Did I rip off Precarious? Maybe....

[LauraMG]

Here's my new enclosure for my gongys! They seemed very happy with it and the moss is great with the humidity!

Now, if you study this picture carefully, you can see several interesting things like the Chinese food on the table next to it, Beauty and the Beast on the TV, my spray bottle, and my sloppy nature on Friday nights :lol:

Making themselves at home immediately!

That's a fake grapevine wreath from WalMart that I slashed up and hot glued in, along with the front opening enclosure with a screen top and of coarse the moss in the bottom with the $6.50 digital thermometer and humidity gauge from WalMart. This is probably my prettiest enclosure, but also my most expensive. I think it will be worth the trouble for a few different mantids :clap:

 

[Seattle79]

Nice enclosure

 

[myzticalboi]

Wooooooooooohooooooooo! I love the new house for your gongys. Im not sure about the high humidity though. I thought they were a desert species.

 

[LauraMG]

Well, they're native to southern India and Sri Lanka, which are both fairly tropical environments. India famous for it's rain forests. Although, right now the moss is holding it at around 91%, and I don't think that's their native level! :lol:

 

[sporeworld]

Very nice! I have one of those glass cages, too, that I don't use, because the flies kept finding leaks (it's pretty old, though, and they may have improved the design). I also found it kind of difficult to clean, compared to just spraying down the screen cage (although the glass does look much better).

I also dug out an old lazy susan and plopped it underneath, so I could just spin it to open, and then spin it back (to the all glass side) for better viewing.

But now, they're all in screen enclosures with daily (sometimes multiple daily) sprays and they were fine.

 

[Rick]

Gongy like it HOT. The temps look like they are room temps. Do you have a heat lamp or something that just ins't in the pic?

 

[LauraMG]

Gongy like it HOT. The temps look like they are room temps. Do you have a heat lamp or something that just ins't in the pic?

Not yet. I'm going to grab one today or tomorrow. I just didn't have enough hands at the pet store to get everything! The company that makes these enclosures makes those hooded lights that fit perfectly. Of coarse, I could always go the cheap route with the 100 watt bulb and a shop light from WalMart, but that wouldn't look as pretty!

 

[GreenOasis]

Pretty awesome! Wish I had the space for something like that! Maybe once I get a few teenagers to move out in a couple of years. <_<

(Yep, I'm that old!)

-Carey Kurtz-

 

[angelofdeathzz]

very nice Laura,I use two separate smaller size 45 watt halogen flood bulbs in in the chrome shop light holder ($9-10 each with bulbs) to distribute the heat more evenly,as they will burn there feet on one big bulb. and don't be fooled the females will eat the males after L-6 or so,if you see wing buds take the males out of there ( me and Precarious learned the hard way :hang: ). try to keep the temps at 85-95,humidity only about 60-65 % for molting only, once adult no extra humidity is needed or wanted, as they thrive hot and dry. they will never drink so don't freak out, just make sure your flies are hydrated. they don't like being misted directly either.if they are happy with your environment they will eat like crazy(4-6 flies each a day ) so be ready for there large appetite. they love it hot and dry the humidity is only to help them molt I can't stress that enough. doing all this has made my females 4 inch+ giants. but hey to each his(or her) own.

Good luck and enjoy your litlle Zen dancers!

 

[Precarious]

First off, looks beautiful! They will love their new home!

Second, you'll be hearing from my lawyer! :angry:

I hate to disagree with everyone but...

I raised mine all together with no cannibalism until an adult female chomped my adult male because I'd been low on food for a few days. That is a risk with every species. Given enough space and food they live well together. This is probably the least aggressive breed I've dealt with.

They do fine at room temp (70-80). From what I've read you may need to boost that to get them to mate. I never used a light until they became adults.

I always maintained humidity above 60 with no negative effect. Why chance catching it just when you think they will molt? That's just asking for trouble.

And mine always drink when I mist (several times a week) and don't even mind direct misting.

Hey, to each his own. These methods worked great for me.

 

[LauraMG]

Second, you'll be hearing from my lawyer! :angry:

I openly admit I ripped off your general design. I actually had the pic of yours pulled up while I was gluing it all together! :lol: Maybe, just maybe it was a good idea...

 

[Precarious]

I openly admit I ripped off your general design. I actually had the pic of yours pulled up while I was gluing it all together! :lol: Maybe, just maybe it was a good idea...

No, no, no! I meant he will contact you to congratulate you on doing such a good job. ^_^

It really does look nice and will be 100% functional for this species. I think you'll be hooked on having visually pleasing terrariums for communal species. They're the only ones they make sense for.

One suggestion I would make is to put the majority of the moss into a shallow dish so you can better contain the moisture. I've found that makes cleaning easier as well as controlling any mold if it developes. For species that require a lot of humidity it really helps to be able to pour some water into the dish without getting everything on the terrarium floor too wet.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

well what do i know I'm just a rookie here, carry on.

 

[Precarious]

well what do i know I'm just a rookie here, carry on.

My too!

I'm just sayin', the generally accepted methods are apparently not the only ones that work. I took some liberties with the rules and it payed off. We're at the same place with our Violins so both methods seem to work equally well. Maybe mine matured more slowly due to lower temp? I don't know, but we both ended up with adults and that's what matters to me.

Now if only I have an adult male to seal the deal...

 

[LauraMG]

Now if only I have an adult male to seal the deal...

That is the trick, isn't it! It's a miracle how any of these species make it in the wild when in *ideal* conditions they have so much trouble, ie. Idolos, violins, etc

 

[Precarious]

That is the trick, isn't it! It's a miracle how any of these species make it in the wild when in *ideal* conditions they have so much trouble, ie. Idolos, violins, etc

I think their instincts get a little twisted up when they are confined to a small space. When you're hungry and your hunting grounds have been reduced to a 1 foot square cannibalism seems a more attractive prospect. In the wild they are seldom in close proximity unless they are preparing to mate. And I'd guess less males get eaten because they have room to fly off at dismount.

And bad molts generally happen because of low humidity or poor gripping surfaces. Those are HUMAN errors. In the wild they can count on the humidity to rise at night and in the morning, and they have a nearly limitless area to find the right molting perch.

I have no proof of any of that, but it seems logical to me.

 

[sporeworld]

I'm with Precarious - no canibalism (unless I slacked off on food), and mine crawl (wander) all over each other without incident (kind of funny). I'm deducing that since we've had sucess with low and high temps, AND low and high humidities, that we're really just indicating what a hearty species it really is. And I can't say as I remember any pattern to them drinking when misting, or being bothered by it. I worry more about disease from poor ventilation, or the moss material won't get cleaned properly. Hundreds of tiny little Blue Bottle body parts get lodged in there (yuck).

I think the Violins were my biggest payoff in terms of trouble vs. pleasure. And they're just so docile - even my skitish teenage staff will let them crawl around on em!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

My too!

I'm just sayin', the generally accepted methods are apparently not the only ones that work. I took some liberties with the rules and it payed off. We're at the same place with our Violins so both methods seem to work equally well. Maybe mine matured more slowly due to lower temp? I don't know, but we both ended up with adults and that's what matters to me.

Now if only I have an adult male to seal the deal...

Sorry for the grumpy comment Precarious, my Father-in-law is dying so my stress level are through the roof but it's no reason for me to be a smart azz. I'm far from my happy go lucky self right now.

and yeah when it comes to raising mantis "theres more than one way to skin a cat" for sure!

 

[Precarious]

Sorry for the grumpy comment Precarious, my Father-in-law is dying so my stress level are through the roof but it's no reason for me to be a smart azz. I'm far from my happy go lucky self right now.

and yeah when it comes to raising mantis "theres more than one way to skin a cat" for sure!

I didn't think you were being grumpy. Just clarifying my position.

Sorry to hear about your situation.