# When people leave mantid hobby



## cloud jaguar (Sep 11, 2009)

I noticed that even since i have been active on this forum many people have joined, been active members, then moved on. During their stay they have actively contributed and debated and really been involved on the forum, then they suddenly leave the hobby. Sometimes they are even missed.

I believe some people on the forum currently have also had periods without mantids and then come back to the hobby. I was wondering why you think people leave the hobby and what makes them come back to it? Also, do you feel you you would like to have times without mantids?


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## ABbuggin (Sep 11, 2009)

I've noticed it too. There was a time about a a year and a half ago where I pretty much stopped keeping them for about 4-6 months. I never lost interest in them, I'm not sure why I took a break. I'm back for good now. B)


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## Ntsees (Sep 11, 2009)

That may be the case for other people, but I've bred and raised mantids for such a very long time now and I don't see myself leaving the mantid hobby anytime soon. Even if I do stop using this forum, I'll still be raising mantids. But for now, I'll help answer questions that people might have.

(you know, one of the things (in addition that I get to help people) that really made me join this forum was that I thought you get to pick what mantid you wanted to be when you became an adult. Darn  , it's already predetermined)


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## d17oug18 (Sep 11, 2009)

i got into it because of a mantis that became my pet, after that i was catching them, but didnt know a lot of anything besides they eat crickets, i found peters site which led me to this forum, never turned back.


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## pohchunyee (Sep 12, 2009)

People leaves this hobby because of people like Villosa!!! Also, because they could not keep the mantis alive/ could not breed them successfully etc.


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## Kruszakus (Sep 12, 2009)

Well, in Poland mantis rearing is basically dead. Two years ago, when I jumped on the bandwagon, it looked to be growing fast, I was kinda amazed by the influx of interesting species and all the opportunities.

Now this hobby is almost dead. I remember when I could sell nice amounts of nymphs at any time, even those expensive ones, because there were so many people interested in buying stuff - now it's nearly impossible to sell a thing.

So yeah, I noticed that a lot of people are quitting. And the funny thing is - I outlasted most of the people who were telling me that I would quit the hobby fast.


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## Rick (Sep 12, 2009)

I've had times where I had no mantids for months. However, I still visited the boards and was still interested in mantids. People don't have to leave here just because they don't have any mantids.


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## Katnapper (Sep 12, 2009)

I think sometimes people get overwhelmed with time contraints (real job, family obligations), and room for all the "stuff." So they need to take a break.


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## Rob Byatt (Sep 12, 2009)

In the UK there has been a predictable trend for the past 15+ years. New people show an interest in mantids and hit the hobby too hard, they get too many species and try to run before they can walk. Inevitably this ends in frustration and a lack of patience tends to result in them giving up. This is a shame as these are the people that will carry the hobby on.

In recent years money has been a reason to get into the hobby, at least that's what the people involved think  Unfortunately for them, they soon realise that they can't make £2.00 a nymph x 200 that hatch from an ootheca  They soon disappear.

There seems to be only a very small proportion of people that continue to keep mantids for any length of time; they are just too much work in the long run. If someone sticks with it for 2 years then established breeders tend to keep an eye on them; these individuals could be the future of this hobby.

There are only a handful of breeders in the UK that could potentially still be breeding them in a decade, that shows how specialised the interest is.

Rob.


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## agent A (Sep 12, 2009)

There were times when the only mantids I had were overwintering in the fridge.


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## kamakiri (Sep 12, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I think sometimes people get overwhelmed with time contraints (real job, family obligations), and room for all the "stuff." So they need to take a break.


Amen to that. A couple of my SoCal neighbors, wuwu and yeatzee, show up from time to time. John (wuwu) was on a break from mantises when I joined up here. I met him while he was checking in to the forum and getting back in...and he's been busy lately so we haven't seen him much again for the last couple of months. If I'm particularly busy at work, you're not going to hear from me much until the task or deadline passes. I think that's all normal.


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## ABbuggin (Sep 12, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I think sometimes people get overwhelmed with time contraints (real job, family obligations), and room for all the "stuff." So they need to take a break.


Very true. That probably contributed to my break.


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## animalexplorer (Apr 22, 2011)

Katnapper - "I think sometimes people get overwhelmed with time contraints (real job, family obligations), and room for all the "stuff." So they need to take a break."

I joined this group back in 2007 and started with only 2 species; P.wahlbergii and H.coronatus. I wasn't really an active member but I was lurking in the shadows reading the post, mostly on care of mantids. I have some time now so I'm right back into the fun hobby, with 15 species currently. I kind of wished I never dropped the ball and stayed in the game, but its business and family matters that take priority.


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## Ricardo (Apr 22, 2011)

I didn't have mantids for a while but not by choice. It was so hard to get a hold of them . . .

I have ONE mantis as of now. He is everything


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## Mr.Mantid (Apr 22, 2011)

Once October/November rolls around I get rid of all my mantids and pick it up again during March/April. I do not have extra money to heat them.


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## Krissim Klaw (Apr 22, 2011)

There is a very good chance I will leave the mantis hobby as in break off contact with other mantis peeps. I know I have gone through periods where I am less active if not completely inactive in places like this guild. That being said, keeping mantises themselves is not a hobby for me. They are my pets and a pet I very much enjoy. I don't breed them to sell, I don't collect them like pokemon, and I rarely have more than 2-3 at a time.

I have discovered I am not a very nice or happy person when there isn't a mantis in my life. Some people have cigarettes I have my mantids. Mantis addiction anyone? Sorry, I have no plans to go to rehab either. I'm taking this addiction with me to the grave.


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## jandl2204 (Apr 22, 2011)

Interesting that this point should be brought up (albeit that the thread was opened some time ago)

I did not totally stop keeping mantis but rather reduced dramatically the number I kept. Frankly the reason was quite simple, i did not have enough time to keep them adequately.

I have just stepped out of a most intensive period of postgraduate study, followed by a period of training with a top UK law firm. Time has been an asset I had little of.

From my observations, looking more specifically at those I knew in the UK, individuals who did attempt with varying degrees of success to keep mantis, and at times sell may, have backed out and for good reason.

Many of then are relatively young, they like myself are at the point were they are committing themselves to study, and obviously later to work, so clearly they will suffer from similar time constraints.

Others will naturally have bouts of interest, whilst some may have other pressing personal reasons to not be involved in the hobby. I am for example aware of one person who simply does not have a good enough income to folly with such indulgences. Noting of course the impact of the recession upon (and in particular) graduates, who are typically debt ridden and now ushered into poorly paid positions.

Clearly these are simply my observations and I have at this time only focused upon fragments of the issue.

Kind regards,

Lee


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## Arwen9 (Apr 22, 2011)

Katnapper said:


> I think sometimes people get overwhelmed with time contraints (real job, family obligations), and room for all the "stuff." So they need to take a break.


It was that for me.

I'd kept the "common" praying mantis species in North America for several years in high school, but when I went to college (and into the dorms) I wasn't allowed to bring such things with me. Wonder why my roommates refused.... :lol: 

Then I had to pay off my college with my job and find a place to stay and well, suddenly it had been 5 years without a mantis peering at me. Quite lonely.  

So I got started again after stumbling across this site, and here I am, trying to get my mantis legs under me again. B)


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## hibiscusmile (Apr 22, 2011)

mantis lets, good one :tt2:


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## MantidLord (Apr 22, 2011)

Unfortunately, I'm going to take a break from the hobby soon. Going off to college and won't have the time (or room?) to take care of mantids. Of course I'll still be interested in the hobby, as I'll be dealing with insects in my major.


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 22, 2011)

Yeah, it's sad that six out of the eleven original posters are gone and another is seen all too rarely.

Perhaps those of us who continue to keep mantids year after year and talk about them on this forum, despite the recent hike in the monthly membership fee, are a little crazed,

but it's less costly than maintaining a yacht and less dangerous than joining the Palestine Liberation Movement, so I think that I'll hang on.

@KrissimKlaw: Don't leave us! You always write great posts and your avatar has always been the best one on the forum! And who else would have the class to call us a guild?


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## warpdrive (Apr 22, 2011)

OMG, I've been around for about 6 months...how much monthly dues do I owe? :blink: 

Harry


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## lion (Apr 22, 2011)

My interest kinda comes and goes with the amount of flies I can get. Sad stuff :blink:


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## Krissim Klaw (Apr 23, 2011)

Midwestern Girl said:


> It was that for me.
> 
> I'd kept the "common" praying mantis species in North America for several years in high school, but when I went to college (and into the dorms) I wasn't allowed to bring such things with me. Wonder why my roommates refused.... :lol:


I was in a dorm too, no pets allowed, and I still brought my mantids with me.  The roommates had to deal not that they seemed to mind much.


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## Krissim Klaw (Apr 23, 2011)

PhilinYuma said:


> @KrissimKlaw: Don't leave us! You always write great posts and your avatar has always been the best one on the forum! And who else would have the class to call us a guild?


Lol, don't worry I'm not planning to up and leave anytime soon. Even when I do leave it isn't like I'm going to have a big going away party and scurry off forever. It is more of a slow fad in and out depending if there is enough interesting things being posted to keep my attention. So no pressure, but you better keep me entertained if you want me to stay active. And of course we are a guild, have you not seen the great skill in which fellow members tend to their clawed babies, build cages, insect traps, and complex systems to streamline mantis care?  Also,thank you very much for the compliment on my avatar art.


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## sporeworld (Apr 23, 2011)

I like to travel, and can't find a reliable bug-sitter. So, I try to be bug-free before I go adventuring. Luckily (through this forum) I've made connections with people (especially local) that can benefit from my "mass extinctions". i think KitKat's "Bring Beer" post was further evidence of that. And how to manage the outcome of massive breeding.

Also, I get kind of finicky. I didn't like the hetero's like some other here did, or my Dead Leaf's. Also, while I LOVED my Gongy's, at about 30 adults it just becomes a burden. Another 30 pop out of an ooth or two, and you just wanna put em ALL up for adoption. For me, there's a breaking point - and I think it's based on volume. 30 Gongy's needed more space than 30 Idolos, because they were so restless. They'd crawl right over each other - even when molting (or KICK each other, as illustrated on KitKat's recent "Green Gongy?" video). But 60 Ghosts were fine (although, even that got to be a little old).

So, I took a few months off, but was still obsessive on the forum. So, probably not a good example of someone leaving the hobby.


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## MantidLord (Apr 23, 2011)

Krissim Klaw said:


> I was in a dorm too, no pets allowed, and I still brought my mantids with me.  The roommates had to deal not that they seemed to mind much.


I'm gonna ask the people at cornell if I can keep my pet tarantula. That would be better than having no pet arthropods at all.


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## mantisboy (Apr 24, 2011)

Well I'm definitely in the category of being a seasonal Mantis keeper. Like so many things this is one hobby which is seasonal and which I would like to keep as inexpensive as possible. All my Mantids are wild and their food sources for the most part are caught not purchased. Because of this I always have the option of releasing them back into the wild. This is especially true when it comes to males after they have provided stud services.

It really is an investment in time, adult Mantids should be removed from their housings daily or at least every other day, watered, and their housing should be cleaned on a regular schedule. There is an attachment factor which leads many of us to resort to having special care Mantids, mostly elder care patients. Late in the season when food sources are gone, feeder bugs (crickets) must be purchased, and ooths prepared for diapause.

I am not a collector by any means, I like to consider myself more of an enthusiast.


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## nebrakacinese (Apr 24, 2011)

Health problems had me out a few months but when it's in your blood it's in your blood I'm back


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## dgerndt (Apr 25, 2011)

I don't think I'll ever leave the mantis hobby. No matter what everyone says, mantids are cheap and easy-to-care-for pets. 30 crickets = $3.00, deli cups = free, enclosure decorations = free, heat lamp = $7.00, spray bottle = $1.00, mantis = free to $20. CHEAP. As for care, it really doesn't take that much time. Spray their enclosure through the lid one or two times a day. Feed every other day or so (depending on the mantis). Change their enclosure once a week. Plus, you can leave for a few days and your bugs will be fine. They don't NEED to eat and drink every single day. Just put a few extra bugs in there for them to eat and they'll be fine. I'm just a broke college student and I can take care of them.

Anyway, I want to make mantids my career. So even if I don't keep any as pets later in life, I'll hopefully be keeping them at my job. I've always loved them, and I'm sure I always will.


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## Katnapper (Apr 26, 2011)

Time and attention to address critical family issues were the proverbial straws for me since last year. Haven't given up interest or hope... just tending to the most important things necessary for me to move forward in a positive direction in life. I may not have any mantids right now... but they've never truly left me. One of these days.....


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## kitkat39 (Apr 26, 2011)

LOL.. I'm barely reading through this and couldn't stop laughing at Sporeworld's post.. lol! So true!

Well, the last time I'd kept any mantids was way back in like 1998 or 1999? I only had access to Chinese at that point and had kept them for years before I'd even let them go. I wasn't much of a breeder either. I'd just get an ooth from the Nursery Store and end up with 2 or 3 of them by the time they were adult. There wasn't so much information around that I could even find on them so I didn't even know what was a male or what was a female because I kept them all together and watch them eat each other until I only had like a couple left that I was able to manage. They'd just eventually die. Some laid blank ooths while others didn't.

So what do I do when I get bored of a certain exotic animal? Why I get into OTHER exotic animals of course! DUH! ;-) Unlike my other pets, mantids and insects in general don't smell so bad. My last pet obsession dealt with reptiles - mainly geckos, bearded dragons, and some chameleons. My interest in Mantids started up and got pursued all over again when I was at a park getting my butt kicked and saw what I think was a Stagmomantis Limbata running around on a bench some time back in 2008 and brought it home. I've got soooooooo much more resources and species to pick from NOW than I ever did!


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 26, 2011)

Katnapper said:


> Time and attention to address critical family issues were the proverbial straws for me since last year. Haven't given up interest or hope... just tending to the most important things necessary for me to move forward in a positive direction in life. I may not have any mantids right now... but they've never truly left me. One of these days.....


Becky, dear friend and "once and future" trading partner, when you do decide to come back to us, know that there will be plenty of free mantids awaiting you!  

And yes, I owe you an Email. Manana!


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