# The Joy of Spares



## sporeworld (Mar 25, 2012)

I've been meaning to write this little commentary(?) for a while.

Anyone caring for large numbers of critters (or large numbers of enclosures), has probably already found *"the joy of spares".*

It is _SO_ much easier to transfer your critters to a nice, clean and properly prepared SPARE enclosure... than it is to try and clean it with them still crawling around (not really possible to give em a GOOD cleaning, anyway). And having a single "Transition Enclosure" means moving them twice.

No, the joy for me is to have a clean and sterile enclosure fresh and ready for occupation. Then I can clean the old one at my leisure. This means move, clean, prepare, repeat... until all the enclosures are clean.

So, to all you folks planning on going big-time with your bug rooms, please, please... plan on having spares. It'll put a little "ha" in your daily "HAssle". 

*I am Sporeworld, and I approve of this message.*


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## Rick (Mar 25, 2012)

True, but I don't clean enclosures with the animal still inside. I simply move it to a temporary enclosure.


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## sporeworld (Mar 25, 2012)

Right. So, without the benefit of spares:

1. Move to temp.

2. Clean original cage.

3. Move critters back to original cage.

Repeat.

The joy of spares allows you to skip a step:

1. Move to New

2. Clean.

Repeat.

Easier, faster, and less "stress" on the critter (if one considers such things). It's also easier for me, since I get FREQUENT interruptions... and I can just pickup days later, if needed.

Also, if you aren't RE-Cleaning the temp enclosure each time, you run the risk (albeit low) of spreading any bad ju ju from disease, waste, etc.

With communal enclosures of 20 or more creepy-crawlies in each enclosure, those savings really add up.

Even if you don't have exact spares, it's nice sometimes to rotate types of enclosures - say, from glass to netcage for a week. Just to break my own monotony.

I really get to enjoy that economy when I'm just starting, or winding down (since there are a lot of extra cages at that point). And I like to completely wash the net cages and allow them to air dry without bugs inside - in the sun, if possible.

To be sure, it's a luxury (not to brag). But I have a room_ full _of unused cages, aquariums, foggers, humidifiers, and about every known form of heating device!  I even got to break out the old wire mesh cages for my caterpillars, which was pretty awesome! I have one of those coffin-sized black nylon cages somewhere in the back, too. Haven't used that in about 3 years!

(Side note: Those nylon cages are fantastic for mass-mating moths. After the eggs are laid, and the moths have died, you can remove the nylon exterior like a big bag and just shake loose nearly all the eggs. And if you don't want them to hatch, you can just wad the entire nylon cage exterior, and toss it eggs-and-all into the freezer!!!)


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## agent A (Mar 25, 2012)

great idea with spare containers  

i tried something similar once with creos and tenodera but i accidentally put an L5 male creo gem in a cage with a tenodera hatchling, and i think u can infer how that went...

good thing tenodera ooths hatch out hundreds of nymphs


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## sporeworld (Mar 25, 2012)

Yeah - with some of the communals, I clean the cages as in-frequently as possible. They kinda stake out their territories and get comfortable. But I've learned I can't go TOO long between cleanings. Ugh!


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## Krissim Klaw (Mar 25, 2012)

Still sounds like a lot of work... of course I am the lazy bum in the mantis forum that only likes to keep a handful of mantises at a time. Easy for me is when my old lady mantises settle down on one of my fake ground plants and I can move the plant from their cage to my desk and back again for days on end. :whistling:


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 25, 2012)

it is a lot of work klaw! I keep many spares. But they still have to be cleaned and things reglued, but like Spore, don't know what I would do without them.


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## dlemmings (Mar 25, 2012)

I have and use "spares"

when my creo p. got her wings she went into a small critter keeper.

but on Sundays or whatever weekday I have off, I remove my guys and gals 1 or 2 at a time and wash &amp; dry their respective enclosures...this lets them crawl around on a plant and check things out. I cannot do this with my ghosts yet...they wander still.

and the Sinomantis "glass" mantis is still so tiny (though she just molted) and she is JUMPY! so I cant leave her out.

My oldest "Gretta" the Sp. Lineola is content to groom on a plant all day if I let her.


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## Krissim Klaw (Mar 25, 2012)

mantiscurious said:


> My oldest "Gretta" the Sp. Lineola is content to groom on a plant all day if I let her.


My oldest, Tinkerbell, has been on her plant for a couple of weeks now. It is one of the perks of old lady mantises. I Usually pull her plant out and set it on my desk in the morning and then put it back in her cage right before bedtime. She is easy as pie and all I need to do for feeding is hold a cricket up by my tweezers and she will snatch it right up. Her sisters, Glitch and Tick Tock also get their meals hand delivered. In fact, I currently have all three sitting on different plants throughout my room. I'm starting to feel like I have a old lady mantis nursing home going on. ^_^


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 25, 2012)

hahaha, old lady nursing home, gotta love K K! :kiss:


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## Mimblex (Mar 25, 2012)

It seems so simple, but that really is a great tip. I had only one "spare" set up, to exchange one mantis into it, clean their old container, move the next mantis into the newly cleaned container, and so on, conveyor-belt style.  I guess that is a lot of back and forth work, though! Guess I better get to making some more spares, haha.

PS, Krissim, your mantids have adorable names, oh gosh...


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## Krissim Klaw (Mar 26, 2012)

hibiscusmile said:


> hahaha, old lady nursing home, gotta love K K! :kiss:


They are a blast but there is no way around it, they are all so old, Tinkerbell especially. You can even see it in her mouth. Her mandibles droop way down when she isn't using them. I think it might be time for a little face lift. At least we still have our little stud muffin, Lazarus to remind everyone what a young hot bodied male looks like. Sometimes I make him dance for crickets in front of all the gilrs to keep them entertained.


Mimblex said:


> PS, Krissim, your mantids have adorable names, oh gosh...


Thank you, I always have a lot of fun with coming up with mantis names.


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## sporeworld (Mar 26, 2012)

hibiscusmile said:


> it is a lot of work klaw! I keep many spares. But they still have to be cleaned and things reglued, but like Spore, don't know what I would do without them.


Amen!

The other great luxury is a cart - like a bus cart from a restaurant. Available flat space is always at a premium - so adding a portable, moving table is a huge boon!

If I were to design (or redesign) an official bug room, I'd add an "island" in the center with good plumbing and hoses (I think Hibiscus has this). Oh - and a non-carpeted floor. Man, do I regret that!


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