Recent content by BoxOfFrogs

Hello everyone, My orchid mantis is male. This is a shame because I asked for and was sold a female, but never mind. I won't be buying livestock from that particular shop again. I was told 'she' was an L2 when I purchased her. Molt to L3 happened 2 weeks after purchase, Molt to L4 3 weeks...

Thanks ohaple :)

Thanks MantisGirl13 - I covered half of the mesh lid with foil and the humidity stays close to 50% (better than the 20-30), with an easy jump to 80% after a misting. 

Thank you so much ohaple :) I would prefer a natural substrate for both aesthetics and moisture control but was concerned about the mould. I have read about springtails etc. and have one outstanding question - how are the numbers of springtails controlled? Do they not breed to excess? Or do...

Sorry, a bit more info that may be relevant. I bought the items as advised by the pet shop guy - he has been keeping and breeding mantises for 12 years - and I started with coconut shell substrate (the compressed kind that expands when you add water), a branch of sterilised driftwood, and heat...

Hello and good evening from the UK :) I'm just 4 weeks in to my mantis ownership (an L3 Orchid Mantis) and am avidly reading and watching as much as I can about them. One of the difficulties I'm having is maintaining the humidity in my enclosure. Firstly, there are different recommendations...

Haha, I had mold quite quickly on my first tub from the pet shop so I returned it (having read that mold should be kept away from the mantis at all cost). I'm sure the novelty will quickly wear off, but everything about it is exciting at the moment!

Hi. I am interested to know what to move up to when the mantis out-grows the small fruit flies!

Hello everyone. I'm sure you hardened keepers have long since lost the excitement about feeder care, but as I'm only 3.5 weeks into mantis ownership I've just had my first fruit flies appear from the pupae that appeared as a result of my shop-bought starter culture breeding. 1 fly appeared...

Thanks MantisGirl13

Ah I see. Thanks again Cole 78 :)

Thanks Cole 78. I'd like to try focus stacking so will have a look into it. Do you have a macro lens? Quite an investment fir a good one!

Hello. Just a technical forum question I think - I have uploaded 2 photos so far, both as attachments to a forum post, but they don't appear in the gallery images area of my profile. Similarly when I look at other users' profiles there are no pictures there either. Am I missing something? Thanks.

Thanks Graceface and Little Mantis :) Thanks Cole 78 - the picture was taken in quite a rush, no flash (the subject was 2 feet from a black-tiled wall, with a window to the side letting sunlight in), no macro lens (just my kit 18-135mm). Haven't tried focus stacking yet, but I wonder how it...

Thanks guys :)