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Sure it is all fun and games until someone looses a life because their is a giant mantis butt blocking the screen. ;) All her photos are adorable and I love the text you added. Too funny.

@DefyTheNorms No you were being gentle. You could have gotten her off almost instantly if you had been so inclined, but she might have been injured or killed in the process. A lot of people in your situation would have panicked and injured the mantis, but you took additional bites because you...

Sounds like she mistook your fingers for smaller prey. Generally if you move your hand as a whole and pull away they will realize their mistake in taking on something way too big, but sometimes they just don't get it, especially if you are trying to be gentle. My suggestion would be to use...

Only time I've had this issue is when when this species (in middle-later instars) sheds from a very horizontal surface. If they move too early after shedding the gravity of their abdomen's weight can cause the bend at that weak point before their exoskeleton has time to firm up. I've found...

Impulse buying animals is never a good idea so glad to hear you caught yourself before giving into the temptation. Sometimes it can be best to take a break from online communities. Pet based forums/groups in general can have a lot of negative vibes because people get very passionate about their...

I feed roaches and have never had a problem with getting excitement although I haven't had those particular species of mantises or those roaches. I use P Nivea. I like how light bodied they are. I imagine part of the problem is the mantises likely aren't really keying into the roaches as food. I...

@CosbyArt Thank you very much for the complement. I couldn't resist going with a subadult. When it comes to orchids I think the subadults have the adults beat in terms of beauty. @Jessie Thank you for your interest, and yes, I sell both premade pieces and do custom clay commissions...

Seems like it is always hard to find mantis related stuff so I decided why not make some mantis related goodies myself. :whistling: Currently I'm working on an orchid mantis sculpture. Still need to paint it, but I think it coming along pretty nice and I thought I would share.

Not only do mine get names but any around during Christmas get their names glittered onto stockings.

I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately their are a few species that can have problems with net cages in their later instars, and Idolomantis are one of them.

The first thing I would suggest is getting a larger cage. Either something like a ten/five gallon tank with proper wall height or you can cheaply modify a sterilite container. Having something with enough height makes it so much easier to reach in and do stuff because you don't have to worry...

Given the species I would personally prefer to have a bit more room/clearance between the top of the walls and their living space. I also find it well worth going with a slightly bigger container to have some room to move when doing maintenance stuff. If price is a concern you can get cheap...

You loose track of a mantis on your desk only to find them sitting on your shoulder. You can take a mantis to the face without flinching. You see beautiful butterflies fluttering by some flowers and think, those would make a great snack for my bugs. The roaches/fruit flies/flies outnumber the...

Lol too lazy to take on more pets right now, but I regularly hand offer fruit flies to the jumpers outside when I make new cultures. I will get some of the escapees in the process and just go up to the jumping spiders around the porch so I can watch them hop over and grab them off my hand. So cute.

@CosbyArt Reptiles/Amphibians/exotics are pretty popular down here so you would think there would be more of a demand, then again I feel like most people who need fruit flies also know how easy it is to order online and the fact that will often have better results than some of the abysmal...

I got the impression at least from the ones in my area they rarely sell FF cultures. I don't think the Petsmart I go to even carries them and I have asked the Petco employers before how often they sell cultures and they couldn't remember the last time they actually sold one. On the couple...

One thing I don't miss is getting feeders from petstores. I'm always shocked at how little even exotic specialized stores often know about basic feeder care. I can only assume it is because animals like the crickets are so cheap they simply don't care if a bunch die from dehydration and rancid...

I usually feed mine their food in little Dixie cups, unless I have some flying prey. I just hold the cup up to them and they reach in and snag their meal.

That is blood. I wouldn't entertain touching it until he is fully dry. I strongly suggest offering water once he has hardened enough from his molt because that is a lot of blood to loose from his central circulation.

I've watched a couple of my mantises hanging near the ground, poop, see their turd bounce across the ground, and snatch it up thinking it is food . . . at least they tend to drop it after a bite or two . . . :nuke: