Allo!

[sterlingspider]

Hi everyone!

Lets see, the basic details... My name is Lorena. I'm in my late 20s and from New York. I'm not currently working but I'm looking to go back to school for a second masters in family and marital therapy soon (I have a masters in forensic psych already but am interested in getting into couple's therapy).

I currently have six tarantulas (of varying sizes and species) and have been into the tarantula hobby for about two years now. I also have an albino African Pygmy hedgehog named Elric. I've been interested in mantids for a while but was scared away a bit by the short lifespan. Apparently I just can't be satisfied with "normal" pets.

A friend of mine is a HS bio teacher. She apparently found an oothaca on a hiking trip recently and didn't realize it hadn't already hatched, so she brought it home to put in her classroom. As you've probably already guessed by now a couple of weeks ago she came home to an apartment filled with little baby mantids.

Being an awesome person she actually took the time to catch as many as she could and called me to find out what she could do with them. She's been caring for them since in her classroom and apparently they've shed once. Sometime within the next couple of days she's going to give me two of the nymphs and a fruit fly culture, so it seems I'll be getting into the hobby after all.

 

[robo mantis]

Welcome there are some experienced members on here that will answer all questions.

 

[Rick]

Welcome

 

[patdbunny]

Hey Lorena,

Have a rosehair named Morticia, hedgehog named Sonic (ssshhhhh!! they're not legal in CA), and a plethora of other things too numerous to list.

Roz.

 

[Ian]

Hey lorena,

Welcome to mantidforum

 

[sterlingspider]

Thanks everyone!

Well I got my two little ones yesterday. I don't know what sp. they are, but they're sort of a dried grass color (sort of a pale muted green/tan) and look pretty much like what I'd expect to see around here (Long Island NY that is). Based on a quick spin around the google image search I figure they're Chinese Mantises as they look pretty much exactly like this http://www.bugsincyberspace.com/tenodera_a...a_sinensis.html .

They've shed once since hatching (so I guess that's L2?) and the person who gave them to me said that most of the others she has seem to be going through another shed last couple of days. I want to move them into smaller containers but have no idea how to do it without hurting or losing them.

As far as my tarantulas I have two adults; a G rosea (Miss Piggy), and a B smithi (Miss Spooky Pants, alternately Miss Cranky Pants), and four subadults; a B vagans (Ruby) an A Geniculata (Peaches LaTour) an A avicularia (unnamed) and a P cancerides (unnamed). Unfortunately I lost one of my favorite adults (a C fasciatum named Loveybutt) a couple of weeks ago.

 

[patdbunny]

Lorena,

I used toothpicks (bamboo skewers may be easier). Used one to scoot them onto another one and then scooted them off into their new container.

Roz.

 

[sterlingspider]

I finally took the plunge. It involved much use of their desire to go up and a little judicious application of a small piece of craft mesh but in the end they both got where they needed to.

Of course now I have to deal with spritzing and feeding, but so far it's been ok. It was kind of nice to realize that I'm not dealing with grumpy tarantulas and if the mantid gets out I don't have to deal with any fangs or urticating hairs (or freaked out housemates).

Though of course now that I've finally got all of my tarantulas on full size crickets I have to go and get a pet that requires fruit flies. Almost makes me want to get more baby mantids and tarantulas since I have the feeders around anyway

That's a pretty valid excuse, right?