Recent content by JoeCapricorn

So I got two Heterochaeta nymphs from a vendor at a reptile show on Saturday. One is already dead, unfortunately, and the other refuses to really eat. I have been spraying them, being careful not to saturate them too much but also keep humidity up. I am attempting to feed them D. hydei. ...

On Saturday I found a beautiful D. desiccata female at a reptile show and I want to try and breed her. If anyone in the United States has a male that they can spare, I will be happy to pay for him, along with express shipping. I am in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

I got a dozen new babies thanks to Leanna! I ordered 5 Rhombodera basalis and 5 Creobroter nebulosa, got an extra one of each when the package came. Her prices were fair and her response was quick, they were sent out on Tuesday after I had finalized things on Monday. They arrived this morning...

I asked for one male Orchid mantis, because I decided I wanted to try and breed my two girls Azalea and Snowbell. Azalea in particular was calling, which I never saw Sakura do. I got TWO BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY BOYS today in nicely sized containers. They had plenty of food for the trip but that only...

Absolutely satisfied! Total score is 94/100 It's too early, I thought, for Eastern Lubbers to be available. But I checked the Other forum on a whim. Sure enough, there was already a post for Eastern Lubber grasshoppers and from February, no less. It's hard to imagine Spring is already coming to...

The mantises reappeared in tonight's episode. They were more clearly visible - they used the same species. I'm curious what species it was, but it definitely wasn't Tenodera sinensis. They were all females - one was brown, the rest were green. They had fairly broad abdomens and full sized...

How warm should my room be when they breed? I think that might be a factor - the AC runs all the time even in the night, keeping my room around 75. It can heat up in here quite a bit because of my computer. Would trying to pair them together in the middle of the day be better?

That is the strangest pattern I've seen on both the face and forearms... quite trippy. The blackened spikes on the raptorials make her look even more menacing. So cute ^_^

Still no success, mainly because Ulfrik tends to get wanderlust and fly off Sakura's back. He did that last week. I did finally get Tullius to sit on her back, but they didn't connect. I've been uncomfortable with letting them by themselves when the male hasn't connected, so I separated the two...

If anyone here lives in Florida and encounters large numbers of Eastern Lubbers, I'd love to hear from you! I would also love to hear from you if you live in an area out west (such as Arizona) that has lots of Plains Lubbers or Horse Lubbers. Eastern Lubber grasshoppers are large lazy hoppers...

I've attempted breeding my Orchid mantises several times over the past week. The first attempt was last week, the male happily hopped onto Sakura's (the female) back. I have two males and both have been adults for almost two months. Sakura has been an adult for a little over one month. Here's...

Yes - well, I held them pinched against the twig she was on, as well as using some scotch tape. But the tape for some reason wouldn't stay on the twig. It was tedious and nerve wracking, but she survived.

Do be sure you remove the tape so the mantis doesn't get his/her new skin stuck on it! I only had to use tape once, but even with that mantis I still wound up holding her by her feet while she molted. She was a Violin mantis and couldn't grip anything no matter what. She molted okay though...

Move him to the top of the enclosure and make sure there's something good for him to grip (in other words, not plastic - cloth mesh or paper towel works) - also keep the humidity up. Ghost mantises, or at least the ones I have, tend to be sedentary for quite a while before they molt. But it's...

Dust won't hurt a mantis, will it? This is just my over protective self asking ... since my Orchid mantis female Sakura surprised me with the ability to fly across my room. She landed right in a dusty area and got absolutely covered in dust. I took several minutes to get the dust off of her -...