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I wouldn't worry too much.  Sometimes they go a couple days without eating after they molt.  Seems like they are more inclined to do this in later stages.  As long as she is still acting "normally" and will take water/mist...I bet she'll find her appetite again fairly soon. 

Great pictures.  The first with the Idolo eating the grasshopper is awesome.  I'm always excited about catching them producing an ooth...so those photos are super cool as well.

Hey Synapze.  Good question. I've used a variety of the plastic plants in my mantis enclosures.  They are DEFINITELY more hardy and probably easy to use and clean for sure.  One thing to consider though. Some of the fabric/silk variety plants seem to provide a slightly better shedding surface. ...

Nice photos.  Love the look of that P. perpulchra.  Don't see many of those.  I love the scrappy/aggressive species.  First because it's just so much easier to keep them well fed if they're willing to stalk or pursue, and second because it's just neat seeing them go after prey.  Good luck with...

Good catch.  That was my bad.  I was mixing my species.  I actually was having issues getting TWO roach species to reproduce. My Dubias (live birth), AND my turkish red runners (ooths).  Thankfully another member of the forum (ausar318) sent me a TON of information about his setup and his...

Nice pics.  I especially like the orchid male molting photo. Cool picture with good lighting.  Always a great experience when you walk in on them as they go through that process...especially their last molt. 

In my neighborhood (and maybe yours in Indiana), I'd just bring the enclosure out onto my deck at night.  With the female in an enclosure with a screen lid and lots of ventilation, I knew she was calling/ready to mate when I'd walk out at night before bed...and would find 1 to 4 males hanging...

Hey Ellithain.  Mantis coloration varies within species based on a lot of factors (temp, humidity, amount of ambient light when they molt, etc.)  What I can tell you, based on the 3 Hierodula females I raised, is that the golden coloration didn't really start to pop until adulthood.  After their...

I just did the same thing last week with an enormous ooth from an S. gastrica that had a suspiciously brief mating session. After incubating and misting for over 4 months...the ooth dissection looked identical to yours. I kinda knew it was a dud...but I was holding out hope. Still disappointed! 

Interesting topic.  I've been doing a lot of thinking about it for a while.  I would point out that though they aren't as big as Chinese, Carolina mantises eat their fair share of pollinators (honey bees, mason bees, bumble bees, small wasps, etc). "Pound for pound", I think they're even more...

Question for any roach culture experts out there. I bought 2 dozen dubia nymphs 11 months ago.  I now have 5 (3 female: 2 males).  The ones that are gone were fed to mantises that reached maturity and have since passed. Really amazing is that I didn't lose a single roach to anything other than...

That is really neat.  According to the article...it was sold at an auction for $6,000.  So it could just be a paperweight on someone's desk now. ?  

He is on this forum and got good reviews in the breeder feedback section.  I friended him on FB to see what he had for sale a few weeks ago.  Too bad his supply line was sketchy.  You gotta wonder what they did with all the orchid mantises they confiscated though....  ?

Rick - I understand that sentiment. Outside of female giant African mantises (from nymph to adult), I'd be hard pressed to find a more aggressive/voracious eating species. (though I've raised a lot fewer species than most people on this forum!) In this area, T. sinensis has all but eliminated...

I live in NE Illinois.  Wondering if anyone else had noticed what I've observed this year.  In the neighborhood, there has ALWAYS been a pretty robust population of Chinese mantises. Over the last 3-5 years, it seems like there has even been a "bumper crop" of Chinese mantises.  Maybe the mild...

I was looking to find some large silk moth caterpillars (Cecropia, Luna, Polyphemus, etc.) a month or so ago.  I stumbled on this website/breeder.  I thought the price for caterpillars seemed a bit high, but have never ordered anything other than mantises...so what do I know.  Shipments of...

Good luck with the book Kris!  It sounds well done and I'll have to pick up a copy.  Next project = Praying Mantises of the Caribbean?  Field research is going to really tough there.  Not so much.  ?

I'm not sure what those marks are either...but my last female H. venosa developed identical looking spots on her abdomen not long after her second ooth I think. Looked like little blackish/brown freckles. Old age/age spots?  Small little punctures from mating or from cleaning her abdomen (which...

I paired my hierodula venosa female and male on a vertical screen surface.  I think having enough room is important, but there's all different ways to accommodate that.  I did originally try to get them together too early. The female was a couple weeks old (male was 3 weeks old) and she showed...

Welcome John!  Great story and a great hobby!  My uncle retired a few years ago.  He has some heart issues so he was looking for less strenuous hobby to occupy his time. I gave him some chinese and H. venosa nymphs this spring and he's seriously into it now!  Has some indoor enclosures and build...