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Update: she's dead and I do believe she'd been since the first night... Oh well.. I'll bury her tomorrow and sprinkle some flowers petals on it. Goodnight Francesca :(

I wasn't able to check on her this morning but here's a photo my mom sent me of her on the tree :( I'm not sure if she's still alive so I'll have to see when I get home

I'm sorry but the timing is almost funny lol... Last night I had to put one of them down :( and the other is definitely on her last leg. I'm glad yours are doing well though! I caught mine this spring and they haven't aged well at all. I made a thread about it :)

Both of these mantids are wild caught and that's just how I found Honey, the one in the photo. It seems her actual wings are drying out and flaking away though which is odd. I would try the freezer but I live with my parents and theyll probably lose it if I do that.. I figured this way was the...

So first off I would like to ask if anyone has ever had feet fall off a mantis? I've had quite a few, most all s. Limbata, and sometimes I'll have ones who just lose their feet. For no reason. They aren't cut or bitten, they just fall off at the lowest segment of the leg... I've attached photos...

I've never kept grasshoppers but I just found two nuzzled in my bike helmet. They were obviously alive and reacted to touch but didn't try to escape. I set them in the sun to let them warm up and convinced them to leave a bit later. Do they go dormant or something? It's winter here and very cold...

That would definitely be very cool! I've never actually seen a Chinese mantid in my area, or at least never identified one. There's probably some out there, though! I'm not really in the spot for trading at the moment, but maybe in the future? I'd love to branch out and keep more mantis types! 

Okay cool! Do they always do this if they've overeaten? When I was younger I had a mantis and there was a TON of bugs outside, like lots, and I was catching them by the dozen and giving them to her. She ate so many that when she'd catch one she wouldn't even eat it, just touch it to her mouth...

Hey just out of curiosity, is it possible for a female to eat the male before he can properly deliver sperm? I was reading the thread about unfertilized ooths tending to be small and misshapen, and I noticed the ooths laid by my other female, Francesca, were just like that. Coincidentally, she...

Sorry if it seemed I was panicking, I just really wanted a reply before they dried >.< Thanks

My Sp. Limbata female, Honey, is currently laying on ooth. The issue is it's in contact with both the stick she's on and a leaf from a fake plant. Is it safe to pull the plant away without damaging the ooth?? I need an answer fast before it dries and is stuck to both objects. 

Thanks guys! I never knew mantids did that. Thanks for the new info! I suppose it'll stop me from panicking if I notice it in mine.

Oh wow, I've never heard of that before. Can grasshoppers and flies do this too? I recall seeing grasshoppers and flies "vomit" a dark liquid, but typically when stressed, such as when I've caught some flies in a cup to feed to my mantis lol. 

So sorry for the loss of her :( Its great she lived so long! Watching them continue to thrive is the best part, I think. Just out of curiosity, you said "almost never any vomit". I've kept mantids for awhile but never heard that term. What does it mean, if you don't mind me asking?

Yes, both fully grown adults! When I found Francesca I was confident she was newly shed as she was rather clumsy and shiny. She was more matte after a few hours and less clumsy. Honey was also an adult, although I wonder if she was already well into it as I think I found her in August/September...

It's probably not a world record or anything, but I just find it really cool that my 2 wild caught sp. Limbata are still thriving. I have 2 females, Honey and Francesca, and they're both approximately 10 months. I know mantids kept in captivity live longer than wild ones, so it isn't a surprise...

Yea maybe! I was planning also using some wild adults- or nearly adults- so that I have strong mantids capable of surviving the wild, too. Lol what if someone selectively bred mantids to be non-cannibalistic? That would be cool!  Also guys, I gave my female mantids some chicken! They definitely...

I saw that with 2 out of the 3 males I've caught that have died of old age. But the females have been like this for over a week. Should I expect to come home to them on the ground soon? I wish there was something I could do to ease them through their deaths... Although Honey is still eating...

I mates both my females to the male Donovan (although Francesca made sure he would be with no one else by eating him..) Anyways guys I have some unhappy news :( Neither of my females have laid anymore ooths, and Honey is rather thin (she laid the first one). I think they're too old to produce...

These are S. Limbata. I would totally give you a male, but the ones in my area are in the death season so I don't think they'd even be young enough to breed. I'm sorry :(