# Don't think I am ever going to keep Paradoxa again



## Rick (Aug 27, 2007)

I just have bad luck with these. Kept them a couple years ago and my female died for no obvious reason. This go around two males come out with deformed wings. My female finally molted into adult last night and I found her hanging from her old skin by one front leg. Now her wings are messed up, she's bent in the middle, and has a bum front leg. It takes way too long for these to mature to have them end up like this. :roll:


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## Fisherman_Brazil (Aug 27, 2007)

Could this have been the nutrition problem?


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## pak-40 (Aug 27, 2007)

I have raised 7 ghosts. One of them died for no apparant reason. He was eating/acting fine one day....hanging dead from the top of his cage the next. 4 of them made it to adult hood with no problems...shedding or otherwise. 2 of them had bad sheds were deformed in some way. I keep humidity high...abot 70%. However, the ones that shed normally had their humidity dropped to about 50% during their final shed. The two with the deformities had wings that never seemed to dry out...so I lowered the humidity after shedding for the next batch.


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## Orin (Aug 27, 2007)

That species should have almost no molting issues if fed lobster roaches from an early instar and kept in a cage with a screen lid.


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## robo mantis (Aug 27, 2007)

Mine are doing fine


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Aug 27, 2007)

this is a different topic sorta but with the same species...

if i wanted to house multiple p.paradoxa would a ten gal. be too big? i talking nymphs by the way...im sure it will be too big.


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## jenner59 (Aug 27, 2007)

How long do they take to get to adult? I thought I read somewhere that they take 3 or 4 weeks? not true?

Mine is pacing his enclosure..pacing pacing pacing. Anyone seen that? seems like it'd be a sign of something wrong. He's flicking fruitflys out of his way as he walks back and forth and in circles.


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## Rick (Aug 27, 2007)

> That species should have almost no molting issues if fed lobster roaches from an early instar and kept in a cage with a screen lid.


Well roaches are not an option for me and these were fed often on wild moths. None of them fell while molting either.


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## Orin (Aug 27, 2007)

Moths tend to be fat with little other nutrition (check out info on waxworms) if you try them again don't use moths. Crickets are far superior to moths but not nearly as good as roaches. Keep in mind it's almost like cannibalism: mantids and roaches are both Dictyoptera.


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 27, 2007)

Mine are gonna die too then  Roaches are not as Rick said an option, it's bad enough the large 1/2" or so crickets look like roaches, run like roaches and scare me like roaches  , no way are roaches coming in here :roll: I hope!


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## Rick (Aug 27, 2007)

> Moths tend to be fat with little other nutrition (check out info on waxworms) if you try them again don't use moths. Crickets are far superior to moths but not nearly as good as roaches. Keep in mind it's almost like cannibalism: mantids and roaches are both Dictyoptera.


Flies were the bulk of the diet.


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## JT (Aug 27, 2007)

boy am i glad to hear lobsters are such a good food! i have thousands!Are they #1 chioce for all mantids including flower mantids? or are flies and bees a better choice for them?


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## Asa (Aug 28, 2007)

I don't have many problems with Paradoxa. I feed them whatever I can get, and they get along just fine. Isn't that what they do in the wild??


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## yen_saw (Aug 28, 2007)

i feed them mainly flies and occassionally crickets too, may not be the food problem. One thing though, i keep my ghost mantis fairly humid, and spray daily. They also do better in warmer condition (above 80 F).


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## Orin (Aug 28, 2007)

> i feed them mainly flies and occassionally crickets too, may not be the food problem. One thing though, i keep my ghost mantis fairly humid, and spray daily. They also do better in warmer condition (above 80 F).


Don't you add pollen and honey to your flies to make them more nutritious? Maybe your gut-loading, dusting regimen works very well.


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## Rick (Aug 28, 2007)

> > i feed them mainly flies and occassionally crickets too, may not be the food problem. One thing though, i keep my ghost mantis fairly humid, and spray daily. They also do better in warmer condition (above 80 F).
> 
> 
> Don't you add pollen and honey to your flies to make them more nutritious? Maybe your gut-loading, dusting regimen works very well.


I do it too for these and a few other types of mantids. I also kept them at 80 or above and humid. :?:


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## yen_saw (Aug 28, 2007)

> Don't you add pollen and honey to your flies to make them more nutritious? Maybe your gut-loading, dusting regimen works very well.


Yes i use them too for ghost mantis, although not as much as for the flower mantis species.

Rick, if it is not the temp/humidity condition i don't know why sorry. Just bad luck i guess :? or as Orin said there is something in roaches that ghost mantis needed.


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