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Great advice. Thanks!!

Hi all, I'm afraid it may be too late to ask for advice. My chinese praying mantis got pregant months ago and has still  not laid her eggs. I have had her in a butterfly cage with the tips of some mugwort stalks, which I know they like to lay their eggs on in nature. She is still eating and...

Just FYI, the 2 with the floppy abdomens molted into their adult instar and seem to be doing fine. One of them, the abdomen is seen swinging slightly t to the left or right, depending on position, but not flopping anymore. Also seems a little small. They are spending more time lower in their...

Thanks for the advice about the sticks. I will try that. I was also thinking of putting the cage at an angle. That might help. It is still very active and eating, etc. Actually I believe it was this way before its last molt. 

Good for you, MantisGirl, that you are still active and giving great advice. Thank you, too Mr. GhostMantis and MantisMart for your helpful replies! Thanks 

Good for you, MantisGirl, that you are still active and giving great advice. Thank you, too Mr. GhostMantis and MantisMart for your helpful replies!

Hi fellow mantid lovers! I need some advice. Not sure if this is abdomen collapse, but  i am raising 8 preying mantises this year , and have seen a number of them get this problem. Despite this, they  remain active and eating. The abdomen seems loosely attached and is sometimes raised at an...

Thaks, MantisGirl! You are the best!!

So sorry to hear this. I am also going thru something similar and I am a total novice. My males also ate only parts of thrir crickets and much less than the females. From the commenters (experts) it sounds like they died of  old age. But being that I've been in the envrionmental health field, I...

Here is a picture a few hours ago but seems to be getting worse.

Hi folks, I have 2 females and a male each in their own butterfly cage and have been trying to breed them. I have been taking the male (named PD) and one female out and leaving them alone in my bathroom for a day or so and then alternating with the other female (not much rest for the male). I...

Do you or anyone on the forum know how long I can wait to breed the adults? I want to wait until November, when they will be 3-4  months old, but I dont know if they will last that long.  I will be starting to teach then, and would love for my high school seniors to observe it. Also, if they...

Thank you, Budwing! Very helpful!!

Hi, I have 4 females and 2 males-Chinese praying mantids. One of the males has trouble eating cause of a bad arm and is very thin. One of the females has bent wingtips that hang over her rear a bit. I keep them in a small bathroom in butterfly cages in the tub. I let them take turns...

Hi folks, I love this forum! One of my Chinese praying mantids wings have curled up at the tips (see photo). I had placed it in a cage with less ventilation than the other 5 I am raising. Could this have been the cause? It wasnt born this way. It is a few weeks old., and this just happened. Is...

Thanks MantisGirl13!

Hi, last year I managed to keep alive a male and female Chinese mantis  and they  reproduced and my baby mantises just hatched (thanks to the wonderful support and advice from many on this forum!). I do not have fruit flies on hand and I just ordered some but the seller said they are fresh and...

You have all been so helpful!! Yay! My female Chinese Praying  Mantis just had sex in my bathroom. I didnt see it, but when I came home they were finally apart (after about 24 hours).She ate from my hand when they were together so maybe thats why she didnt eat him.  I put the male back in his...

Thank you Prayingmantisqueen, Mantis Girl and River Dane. I did not know this! So much to learn!! Its very exciting.  I have one other male in a cage that I raised at the same time as the female and male who are now together on my shower curtain.. The caged one has some mild deformities but has...

Thanks for your advice and good wishes! You can see in the photo that the wings of the female are in the way of the male. So it sounds like he will eventually figure it out.