# Hello Forum-ers!



## ThaRatChick (Apr 14, 2010)

My name is Asa, but my username for most sites is ThaRatChick, because rats are my usual pet of choice. I'm a teenager in the USA. I have 4 rats and a pigeon currently. At my dad's we have 2 rats, 2 dogs, a ball python, and we plan on getting 6 baby chinese mantids. We are getting them from someone on craigslist who had many more hatchlings(nymphs?) than expected. My dad is a macro photographer, mostly of insects and arachnids. You can see his site here- http://www.mplonsky.com/photo/

His photography is a great excuse for us to get mantids  

I've been reading a lot on the site, mostly the pinned topics. But i still have to learn a lot! :blink: With these little chinese mantids, should be separate them right away? I'm not sure of the age but I'll be sure to ask the breeder. We will probably get some fruit flies from petco. I think we should be able to get some type of wingless FF culture online. Do you guys have any suggestions on where to get the FFs? Or what supplies we'll need to breed them?

I'm excited to get the little guys and girls!


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## hibiscusmile (Apr 14, 2010)

Welcome! Your local pet shop may have them, call and make sure, or u might lose some babies while trying to find them, many on here sell fruit flies, just check out the ads. Enjoy your stay!


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 14, 2010)

The only pet shop we have is petco, so i figure we will buy some flightless FFs from there until we can get a shipment of a breeding kit


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## Rick (Apr 15, 2010)

Welcome. I've had a rat or two over the years.


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## ismart (Apr 15, 2010)

Welcome to the forum!  I also own a hairless rat named katelyn.


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## revmdn (Apr 15, 2010)

Welcome.


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## ZoeRipper (Apr 15, 2010)

Welcome! I'm a rat person too. I've got 3 beautiful girls (Lady, Bug, and Beauty. Beauty was my most recent rescue, and she's turning out nicely! Are you on RatShackForum or RatForum? Or Goosemoose? I'm ZoeHale on RSF and RF, Rattymama918 on GM.)


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 15, 2010)

I think I'm on TheRatShack and may RatForum but I'm not very active. Goosemoose is the bane of my internet existence, I'm ThaRatChick there too! Drache posted a link to here, a believe, when i posted a mantid thread on GM.

We'll be getting the mantids tomorrow around 4-5. We'll try and order the FF cultures maybe tonight? I think ill order from MantisPlace, they look pretty good!  

I'll post lots of pics, my dad probably won't even have time to photograph them (haha, the mantids are mostly for me) and i told him if he does, to be careful not to kill them with the flash! He actually was hired to take pics of soybean aphids and killed all of them eventually from the flash... :blink:


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## Rick (Apr 16, 2010)

The flash won't kill a mantis.


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## ThaRatChick (Apr 16, 2010)

I dunno, with the babies... He uses some pretty powerful stuff.

Either way, I don't think the mantids would appreciate the flash :lol:


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