Babysitting?

[suzy_qu3]

We are going away for a week, and the prospect of obtaining care for Doofus is a little daunting. OK - so it's a insect, what the big deal? Only that I don't trust anyone. Feeding a cat is one thing. Doofus only like moths of a certain size, and what if he molts, and what if someone drops him and steps on him, and what if they don't mist him properly... Does anyone here even go on vacation?

 

[Rick]

I've went away for a week more than once and have had no issues. It is when you go away for longer that you will have a problem. Feed the mantis extra the few days before you leave and get it nice and fat. Put in some extra food before you leave. Also you may want to add a small dish or bowl with a thick layer of paper towels or moss for humidity.

 

[LauraMG]

I just got back from being out of town, and I did exactly as Rick said. I had my mom come over and mist the 4 I have once while I was gone, but they are fine. I have coconut fiber substrate that I made sure was moistened for humidity, put some flies in with them, and they are all doing just fine. I felt the same way about having someone watch them for me because none of my friends like insects or flies or crickets or anything necessary to care for them. It even took some work to get my mom to point a spray bottle at them, but since it didn't require any touching she was okay with it. Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

 

[hibiscusmile]

One of my customers wrote me this week, his housekeeper kept putting crickets in with his mantis and they ate him, such is life.

 

[JoeCapricorn]

I am going on vacation to Iowa toward the end of July. I don't trust anyone to take care of any of my bugs - mantises, grasshoppers, roachies... so I am taking them with. It's a road trip, one that will take quite a while - about 14 hours driving and more than that to stop at rest stops. We might leave early in the day and stop at a hotel at night, or keep going through the night and arrive at my brother's place shortly after dawn.

My main concern is how hot it will get in the car even during a short break. Hopefully the weather will be mild, but I anticipate that if it is otherwise my mom and I will have to take turns in the car and only shut it off to get gas.

Of course at night there is no such problems, and I took bugs on a road trip before, to Alabama in December and that went well despite temperatures approaching as low as 15 degrees F.

In both cases, the trip itself will mean we will be away for over two weeks or more. I think this summer trip, we may be in Iowa for 14 days, and with travel time we'll be away for 18 days.

The six Chinese mantises I have will be tricky, because I doubt they will be adult by then. They might even be at the point where I would need a larger container for them to live in. I plan on transporting them in 32 oz tall deli containers, while at Iowa have them in large Kritter Keepers - unless some are anticipated to molt.

The flower mantises may all be adult by then but I'm not sure. Capri will definitely be adult, he is close right now. My lone remaining Budwing will be adult, hopefully he molts correctly (he is supposed to in the next few days), the Dead-Leaf mantises may be adult but I don't think any of them are close to sub-adult. The mystery Rhombodera will probably all be adult, since they are now sub-adult. All grasshoppers will be adult, 3 already are (one is huuuuuuge!)

The Giant Asians might not be going with. I am down to three, Baphomet, Nereid and Meek. All show signs of age, although all are going strong and ate well last night. Nereid is the strongest of the three followed by Meek.

All in all, this trip is tricky. With all the luggage we are likely to pack, I don't know how we'll manage fitting in the bugs. Last time it was one box that held everyone - the Giant Asians in their small vials, the grasshoppers in their kritter keepers. This time, I have much more than that.

 

[jday]

During our current trip we've left mantises in the car inside a cooler a few times while we ate. (It didn't have ice, we just used it to keep the heat out.) We also set them in the shade where we could keep an eye on them from a window a few times. Most people ignore us, and those that don't generally like hearing about the mantids, especially when my son explains things. (He's a lot cuter than me!) The only strange looks I've gotten so far were when I emerged from behind a hedge in a churchyard swinging a butterfly net and encountered two somber women walking by. It wasn't on a Sunday or anything, but I haven't seen such a disapproving look since I was a kid in school.