First 3 Weeks of Mantis keeping

[Choderboy]

Hi all. I joined this forum a while ago to learn about caring for Mantids. Living in Australia , with strict quarantine laws finding Mantids or ooths in the wild is the only way to start.

I do a lot of macro photography and was surprised it took me a full summer to find my first one. About 3 weeks ago found a female so brought her home and into a small tank with some foam in the bottom and some small branches. First few days I fed her a bush cockroach that I found outside and a couple of moths. Then I got some small crickets from a pet shop and she's been eating them since. For about the first week she just grabbed whatever I put near her (using some tweezers) and devoured it. Then I had my first food rejection - he had a couple of stabs at the cricket then ran away from it. I was pretty surprised - had not seen her move like that before. Since then it's been a mixture of going straight for the cricket or freaking out and running around the tank.

I'm guessing the first week hunger was keeping her passive , now her belly is full this may be normal behaviour. I'm feeding about 1 small cricket a day for 2-3 days then no food for 1 day.

Two days ago I noticed she has laid 2 ooths. Largest one is around 10mm x 15mm and appears to be laid correctly - ie vertical. The 2nd ooth is a bit smaller and is sideways. Hopefully they are fertile. (I'll have to get some fruit fly cultures going just in case they hatch)

Here's a pic of of this morning's feed:

(First time linking an image, hope this works..)

Other photos of the Mantis and the ooths here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12185187@N00/...57594198861943/

 

[galapoheros]

I grabbed a native ooth recently too, well last year but they pretty recently hatched. I like native stuff. Cool that you got some ooths. That is a really great pic, very sharp! What kind of camera/equipment did you use?

 

[Choderboy]

I grabbed a native ooth recently too, well last year but they pretty recently hatched. I like native stuff. Cool that you got some ooths. That is a really great pic, very sharp! What kind of camera/equipment did you use?

Thanks. Really hoping the ooths are fertile.

Camera is Canon 1DMK11n, Sigma 180 Macro lens , Canon 580EX flash

 

[darkspeed]

Well done. She is beautiful. I love her golden eyes.

You have alot of great fotos. Those are all native Australian species you shot? Seems like you would have alot of awesome Mantids in Australia. I especially like that yellow fly with the raptoral forarms like a mantis. It would be interesting to keep one of them.

 

[Choderboy]

Well done. She is beautiful. I love her golden eyes.You have alot of great fotos. Those are all native Australian species you shot? Seems like you would have alot of awesome Mantids in Australia. I especially like that yellow fly with the raptoral forarms like a mantis. It would be interesting to keep one of them.

Thanks. Yep - nearly all my macro photos taken locally - suburban Sydney. We do have lot's of Mantids (only a small variety though) I've just been unlucky.

I find heaps of camouflaged insects - just no Mantids

The yellow fly is a Mantispid. I find them regularly on a frangiapani tree. (or the same insect?)