European nymph noob (advice and help?)

[Mantidlvr4life]

This is my first batch of nymphs and i was just wondering if anyone had tips specific to the European variety.

We have been keeping them in lil plastic dixie cups with lids (we poke lil holes in the lid). We feed them 2 to 3 fruit flies a day and we have some twine like stuff for them to hang on (we pulled it out of the fruit fly jar actually). Is this ok so far? Also i read these mantis are pretty easy and dont need humidity and get their h2o from their pray but should i give the nymphs n e more water than that? also is it good to give them some short term sunlight here and there? I was also wondering about handling and stuff how hardy are they being handled or jostled a bit? Any ideas about how long it takes for them to molt and how i can tell? THANKS!!

 

[OctoberRainne]

I would include some tiny sticks or a mesh lid of sorts,I just use fabric mesh for nymph cups and put paper towel in the bottom which can be sprayed every few days or so and changed. Mantids like light,so I would place them somewhere slightly warm or around artificial lighting even as well,and when they shed they leave behind their skin and dangle so you will certainly find that afterwards,hope that helps

 

[hibiscusmile]

Keep them babies out of sunlight as the jars will become ovens and cook them, mist them once a day till end instar then maybe every other day, mantis get some moisture from food, most mantis get it from dew or rain.

 

[Ntsees]

Good luck with them. While some forum members had no problem with them, they were tough to start out as hatched instars for me.

 

[Tony C]

I raised one a few years back. I was out for a walk one day and a tiny nymph (maybe L2) landed on me. I kept it in a 12x12x12 Exo, fed crickets, and sprayed daily. It grew into a big female which I turned loose to breed after reaching maturity. If mine was a typical specimen then they are pretty much bulletproof.