# Newbie With Basic Questions



## ThaRatChick (Apr 15, 2010)

Total newbie on raising feeder insects, and even having mantids. So hopefully you guys can help me  

I'm planning on ordering cultures from mantisplace.

How many cultures should we get? We are getting 6 baby mantids, I'll find out the age tomorrow when we get them. We'll buy some FFs from petco to tide us over for awhile. Is there anything else we need to get other than the cultures? A list would be nice! Also (i know, it should be in housing section), whiat would you suggest for housing? We'll get some simple containers tomorrow until we get everything figured out.


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## massaman (Apr 15, 2010)

Go with a culture or two to start with and you can make your own cultures as well to continue the fruit fly population and its easy to do!

You can get cheap cultures of fruit flies online too from josh's frogs that is already producing or freshly made!

As far as housing goes once they are sub adult to adult you can put them in critter keepers if you decide to or place them in small rectangle,round or hex shaped aquariums!


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## Rick (Apr 16, 2010)

Paul did a good job of covering the fruit fly issue. I recommend buying some 32 oz insect cups (same type mantids can live in) to make new ff cultures in. Also get some fruit fly medium. I prefer the type sold by carolina.com. When they outgrow the ff's you will neeed to move up to house or bluebottle flies, both are readily available.

For now I would get the typical 32 oz insect cup for housing. These are the best in my opinion. Once they outgrow those you have many choices. Critter keepers were mentioned but I feel those are a poor choice for mantids. I use the small 2.5 gallon aquariums with screen lid. These can be sectioned off and three mantids can live in one tank.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 16, 2010)

We decided to get either cups, like said, or some type of tupperware and cut a hole in the top to cover in window mesh.

When they grow up, we have a twenty gallon that can be sectioned off (somehow...) for them to live in. And we can always go out and buy other stuff!


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 16, 2010)

I wanted to ask, at what age (generally) do they start outgrowing the FFs? How aften do they moult?


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## ismart (Apr 16, 2010)

ThaRatChick said:


> I wanted to ask, at what age (generally) do they start outgrowing the FFs? How aften do they moult?


What species of mantis are you getting? Depending on what species you have will give us a better idear on how to answer these questions properly. If they are chinese? Then at L3 they can start taking down house flies. I think it's like 7 or 8 moults to reach adulthood. I cant seem to remember exactly?


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## massaman (Apr 16, 2010)

some species may have more then seven molts I think!


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## Rick (Apr 16, 2010)

Molting frequency depends on temperatures and food availability. You can expect about every couple weeks when young but it will slow down as they age.


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## massaman (Apr 16, 2010)

you can actually use the tank if you put in plenty of soil or any substrate of your choice and plenty of sticks or branches for them to climb on and just pour in the tank fruit flies and if there is a lid cover it up and well give them plenty of room to molt and to hunt for their food and they can explore as well!


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## Rick (Apr 16, 2010)

I wouldn't even consider moving them into a large divided tank until they are off of fruit flies. The 32 oz insect cups will suffice for a good while.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 16, 2010)

We got them today! Little buggers, the guy said they hatched on the 11th. So they are almost a week old, and he said they had one moult already. That makes them L1 right?

We only got 4. We got 4 square tupperware things, I think they are around 32 oz... We put window screen on the top after cutting some out, and them realized the flies could get out. So we added paper towel over it. We put a little bit of lemon on the bottom of each enclosure to keep the flies in as well, is that okay? We just kind of dumped a bunch of flies in each, and they are eating a bunch! We named them Chuck Norris, Juanita, Pedro, and Carl. (Awesome names right lol.) They are chinese. They are so teeny! I'll post pics soon (when my dad lends me his old camera, mine doesn't do macro well).

We have a little setup with a dimish light on them (25w i believe) that we will turn off at night. Is that good for them? We got distilled water for the sprayer too, how often should we spray them?


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## Rick (Apr 17, 2010)

You don't need lemon in there. If the flies can escape they will escape. I would add several flies per mantis every other day. Keep an eye on their abdomens. They should stay plump. If the abdomens get flat or nearly so, feed a little more. The light is not necessary but it won't hurt anything either. I would lightly mist the inside of the enclosures at least once a day. Since you have them under a lamp it may be a good idea to mist them once in the morning and once in the evening. If they have molted once they are L2.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 17, 2010)

We are just putting in as many flies as they will eat, plenty in there for them. Do we hanve to mist the inside? We have been misting the paper towel on top.

Thanks for clarifing molt stuff.


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## Rick (Apr 17, 2010)

ThaRatChick said:


> We are just putting in as many flies as they will eat, plenty in there for them. Do we hanve to mist the inside? We have been misting the paper towel on top.
> 
> Thanks for clarifing molt stuff.


Well you want them to have access to the water. You also want it to provide humdity.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 17, 2010)

Ok, we'll open them to mist.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 18, 2010)

Here is the setup (i did put a strip of paper towel in each for them to climb on after the pic)-


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 18, 2010)

I can't see the pic so ill post it on photobucket and up here-


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## massaman (Apr 18, 2010)

you going to need some sticks for them to climb on and remove the lemons from the mantis enclosures being that the fruit flies only use in the mantis enclosure is to be eaten by the mantis!Dont really need to use the light personally but thats a personal preference or if the species is one that requires alot of temperature and humidity and with mine I just give them regular lighting and since I got windows the light that also comes in during the day is good enough!


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## Rick (Apr 18, 2010)

Very small mantids don't normally need sticks except for a few specific species. Just make sure they can hang from the lid since that is where they will spend most of their time. My only concern is the height of your enclosures. Mantids need vertical height for molting. Since they are L2 they will be ok for a molt or two but after that they will need more space. Keep an eye on how dry it gets with the lamp that close. Those do ok at room temps so it really isn't needed unless you keep it cold in there. A layer of paper towel on the bottom of each enclosure should also be added. That way you can moisten it with your water and it will release humidity for awhile.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 18, 2010)

Ok, we will get new enclosures when they get a few molts bigger. The room they are in is usually dark, so i figures the light would be good. I'll go add paper towels now.


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## Rick (Apr 19, 2010)

The light won't hurt and I understand wanting to be able to see them. I have an overhead flourescent tube for viewing.


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## hogosha (Apr 21, 2010)

Rick said:


> Well you want them to have access to the water. You also want it to provide humdity.


Wasn't there another person who had ventilation problems with the paper towels on top to keep the flies in? Maybe a smaller mesh screen on top and putting the paper towels on the bottom would provide better ventilation and better humidity control.


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## Rick (Apr 21, 2010)

Mikey said:


> Wasn't there another person who had ventilation problems with the paper towels on top to keep the flies in? Maybe a smaller mesh screen on top and putting the paper towels on the bottom would provide better ventilation and better humidity control.


That is true. I suggested the paper towels on the bottom earlier. I am not sure of her lid set up. She can buy fine mesh at fabric stores that will keep flies in.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 21, 2010)

I'll tell my dad to get the fine mesh (i suggested this before but we never got around to going to the fabric store).

My dad took a couple great pics of Carl, hes about a cm long.








Pretty awesome face pic


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 24, 2010)

My dad said a couple of them have just molted!


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## Rick (Apr 24, 2010)

Awesome pics!


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## ismart (Apr 26, 2010)

Nice pics!


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 29, 2010)

Well, turns out 3/4 died. Either from molting weirdly (none molted on top?), or starving. Petco didn't have any more live flies, so pop was trying to feed them dead flies and ladybugs. Grr, i told him to get a culture online...


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## ThaRatChick (May 3, 2010)

All of the mantids are dead...

Thanks for everyone's help with care, but we aren't getting anymore mantids.


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## Rick (May 3, 2010)

ThaRatChick said:


> All of the mantids are dead...
> 
> Thanks for everyone's help with care, but we aren't getting anymore mantids.


Oh come on now! If we all gave up when our first mantids died there likely wouldn't be a single person in this hobby. The mantids you had are notorious for dying at that stage. There is sooooo much more out there. Once you get the basics down this is not a hard hobby. Hate to see someone get discouraged and leave.


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## PhilinYuma (May 3, 2010)

I agree with Rick. You can't give up now after all the work that you have gone to, and it is hard to start with only four nymphs. Here's the deal. If you order some nymphs and let me know in advance, I'll send you some ffs and culture medium at no charge. I prefer to send them out on a Mon or Tues to be sure that they don't get stuck at the PO on the following Sunday.

And no, pholks, this is _not_ Phil's Phree Phruit Phly Phestival!


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## hibiscusmile (May 3, 2010)

Once again I missed this post, but u's didn't need me anyways, U guys are great! Hey Ratchick, You need another species, not chinese, I myself only get a dozen to live out of an ooth. U pay for shipping and I send you some free babies and with Phil sending u food, whats to lose other than your heart!


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## ThaRatChick (May 13, 2010)

No, it's okay. Part of it is that I'm at my moms most of the time, and she wouldn't want them (she thinks i have enough with four rats and a pigeon), and my dad is too busy to care for more animals (he's already got his two dogs, two rats, my brothers snake, and my brother haha).

I might get back into them sometime though


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