# is it easy



## bruty2fruity (Jul 4, 2006)

to stunt a mantids growth?


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## Johnald Chaffinch (Jul 4, 2006)

feed it less and keep it cooler, i think both these have an affect on the speed they develop


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 4, 2006)

right, tonight i shall have fotos my my mantises, some are so tiny even as adult it makes me wonder, would they still produce big ooths?


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## julian camilo (Jul 4, 2006)

it is easy, and is good for slowing down for example a male, to let a female catch up (when they have one more moult). or if some of the nymphs are from another batch and a few moults behind this also works.


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## Jwonni (Jul 4, 2006)

looks like these answers are for slowing a mantis's growth whereas i beleive the original question is to make a species that should be large as an adult be a small adult when fully grown


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## julian camilo (Jul 4, 2006)

ah right. i think it would be very hard to grow an adult in captivity that was much noticeably smaller than another in your captivity on purpose.


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 4, 2006)

right. hopefully if these are chinese mantids i will show everyone my crazy pics of my fiesty midgets. now the next question is. if that is the case and i have a rediculessly small mantis...would it produce smaller ooths with obviously a smaller egg/larvae count, or would they still be the same size as a larger specimen of the same species... would the hatchlings take the characteristics of their parents, or just grow to suit their surroundings?


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## Jwonni (Jul 4, 2006)

As the mantis wouod be smaller it would not have as much space to form eggs/foam so i would have to guess they would be smaller


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## rlechols (Jul 4, 2006)

I had wild-caught chinese mantids last year--some lived until almost Christmas, and almost all laid ooths. Most of the mantids were about 4 inches, except one was 4 1/2 inches, and one was only 3 3/8 inches. The smaller mantis did lay smaller ooths, and the bigger mantids laid quite large ooths, but decreasing in size as they laid more and more. Unfortunately, the ooth of the small mantid didn't hatch, but I'm assuming her nymphs would have been the same size as any other chinese mantis--there would just be fewer of them.


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 4, 2006)

thats what im thinking. my mantis is 2.5 inches. it has all the characteristics of a chinese...though it is just small.


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## wuwu (Jul 4, 2006)

have anyone noticed any negative side effects to slowing a mantid's growth? like infertility perhaps?


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## Rick (Jul 4, 2006)

> thats what im thinking. my mantis is 2.5 inches. it has all the characteristics of a chinese...though it is just small.


Got a pic of it?


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 4, 2006)

i keep meaning to get one as my camera isnt that good. infact its poor quality. but i just am a bit drawn at the mo. hopefully tomorow, hopefully. ill put a ruler next to it aswell


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## julian camilo (Jul 4, 2006)

if they are indeed smaller than the others, i assume they would lay smaller oothecas. however, im pretty sure they are only smaller due to lower egg count, not size. the nymphs that hatch out will be of equivalent size to others, i assume.


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 6, 2006)

http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bruty2fruity/

ive only uploaded a few, quality isnt that grat due to lighting in my room. but i shall get some better ones. but checkem out


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## julian camilo (Jul 6, 2006)

7cm, isnt that about right for a male? it doesnt seem that tiny to me, but ive never kept tenodera. also, is this the only tiny one you have? because if so you shouldnt be worried about the ootheca size if the females are normal size.


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 6, 2006)

the female is tiny too. kinda filled out odly but still small. no where near the size of my african mantids. also i have astrage mantis which i dont knoe the species of (if that makes sense) infact 2 of them. that male and the other one. but the small male i purchased as a grandis...beleive m it aint no grandis


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 11, 2006)

ok, im going to link my pix if ppl could help me id be appreciative

heres my supposed chinese female only cm long

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3789.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3787.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3784.jpg

heres my gian indians

i dont know if this is th male or the female

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3783.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3777.jpg

the other giant indian

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3766.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3762.jpg

this is my mysetery mantid - bare in mind it had red blotches and is far stockier than any of my giant indians - i think its a marbled mantid

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3757.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3749.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3746.jpg

i think this one also is a marbled mantid but he's tiny - he also used to have red blotches.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g212/bru...ty/DSCF3733.jpg

if anyone could help me identify and sex the mantids here itd be a great help


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## wuwu (Jul 11, 2006)

your mystery mantid looks like a c. humeralis to me.


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## 13ollox (Jul 11, 2006)

your mystery mantis looks like a female hierodula parviceps ( marbled mantis ) . i got one exactly the same but i could be wrong . ill get a pic of mine up but it even has the same markings and i got it identified here as a marbled mantis .mines even the same stage ! ( subadult )

and your bottom one looks like the male version .

your giant indians . the top one looks male to me and the bottom female .

chinese have no idea about . sorry .

i might be wrong about any of these . but i gave it a go !

Neil


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 12, 2006)

seriously shes so energetic. and so feisty i hope the males usefull when shes an adult. those are fun mantids.

same with the giant indian

chinese i dislike until there adult


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## 13ollox (Jul 12, 2006)

:lol: also has the same personality then . but my fiestest mantid had to by my polyspilotta . would chase anything down, constantly trying to escape when i opened the lid . sometimes i got up out of bed and shed run all round the tank like a looney , but back to the point . i'll post some pics up of mine when i get back from driving . they look the same !


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 12, 2006)

yeah that happens with mine. as soon as shes on my hand she'll wait and then...boom shs off! runs upto my head - shes funny tho and really pretty. so mantids in captivity are much smaller than i expected either that or im doing something wrong. my africans are massive and stocky...and the females a total nutter


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## 13ollox (Jul 12, 2006)

Here we go bruity !

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/13ollox/PIC00693.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/13ollox/PIC00691.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/13ollox/PIC00690.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/13ollox/PIC00689.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/13ollox/PIC00686.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/13ollox/PIC00687.jpg

Neil


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 13, 2006)

yeah mines looks like that. had the tinyest of red blotches when she was young but not really as prominent anymore. she has the banded legs and massive head. also how big is she?


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## 13ollox (Jul 13, 2006)

around 2 inches inches, she small compared to what my giant indians were which were more just above 3"-3.5" when subadult .

Neil


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 13, 2006)

my female is an inch and 3 quatres, but stockier than he giant indians. my indians are 2.5 inches.... but healthy i may transfer them into a bigger tub tonight


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## 13ollox (Jul 13, 2006)

wise idea . they take up huge amounts of room when they moult to adulthood ! but there worth it . yu'll see !


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 13, 2006)

yeah i bought a mesh cage for the african female.. she is massive and roams allot. so i kept her is one and she likes it. i may have to buy some more of those.

have you noticed how much the indian mantids love to be handled?


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## 13ollox (Jul 13, 2006)

yep , they always wave there front arms at me if i got them out , so i put my hands next to em and they climb around on you . duno if they think your some giant tree that moves alot or if they actually know your a person. would be nice to find out lol


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 13, 2006)

corr they are murder, its getting them back in that they dislike.

my chinese arent to fussed. nor is my marbled male.

i may be setting up a store soon and im going to source these things


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## bruty2fruity (Jul 17, 2006)

yeah i have found that a bigger cage will inevitably produce a bigger mantid. y runt of the litter is now the largest chinese mantid i have. mating should be interesting.

will have more pics in a few weeks


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