# Chinese Mantis + Some Other Questions



## Merkava128 (Aug 13, 2005)

I've kept Chinese mantids a few times over the past years and enjoyed it, but I usually end up letting them go after a few days. My question is, how long could one of these mantids potentially live in captivity if properly cared for?

Also, I am very interested in a particular shielded mantis I have seen, but cannot find any information on. It is not the one that is pictured on this site, it is darker green and has a much larger and rounder shield. Does anyone know what this mantis is and where it can be found or purchased?


----------



## Samzo (Aug 13, 2005)

Chinese mantis will live for a year aprox if treated right , although they are a hardy species. I don't know of anyone who is breeding shields at the moment.


----------



## Rick (Aug 13, 2005)

Doubt you will get a chinese to live a year. Should get them to live for six months or maybe a little longer.


----------



## PseudoDave (Aug 13, 2005)

Had a Heirodula sp. female live just a tiny bit over a year. Even more suprising was a Hymenopus coronatus female that lived about the same length of time. They had both been kept at room temperature, never higher, were both fed a consistent and regular diet and neither were mated, both produced a couple of ooths in their time, not many. I have no doubt that it was the sub-optimal temperatures and steady, 'not too much' feeding regime that kept them going that long. I also had a siamese fighting fish that lived three times its life expectancy, perhaps they like me too much to leave?  

Dave


----------



## Rick (Aug 13, 2005)

I have H Grandis' that are pretty old. Chinese just don't live long.


----------



## Merkava128 (Sep 4, 2005)

I found a really fat female chinese mantis this friday and brought it into the house to keep it, putting it on an artificial tree in the corner. I didn't feed it on friday, but I watered it, and saturday night, I gave it a grasshopper, but it only ate the head and part of the torso.

This afternoon, it started making an egg case on the tree I had put it on. I am afraid that she is making it because she is dying, even though I've only had her for two days now, and she ate last night. I didn't expect her to make it so soon, or I wouldn't have brought her in. Will she eat if I offer her food when she gets done, and if I cut the egg case off and move it outside will she continue to behave normally?

Does it sound like she could be making it because she's dying for some reason? Is this the normal time of year for them to lay their eggs? Do they stick around after they make their egg case, or does it matter if I release her after this? Will she continue to eat and live normally in the wild? Does it sound like I have done anything to throw her off and cause her to make it?


----------



## Rick (Sep 5, 2005)

No. If she is ready to make her ooth then she is just ready. She will live on after she makes it and she might make several more. Because they lay an ooth doesn't mean they are dying. It does seem a bit early in the year however the females around here are getting fat with eggs.


----------

