a little help? :D

[MantisDude15]

hey everyone, i just got to mantid nymph wednesday. on is budwing one is grandis. well today i noticed they were eating... so i thought they might molt. but the i put some food right in front of the bduwing and he ate 2 right away... the grandis didnt. so i figured he was going to molt... he was in the same spot when i got home from school, but i wanted to make sure he really didnt want to eat... so i put more food in front of him... nothing. but he was moving around before i tried to feed him. im confused. do i just leave it alone and see what happens? its abdomen is rather small, not inflated or anything. any advice?

thanks

 

[robo mantis]

maybe it will molt mist it with water so it has something to hold it off

 

[MantisDude15]

thanks

 

[robo mantis]

thats why i'm here (try it now and tell me how it goes)

 

[MantisDude15]

well i misted water on the top and sides of the box. is that what u meant? its just sittin there as usual lol

 

[Rick]

Showing no interest in food could mean one of a few things. Might be ready to molt or the food may be to big/small.

 

[robo mantis]

do you have like a jar or container to put it in

 

[MantisDude15]

well it is l2 or l3 i think, and im giving him fruitflies. those should be the right size right? i dont think hes gonna molt, he moved again since yesterday... im confused im gettin worried now.

 

[Rick]

Mantids just don't move much so don't expect them too.

 

[MantisDude15]

i just gave it a fly... held it right in front of him. didnt even bother. so should i just leave it alone and let it do its thing?

 

[Rick]

Yes leave it alone and don't worry about it. Put a fly in and let it fly around if the mantis is hungry it will catch it.

 

[MantisDude15]

thanks for the help everyone, you were right! it molted, and looks awesome. How long should i wait to feed it again? will it eat tomorrow?

 

[xenuwantsyou]

Wait about two days so its exoskeleton can harden.

 

[MantisDude15]

thanks. also, ive noticed that it has become a lot more calm... before he would run around all over my arm and stuff when i let it crawl on me, and now he is really calm. anyone else notice this?

 

[Butterfly]

My European has always been very calm. She doesnt mind handling at all! Even one night when we came home after a party and probably shouldnt have handled her, but she was fine. Didnt even go for my hair, which kinda freaks me out since there is so much of it.

Now the little green guy I have is a wild man. As soon as I tried handling him a few days after catching him he took off, this is why If I dont know how theyre gonna react I handle them in the bathroom. I was able to catch him and get him back in the cage after chasing him around for a while.

Maybe they just get calm with age, lol. But Im sure theres a real explanation somewhere.

 

[MantisDude15]

i c lol. well he is back to his usual spastic form.. goin crazy lol. my budwing, however is really calm, and has been since i got him. he also dances its really funny

 

[robo mantis]

i've seen them dance before but i never had one of my mantids dance lol

 

[MantisDude15]

lol yea its pretty cool. that and he flails his arms like hes boxing lol. ill try to put up pics or videos later.

 

[robo mantis]

ok thanks