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I've never been a fan of local pet stores in general, there were a few exceptions but they are long gone. It seems lately though things have gotten even worse which I thought wasn't really possible. Earlier I went to a local pet store for some feeders to add to the gene pool of my feeder...

The idea of a forum wide contest was talked about briefly awhile back, see post here. This isn't a official Mantidforum contest, just something I've thought about starting up again, but perhaps that will change. I'm just curious if anyone is still interested in participating in a contest for...

While I was trying to send a PM, the forum refused to let me as my PM inbox was full. I was curious why I haven't had any PM's for awhile now, as I often get PM's daily so now I know. I of course emptied out a bunch of items and should be good for awhile now, annoying feature though. If anyone...

The 2017 Mantidforum.net calendars are now available to purchase! :D As mentioned I put the calendar on as many POD services (Print On Demand) as possible for everyone can use the service they prefer, get the calendar at the size wanted, or to simply be able to find a coupon deal easier. ;)...

I wanted to ask what water does everyone use for their pet mantids and other pets? Such as tap water, bottled water, spring water, filtered water, reverse osmosis, or other. I would prefer everyone list why they use the water variety they do, and a link to the article/comment they used for...

While outside collecting specimens in the late summer/early fall I started to notice various cockroach nymphs under rocks this year (first time the last few years). Yesterday after collecting some isopods (Armadillidium sp.) I found one nymph made it in my collecting container, so I took the...

Submitting photos is a two step process. 1. Email high resolution photos to  [email protected] . No watermarks, text or writing on any photographs (advertising). Include your forum username and the scientific name of the mantis in the email. 2. Upload copies of your entries here...

While me and my wife Melinda, was out for our semi-often driving around date on Tuesday (she likes exploring nearby cities, seeing the sights, and dinning out), I found a great discovery. At a Goodwill store about an hour away from here I found a cabinet incubator. I of course took it to the...

While out taking my mother-in-law on her bi-weekly doctor appointments today, I spent some of my free time waiting at a nearby pet shop. I came across a few tiny tarantulas, and thought it was a interesting find. Well my mother-in-law gave me a $20 bill as a birthday gift a week early when we...

I got three New Zealand mantises (Orthodera novaezealandiae) from Tyler and they arrived safely. Opening up the small cups I discovered one even molted during the trip and is doing fine. I am thankful for the chance to try a new species, and for another great breeder/shipper on the forum. Many...

While I was collecting pill bugs (Armadillidium nasatum mainly) I found several wolf spiders (Lycosidae). All summer I kept seeing a large wolf spider usually walking on the ground away from me mowing the yard, or while I was collecting feeders. She came running along today, right to where I was...

Using a sweeper net comes in handy for capturing various specimens and feeders for mantids/etc. but I kept searching for something else and found out about beating sheets. Turns out it is one of the easier methods of finding walking sticks, and just about anything else, hidden on plant life...

This is the first walking stick I've come across since I've been an adult anyway. It is a Northern walking stick (Diapheromera femorata) and is about 3.5" (9 cm) not including the antenna, my fingers are crossed it is a bred female; otherwise, at my current rate of finding these it will never...

I've been finding several wild Platycryptus undatus jumping spiders recently, commonly referred to as the tan, cryptic, or tree bark jumping spiders. As many mantid keepers haven't kept them before, but showed interest, I am providing a quick description about them (scroll down to Jumping spider...

My first giant Vinegaroon/whip scorpion/Thelyphonida or their scientific name Mastigoproctus giganteus arrived today in the mail, from Peter see the page here. :D It of course arrived safely, and was up and running around it's habitat soon after. It's a bit on edge from shipping...

As lighting has been coming up in discussions lately, I was curious what kind of lighting setups does everyone have for their mantids and such? I use two 24" fluorescent light fixtures for my pets. One has a color corrected daylight bulb aka grow-bulb (seen as purple in the last photo) and one...

This guide is aimed at helping anyone in the hobby to find wild mantids and ooths in their own backyard, nearby parks, and other locations. As I have found many mantids & ooths in city and country settings, I am passing along any tips as well for those areas as they can vary; however, as I...

I have a member interested in buying some of my local jumping spiders (Phidippus audax), as there are plenty around here. I've been slowly collecting them until I have a batch to sell, and here are four that I caught today. I'll have to see if I can get some better photos once they are settled...

I was curious what everyone is using to visit the forum? I know several use their smart phones, and such. I personally use my desktop PC with Linux, using the flavor Debian 8.4 Jessie. I can pop-up Windows if I really need it for something, like my music tagging program, with VM VirtualBox but...

As my local weather has finally been warming up, it's time to offer some of my Chinese (Tenodera sinensis) nymphs. The nymphs were born March 26 and molted to L2 starting April 9 till just the last few days on the hold outs. The nymphs are only $2 each. I also have a few Chinese (Tenodera...