Did I help? :tt2:


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## Jahhluv (Dec 2, 2010)

hibiscusmile said:


> Welcome, you have quite a few pets there! But always room for 1 more if you ask me! :lol:
> 
> I like a lot of mantis for new bies! There is the sheild, the budwing, lineola, ghost, creobroters, multispinas and many others, the choice is totatly up to you! But for ones common to the U.S. go with a chinese, or carolina, limbata and so on! Did I help? :tt2:


Yes, you did help. thank you very much.

Which one of all those is the biggest?


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## Pet Duck Boy (Dec 2, 2010)

Jahhluv said:


> Yes, you did help. thank you very much.
> 
> Which one of all those is the biggest?


Out of all those, probably the chinese mantis. Females get a hefty 4 inches and the males just a tad smaller. I had a male a few months ago. He was hand-tamed, and would eat right in front of you. They are hard to contain if your keeping more than a couple, due to their size and nasty habit of canniblism even when well fed. I'm still a noob, only been in the hobby for about a month. Like you, mantids are VERY hard to come by around here, you'd think it would be the opposite in Florida. I do have a wild-caught Gonatista grinsea female. She's laid and ooth and is due for another, fertile or not I'm still incubating them. I also have 2 M/F pairs of ghost mantids. (Phyllocrania paradoxa) Ghosts are communal and do well together, not to mention small, but are wicked looking and the way they mimic a leaf swaying in the wind is pretty sweet. Molting is pretty standard for ghosts it seems...a good mist every few days and a tall container and you're good to go. They eat OK. Much more when younger but they slow down at L5, eating a good meal every few days. Not very active either, but they don't need to be, I can stare at 'em all day.


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## guapoalto049 (Dec 2, 2010)

Welcome to the forum! I highly recommend Chinese mantids for a local species or shield mantids (_Rhombodera_ species) if you want an exotic.

Both are large (Chinese usually around 9.5 cm, shields 8 cm) and very aggressive. Neither is hard to breed if you are looking to do so, just make sure you don't release the shields into the wild in the US!

BTW shields are noticeably huskier than Chinese, so don't let the length fool you.


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## Jahhluv (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanks, gang. You all rock.


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 2, 2010)

I personally do not like to start a new mantis keeper with the chinese, they tend to die easily, so best to go with one of the others.


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## sporeworld (Dec 2, 2010)

Visit www.mantisplace.com and compare it the names here - there are nice pictures and prices and you can get a really good idea of what you want to get. And don't feel forced to get just one or one species.

I'm pretty sure you can walk away with everything you need in one box.

I think I did ghosts and a Giant African on my first go. Beauty and the Beast as it were... In hindsight, I'd say try one of the buy 3 get one free kind of specials - almost as easy to feed 3 as to feed one. Also, mantisplace is fond of sending "mystery mantids" now and then - fun trying to figure out just what that little bugger is!

Good luck and keep us posted. Oh - and put aside an evening and just browse through the posts - amazing info here! Enjoy!


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## LauraMG (Dec 2, 2010)

Welcome from Oklahoma City Joel! We're a mere 6 hours apart! :lol:


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## Jahhluv (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanks, spore. I will go there right now. Is that a Luna moth in your avatar?

Hi, Laura. We are practically neighbors. Love fraggle rock , by the way.


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## sporeworld (Dec 3, 2010)

Yup! Love the Luna!

I've got a few other silkmoths in pupa state now - and I'm hoping to start showing them off in January or February. Of course, I'll post the pics!


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## LauraMG (Dec 4, 2010)

Jahhluv said:


> Love fraggle rock , by the way.


YES! No one has even commented since I've changed it. I LOVED Fraggle Rock when I was a kid! (and still do....)


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## sporeworld (Dec 5, 2010)

Oh, snap! I thought that WAS you...! I forget muppets aren't real sometimes....


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## dgerndt (Dec 5, 2010)

Welcome to the forum! I suggest a Chinese mantis, purely because my first was a Chinese and she was the reason I fell in love with mantids.  But they're also easy to care for and native to your area.

I would also reccommend a Ghost like so many people here, but you'll have to buy them flying food such as blue bottle and house flies. They don't like crickets so much, I hear.


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## Pet Duck Boy (Dec 5, 2010)

Deby said:


> Welcome to the forum! I suggest a Chinese mantis, purely because my first was a Chinese and she was the reason I fell in love with mantids.  But they're also easy to care for and native to your area.
> 
> I would also reccommend a Ghost like so many people here, but you'll have to buy them flying food such as blue bottle and house flies. They don't like crickets so much, I hear.


Yeah, mine won't take even the smallest and most active dubia roach nymph, and anything else that doesn't have wings. They'll take indian meal moth larvae on occasion though.


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## Jesskb (Dec 5, 2010)

I suggest a ghost mantis also. I've never had a problem feeding them crickets and other insects. I don't like to pay for food during the summer so I catch a lot of wild insects for them to eat. It's more about being patient and learning what elicits a strike from the mantis. Once you figure that out, you're home free


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## Rick (Dec 7, 2010)

Welcome


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