# A noobs Foolish mistake



## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 6, 2007)

Ok, so everyone who has read my posts knows that i had several mantids...all very young. Iwas warned to seperate them or cannibalism would plague the tank..and so my fellow mantidkeepers it has. I came home this afternoon to find that one of the larger got hungry (after my not being able to capture proper food) and killed and ate the youngest and smallest of my first group. After that i became so saddened by my eagerness of wanting to keep these wonderful creatures i didnt planon how to provide proper ammounts of food for them. So i made the decision to free them...i think they'll live better anyway. I wasnt well prepared. And so my fellow neebs here in lies my message: BE FULLY PREPARED FOR *ALL* NECESSITIES


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## Asa (Jul 6, 2007)

Sorry to hear about that.  

You can get all the necessities for under 25 bucks.


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 6, 2007)

yea...but the rest are free...it saddens me that i failed my first try...but on the upside i learned from my mistake! :lol: do you have any necessities i could purchase for under 25? or know someone with a great reputatuion? i want to try hatching an ooth...but ill be prepared this next time around!


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## Asa (Jul 6, 2007)

You can find everything you need at www.mantisplace.com

Get the Cup o mantis, a few of the 24 ounce, already drilled cups with the foam stoppers, you can get a cheaper spray bottle at Wal-Mart, or a pet store, same with the funnel. Get some melongaster fruit flies a little later, and you're set. That comes to...about 20ish, so you can afford to get some spagnum moss. It's really pretty cheap, most people fail on their first try.


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## Ben.M (Jul 6, 2007)

I failed my first try due to a bad moult, but that didnt stop me, i've got loads now(and a pair mating at this very moment  )

Oh and 6 ooths :lol:


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## OGIGA (Jul 6, 2007)

I only ever bought fruit fly cultures for my young mantises at PetCo for $6 each. Everything else was stuff I already had, like empty water bottles. After they grew older, I spent more on them though, including an aquarium.


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 6, 2007)

> You can find everything you need at www.mantisplace.comGet the Cup o mantis, a few of the 24 ounce, already drilled cups with the foam stoppers, you can get a cheaper spray bottle at Wal-Mart, or a pet store, same with the funnel. Get some melongaster fruit flies a little later, and you're set. That comes to...about 20ish, so you can afford to get some spagnum moss. It's really pretty cheap, most people fail on their first try.


ive been there before and think his deals are great! but im nt sure what a religosa is...? could you tell me...ive looked it up, but it just shows what looks like a chinese mantid but brighter


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## Ben.M (Jul 7, 2007)

Thats pretty much what it is :lol: but i think regliosa is a bit smaller than chinese.


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## OGIGA (Jul 7, 2007)

The religosa's common name is European, right? I hope I'm not remembering wrong again.


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## ddvw123abc (Jul 7, 2007)

Yeah Religosa is European Mantis. Well my first adult from the wild went good and then i took a baby from its eggcase when it hatched and it died of a bad moult but now i have a Carolina Mantis nymph from an adult that layed an eggcase last fall or whatever thats molted twice and i have three Budwings(my first exotic!!!!)


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## Asa (Jul 7, 2007)

I don't care for the European at all. I'd get the Chinese.


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## anthony2001a (Jul 19, 2007)

> yea...but the rest are free...it saddens me that i failed my first try...but on the upside i learned from my mistake! :lol: do you have any necessities i could purchase for under 25? or know someone with a great reputatuion? i want to try hatching an ooth...but ill be prepared this next time around!


You can get deli cups from your grocery store deli; at the local Safeway, they are 5 cents each with lids. Then, i just cut a circle in the lid and hot glue some screening to the lid.

You can get some twigs from outdoors or cut some more screening for the interior, just make sure it won't tip and crush/trap a mantid.

With good weather, you can catch flies with a plastic zip lock bag for the larger nymphs. For smaller ones, you'll have to order fruit flies or hit a pet store for them.

If the weather gets warm, turn on an outdoor light at night and catch some small flying insects to feed like moths and mosquitoes.

Mr. Anthony


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## OGIGA (Jul 19, 2007)

> You can get deli cups from your grocery store deli; at the local Safeway, they are 5 cents each with lids. Then, i just cut a circle in the lid and hot glue some screening to the lid.


Oh my goodness, I wish I knew that earlier...


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## ishuku (Jul 21, 2007)

I used empty Pom glasses through L4:

http://www.thisnext.com/media/160x160/8A9A...sware-green.jpg

The lid even snaps on and off. Very convenient.

After they hit L5, though, I put one in a small critter keeper and the other just stays on this giant fake flower I have in my room. They're both adults now, hatched in April.

When they were L1 I was at school so I just went to one of the labs that works with fruit flies and they gave me four vials (!!!).


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## Rory (Jul 23, 2007)

Ahh well, you can always try again next year. Good luck with it though, mantids are fun!


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 27, 2007)

> Ahh well, you can always try again next year. Good luck with it though, mantids are fun!


actually i cant...ill be in Basic  Wish me luck cuz after that im sure im off to the Sand Box


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## Asa (Jul 27, 2007)

> > Ahh well, you can always try again next year. Good luck with it though, mantids are fun!
> 
> 
> actually i cant...ill be in Basic  Wish me luck cuz after that im sure im off to the Sand Box


Try next year anyway.


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Jul 27, 2007)

I cant bcuz im leaving this June 12 (2008)


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