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Filtering water does not remove minerals from it. So you would want to use distilled water or bottled water with low mineral content. I don't like sand because it does not absorb the water. I much prefer coconut fiber to sand for vivariums that need higher humidity. Scott

Peter, Maybe you would have had better luck snipping off his head after he got on her back. Maybe the subesophageal ganglion was getting in the way of the mating process which is likely controlled by an abdominal ganglion. It sounds funny, but I am a little more than halfway serious. Scott

Happy Mantis, Vermiculite is NOT a cancer causing material. You are talking about vermiculite contaminated with asbestos. The vermiculite you can buy for horticulture use is not at issue. This is the vermiculite one would buy for use in terrariums. Turface is a non-toxic material that has been...

Peter, Turface MVP looks to be the right version of the product for our needs. It resists compaction and maintains moisture for a long time. The media size looks good for mantids too. From what I have read, it is easy to clean. Here is a link to find who sells the product in the US and Canada...

I am going to give turface a try. It would seem to have many of the advantages vermiculite offers without the downsides of being too loosely packed and light. S-

What about a product called turface? Here is a link: http://www.protimelawnseed.com/about-us/turface/ This product is used for baseball fields and in nursery plantings. My grandmother, an orchid grower, loved this stuff for her orchid plants that needed high humidity at the roots but not...

etb99, I have never used vermiculite as a substrate for mantids. But it would seem to be ideal for Hymenopus coronatus, Deroplatys dessicata, and any other species requiring higher humidity levels. If what Birdfly said is true about vermiculite, I would suggest coconut fiber instead. S-

Christian made us aware of a feeder insect, known as firebrats (Thermobius domestica), that has made it possible for the the European mantid breeding community to raise and breed species of mantids that had proved difficult or impossible in the past. This information was in a a topic that was...

Arkanis, The problem with a refrigerator is that they are usually set a few degrees above freezing (mine is at 36 degrees) and the humidity is quite low. I suspect that is less than ideal. I will be interested to hear what people suggest. Maybe storing the ooth outside surrounded by a fine...

While I think mrblue is correct, I never quite know what is in my local dirt (animal life, insecticides, etc.). So I always buy substrate. Probably unnecessary, but I feel better about... S-

If the mantid can't eat or can't eat enough to survive, the freezer might be a good option. Or you might let it go and take its chances in the wild. S-

http://mantiskingdom.com/index.php?main_pa...1d6904a61832a56 DeShawn is sold out currently, at least according to his web site. S-

Are these actual Rhombodera basalis? All I have been able to find comes from Yen Saw's stock and not even Christian is sure what Rhombodera species they are. I ask because I am interested in what is different, if anything, between what Yen Saw brought into culture and a true R. basalis. S-

Just out of curiosity, how big is the mantid? Any idea what species it might be? S-

Actually, yes and no...... Both "scientific name" and "binomial name" are correct. But you will find that "scientific name" is used much more often even in text not intended for the layperson. Also, a "scientific name" could include subspecies which would make it a "trinomial name". S-

Which is why they should be called "scientific names", not "Latin names". S-

pseudo: 1. not actually but having the appearance of; pretended; false or spurious; sham. 2. almost, approaching, or trying to be.

Are you sure the male is also a Tenodera sinensis? S-

Arkanis, I suspect that pink male is really a brown male with some reddish hues. I have seen quite a few of those in southern California. But pink is not a color I have personally seen. S-

DARKSPEED, Do just a little bit of research into the results of selective breeding in the past 500 years and I think you will be surprised at what has been accomplished with domesticated animals. Much of that quite a bit less trivial that selecting for color. If there were a critical...