Falconerguy
Well-known member
This is the thread where I will be maintaining a log of the lives of my mantids as they come and go. Apologies if I've placed this in the wrong subforum, feel free to move it. The first entry will be up momentarily.
Drew's Mantis Logs
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Falconerguy
Well-known member
ENTRY 1
The mantids aren't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow afternoon, so I used today to get everything all prepped for them when they DO show up.
The Supplies
Standard mantis habitat supplies for most of you I'll bet, but I thought I'd include it anyway. Several yards of thick ribbon, 2oz cups, 5.5oz cups, 32oz cups, some car wash sponges, hot glue, and some strange plastic crochet patterns that I thought would work perfectly as grip material. All this, plus a little surprise you'll see shortly...
Can't build habitats on an empty stomach!
RESULTS
I decided to make each cup a little bit different for the sake of experimentation. Some of the lids were a real pain to snap on and off, even without a mantis inside, or a hand occupied by forceps, so I used a method I had seen elsewhere on the forum the difficult lids.
(I'd like to apologize here for the inconsistent orientation of the photographs. Future entries will have only proper, landscape photos)
As you can see, on the larger cups I used the crochet patterns as my lid ventilation/grip. My reasoning being that once they grow into these cups, it should provide more comfort and air flow than the ribbon. I'm not sure if I'd ever use this material again, as it was surprisingly difficult to keep it in place with hot glue. Each cup has a strip of ribbon up the side for easy climbing, and a feeder hole/sponge combo at the bottom. Paper towel substrate in all cups.
Here we have the surprise enclosure mentioned earlier! But what could be inside?
With a little bit of hot glue, and a lot of time, I present the Crystal Cavern! There is a famous rockhounding site a few hours from where I live. I took a trip there once and came back with a bucket full of quartz crystals that have been collecting dust ever since.
Unfortunately, the pictures don't do it justice, but the *ahem* expertly placed crystals should provide hours of entertainment for any intrepid mantis. Now, the real timekiller here was cutting out the section of lid to replace it with ribbon, as the plastic used for these snap-lock type containers is quite thick and durable. My last exacto-knife blade snapped in half during my efforts, so I switched to my work box-cutter, which still managed to struggle. The best strategy I can recommend for anybody that wants to use this type of container is to score a line and follow it over and over until the blade pushes through.
And finally we end with the grand daddy of all mantis homes. The 10-gallon aquarium. I plan to divide this into two equal sections and decorate, for use with adult mantids. But four hours was enough for one day, so I think I'll leave it for another time.
I very much appreciate any thoughts, concerns, or observations you may have! After all, what else is a forum for?
The mantids aren't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow afternoon, so I used today to get everything all prepped for them when they DO show up.
The Supplies
Standard mantis habitat supplies for most of you I'll bet, but I thought I'd include it anyway. Several yards of thick ribbon, 2oz cups, 5.5oz cups, 32oz cups, some car wash sponges, hot glue, and some strange plastic crochet patterns that I thought would work perfectly as grip material. All this, plus a little surprise you'll see shortly...
Can't build habitats on an empty stomach!
RESULTS
I decided to make each cup a little bit different for the sake of experimentation. Some of the lids were a real pain to snap on and off, even without a mantis inside, or a hand occupied by forceps, so I used a method I had seen elsewhere on the forum the difficult lids.
(I'd like to apologize here for the inconsistent orientation of the photographs. Future entries will have only proper, landscape photos)
As you can see, on the larger cups I used the crochet patterns as my lid ventilation/grip. My reasoning being that once they grow into these cups, it should provide more comfort and air flow than the ribbon. I'm not sure if I'd ever use this material again, as it was surprisingly difficult to keep it in place with hot glue. Each cup has a strip of ribbon up the side for easy climbing, and a feeder hole/sponge combo at the bottom. Paper towel substrate in all cups.
Here we have the surprise enclosure mentioned earlier! But what could be inside?
With a little bit of hot glue, and a lot of time, I present the Crystal Cavern! There is a famous rockhounding site a few hours from where I live. I took a trip there once and came back with a bucket full of quartz crystals that have been collecting dust ever since.
Unfortunately, the pictures don't do it justice, but the *ahem* expertly placed crystals should provide hours of entertainment for any intrepid mantis. Now, the real timekiller here was cutting out the section of lid to replace it with ribbon, as the plastic used for these snap-lock type containers is quite thick and durable. My last exacto-knife blade snapped in half during my efforts, so I switched to my work box-cutter, which still managed to struggle. The best strategy I can recommend for anybody that wants to use this type of container is to score a line and follow it over and over until the blade pushes through.
And finally we end with the grand daddy of all mantis homes. The 10-gallon aquarium. I plan to divide this into two equal sections and decorate, for use with adult mantids. But four hours was enough for one day, so I think I'll leave it for another time.
I very much appreciate any thoughts, concerns, or observations you may have! After all, what else is a forum for?
@Falconerguy Ha, yeah the common materials (Diamond brand cups, car sponges, etc). 
The crochet/needlepoint plastic mesh is great for many uses, I've found it is the perfect thing to put into cricket/roach waterers (the small plastic chicken waterers if bought at a farm store can be had for $2.50 complete vs $8 online) to prevent drowning and cleans easy, and mesh lids as you did.
To make it easier to use the mesh for lids, you can use some scotch tape to hold them temporarily, then hot glue around the tape. Remove the tape and finish hot gluing the mesh. Takes a extra step, but makes it much easier and gives a much better looking lid than other material.
The blue ribbon material sure is bright looking. There is one possible good that may come of it besides it's function - that is mantises are known to molt to the colors in their surroundings. Of course a blue mantis is impossible, but it may lead to some very interesting coloration or patterns on your mantises. I'm curious to see them after a few molts with the material in their habitats, and how they change.
I must admit I'm happy to see someone else posting some DIY type material on here too - it is always interesting to see someone's setup/materials/projects/outcome. So thanks for taking the time to do that, it is a great asset.
Just two concerns, but both easy to avoid/fix.
The 10 gallon tank divider can be a problem, with a cannibalized mantis being the end result. If you do a divider make it fit tight (as close as possible) and secure it with hot glue otherwise a mantid can find their way over/through them as often happens. Also some mantises can be rather self-conscious or just flat out threatened if the divider is transparent/mesh where they can see one another - that can lead to issues with them eating properly, laying ooths, or injuring themselves trying to fight through a divider. So to fix that just use a opaque/solid divider, and if possible a divider a bit of thickness so they do not see each others shadows either (it can cause the same outcome).
The other is the great looking quartz crystals (I've never found any that large myself). Are any of them sharp or jagged? I ask as a mantis can easily bump or slip into one and that could lead to health problems. If not you should be good there, and will provide a much different looking experience.
The crochet/needlepoint plastic mesh is great for many uses, I've found it is the perfect thing to put into cricket/roach waterers (the small plastic chicken waterers if bought at a farm store can be had for $2.50 complete vs $8 online) to prevent drowning and cleans easy, and mesh lids as you did. To make it easier to use the mesh for lids, you can use some scotch tape to hold them temporarily, then hot glue around the tape. Remove the tape and finish hot gluing the mesh. Takes a extra step, but makes it much easier and gives a much better looking lid than other material.
The blue ribbon material sure is bright looking. There is one possible good that may come of it besides it's function - that is mantises are known to molt to the colors in their surroundings. Of course a blue mantis is impossible, but it may lead to some very interesting coloration or patterns on your mantises. I'm curious to see them after a few molts with the material in their habitats, and how they change.
I must admit I'm happy to see someone else posting some DIY type material on here too - it is always interesting to see someone's setup/materials/projects/outcome. So thanks for taking the time to do that, it is a great asset.
Just two concerns, but both easy to avoid/fix.
The 10 gallon tank divider can be a problem, with a cannibalized mantis being the end result. If you do a divider make it fit tight (as close as possible) and secure it with hot glue otherwise a mantid can find their way over/through them as often happens. Also some mantises can be rather self-conscious or just flat out threatened if the divider is transparent/mesh where they can see one another - that can lead to issues with them eating properly, laying ooths, or injuring themselves trying to fight through a divider. So to fix that just use a opaque/solid divider, and if possible a divider a bit of thickness so they do not see each others shadows either (it can cause the same outcome).
The other is the great looking quartz crystals (I've never found any that large myself). Are any of them sharp or jagged? I ask as a mantis can easily bump or slip into one and that could lead to health problems. If not you should be good there, and will provide a much different looking experience.
Falconerguy
Well-known member
@CosbyArt I just gave the crystals a quick feel-over and none of them are particularly jagged, and definitely no sharp spots. Concerning the divider, I have heard the stories of failed dividers, but it never crossed my mind to make sure it was opaque, so thank you for that advice
It's been about two years since last laid eyes on a mantid (not counting my failed shipment from Exo...) so I'm very eager to share them with the world! I'll add another entry tomorrow once they've settled in to their homes and I decide on some names.
It's been about two years since last laid eyes on a mantid (not counting my failed shipment from Exo...) so I'm very eager to share them with the world! I'll add another entry tomorrow once they've settled in to their homes and I decide on some names.
@Falconerguy That's great news, then you should be fine with the crystals, and a unique look too. Sure, your welcome and best of luck. Great to hear your getting back into the swing of things.
Sure, your welcome and best of luck. Great to hear your getting back into the swing of things. 
Digger
Well-known member
Nia was completely enthralled with your tutorial. She's a Taumantis sigiana. 7 months old.
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Falconerguy
Well-known member
ENTRY 2
Urushi! The male ghost mantis!
Currently Unnamed Deroplatys lobata nymph. Having trouble finding a suitable name for this little one. I even fell asleep at the computer typing up this post. I'm going to wait for another molt to make sure of its sex (I'm thinking its female right now) before passing my final judgement.
Boots, Rhombodera basalis! While the she-he nature of this mantis is also unknown, there is no doubt in my mind that this one is Boots. Fastest little mantis I've ever seen!
Many thanks to Peter for the ridiculously packed box that kept them safe, I hope to do business again.
All three of them have been taking fruit flies at their leisure, though Boots does indeed seem bottomless. Re-refining my feeding and misting techniques is going to take an effort, but with a handy dandy heat gun I am able to control temperature better than before, keeping them at a comfortable 75 degrees during the day and room temperature at night. It also never crossed my mind that my forceps could have disappeared until I needed them and was forced to haphazardly thump melanogasters in - and around- their cups. This concludes my second entry! I'm sure I'll have another tomorrow as everybody settles in, myself included!
Urushi! The male ghost mantis!
Currently Unnamed Deroplatys lobata nymph. Having trouble finding a suitable name for this little one. I even fell asleep at the computer typing up this post. I'm going to wait for another molt to make sure of its sex (I'm thinking its female right now) before passing my final judgement.
Boots, Rhombodera basalis! While the she-he nature of this mantis is also unknown, there is no doubt in my mind that this one is Boots. Fastest little mantis I've ever seen!
Many thanks to Peter for the ridiculously packed box that kept them safe, I hope to do business again.
All three of them have been taking fruit flies at their leisure, though Boots does indeed seem bottomless. Re-refining my feeding and misting techniques is going to take an effort, but with a handy dandy heat gun I am able to control temperature better than before, keeping them at a comfortable 75 degrees during the day and room temperature at night. It also never crossed my mind that my forceps could have disappeared until I needed them and was forced to haphazardly thump melanogasters in - and around- their cups. This concludes my second entry! I'm sure I'll have another tomorrow as everybody settles in, myself included!
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@Falconerguy Congrats Drew, great to see they arrived safe and sound. Yeah Peter is great at shipping, and a good choice.
Yeah Peter is great at shipping, and a good choice.
Digger
Well-known member
For my current brood, I researched popular people names indigenous to the mantids' country of origin. In the case of T. sigiana that's generally Kenya and Tanzania. Names chosen were: Nia, Desta, Subra, Sanna and Zuri. One non-origin name was/is Mizar. From the ancient Arabic meaning "covering" or wrapper/shield. A member of the bright double star found in the "handle" of the Big Dipper.
BTW ---- how do you get a post to generate the "@xxxxxxxx" as seen above?
BTW ---- how do you get a post to generate the "@xxxxxxxx" as seen above?
Falconerguy
Well-known member
ENTRY 3
No pictures this time, mostly because nothing has changed. Urushi has found his favorite place to stand, and his ghost mantis instincts compel him to stand there at all times. My first ghost did the same thing!
(NOTE: Urushi is a form of ancient Japanese lacquer, used for many high end products today. I can't place it, but it seems to suit him well)
Boots has settled down a bit. Much less prone to scurrying in a full loop around the cup in pretty much the blink of an eye.
No name is preparing a molt, based on the lack of interest in food, and sluggish behavior. I've removed the uneaten fruit flies from the cup and doing a check on 'em every now and then to make sure that he(?) is alright.
@Digger, all you have to do is hit the @ symbol and start to type somebody's username. A little drop-tab appears with matching names. You click the one you want and it sends them a notification that they have been mentioned!
No pictures this time, mostly because nothing has changed. Urushi has found his favorite place to stand, and his ghost mantis instincts compel him to stand there at all times. My first ghost did the same thing!
(NOTE: Urushi is a form of ancient Japanese lacquer, used for many high end products today. I can't place it, but it seems to suit him well)
Boots has settled down a bit. Much less prone to scurrying in a full loop around the cup in pretty much the blink of an eye.
No name is preparing a molt, based on the lack of interest in food, and sluggish behavior. I've removed the uneaten fruit flies from the cup and doing a check on 'em every now and then to make sure that he(?) is alright.
@Digger, all you have to do is hit the @ symbol and start to type somebody's username. A little drop-tab appears with matching names. You click the one you want and it sends them a notification that they have been mentioned!
