# my first mantis



## zorak (Sep 15, 2005)

i resently went to a reptile convention and bought a brown female Sphodromantis lineola. she`s 6.5 cm long. she`s living free on a plant in my room, and i feed her about 5 small crickets a day. i take here off and spray the plant every day. she really likes her home and is fitting in perfectly. is there anything i can do to make her happier?


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## Jesse (Sep 15, 2005)

you could probably feed her a lot less often, maybe just 2-3 times a week.


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## Jwonni (Sep 15, 2005)

but not a small one 2 or 3 times ? surely

i have ordered a medium nymph (sphrod) and the guy told me i can feed it medium crickets

but at 6.5cm wont she be almost adult or an adult? therefore bigger food? or more little ones?


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## Samzo (Sep 15, 2005)

1 big cricket = few lil ones


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## Peekaboo (Sep 15, 2005)

> but not a small one 2 or 3 times ? surelyi have ordered a medium nymph (sphrod) and the guy told me i can feed it medium crickets
> 
> but at 6.5cm wont she be almost adult or an adult? therefore bigger food? or more little ones?


Many mantids will eat until they burst, so make sure she isn't overfed. If you are feeding her 5 small crickets with each feeding, she should only need to be fed 2-3 times a week.

You may want to consider housing her in an enclosure, depending upon how curious she is. I wasn't able to keep any of my mantids on a plant, because I'd find them crawling around on my curtains or bed.


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## Jwonni (Sep 15, 2005)

are you putting all 4-5 crickets in at once and can someone who knows about crickets eating mantids tell us if 5 small ones can do it?

and i'm sure if its not an adult then when shedding perhaps they would gangf up and eat it


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## zorak (Sep 15, 2005)

trust me. she feels safe on her plant. she woudn`t climb onto the curtains.


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## zorak (Sep 15, 2005)

> are you putting all 4-5 crickets in at once and can someone who knows about crickets eating mantids tell us if 5 small ones can do it?and i'm sure if its not an adult then when shedding perhaps they would gangf up and eat it


i feed them to her by hand. one in the morning, one when i come back from school, one at dinner, one in thee afternoon (if she`s finished the last one) and one before i go to bed.


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## Jwonni (Sep 15, 2005)

plus just noticed as you said she is free on a plant in your room not in an enclosed space with a bunch of crickets

i forgot my bad  

i notice you had a you got a picture of her?


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## zorak (Sep 16, 2005)

yes. i do have a picture. can be seen here: http://photobucket.com/albums/a110/dragon_child222/


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## yen_saw (Sep 16, 2005)

hi Zorak, that is an adult female Sphodromantis Lineola. As she is already an adult, feeding her too much may shorten her life span. Sphodromantis spec are hardy species and can go without food for weeks. All the best!


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## zorak (Sep 16, 2005)

how bout i feed her 1 big cricket every wensday. is that ok?


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## yen_saw (Sep 16, 2005)

That's fine zorak. If she has been mated, feeding her more food can speed up the process of laying ootheca. Otherwise she can live longer with lower temp (70F) and one or two healthy meal a week.


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