Found a mantid, need ID

[Rick]

That is a female people. See how large the last segment is? Also it is not adult.

 

[The_Asa]

Ta dar

:lol: I see now, I thought the ridges on the abdomen were part of the mantis wing

 

[maneatingmoo]

This other one is smaller and a bit brighter green. I'm almost positive that it's the same species. I think it's female too. Also, can a coffee filter let enough air through for it to breathe?

 

[maneatingmoo]

Oh and will they make oothecas, or do I have to catch a male? I can't put the picture up for some reason so I'll try a link

one of these links should work

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/m...enMantis007.jpg

 

[The_Asa]

You'll have to get a male in order for it to be able to lay fertile oothecae.

 

[mantidsandgeckos]

I found another one, this one's smaller and has all of it's legs. My parents think the other one is a male because it's leg was missing and they think the female eats the male. So they think this must be the female since it was near the other one. Is it ok to put it in with the other one?

mantids only mate when they are adult, this one does not have wings yet so it is not adult.The female mantis will not always eat a male.

 

[Birdfly]

Is it ok to put it in with the other one?

Dont put them together, they will kill one another.

 

[maneatingmoo]

I put a fly in with the new one yesterday and today I can't find it. There are a few little blackish brown things on the bottom of the container. How do I know if the mantid ate the fly or just tore it up?

 

[Morpheus uk]

It wouldnt of tore it up just for the heck of it, it probaly ate it and lefts bits of fly gib on the floor, or they could be little mantis pooz lol

 

[maneatingmoo]

If they make oothecas and they hatch, would the baby's attack/eat eachother? Or would they know that they were family and get along?

 

[Meiji]

If they make oothecas and they hatch, would the baby's attack/eat eachother? Or would they know that they were family and get along?

They definately eat their own brothers and sisters...usually not when first born but certainly after a couple moults.

 

[MantidLord]

When they first hatch, their focus is shelter then food.

Could you imagine nymphs waiting for their siblings to hatch, then grabbing them. :blink: lol

 

[maneatingmoo]

That would be scary. The big one ate two moths out of my hand today and happily ate them all, but the smaller one won't take any food and runs away from it. Is something wrong with it? And the one in that picture I recently posted, is that a female? That's the one that isn't eating. And do mantids like to explore alot? Because somehow whenever I put a fly or moth in one side of the tank it always gets past the divider into the other side. So should I just get a new top cover or something?

 

[maneatingmoo]

I looked at the smaller mantid this morning and it's shedding it's skin right now. That must have been the reason it wasn't eating, right? It's almost done now and it's much bigger than it was before. Should I feed it something when it's done or does its skin need to harden?

 

[The_Asa]

You are correct, it wasn't eating because it was about to molt. Give it 24 hours for the skin to harden before feeding it.

 

[maneatingmoo]

I just went away for about an hour or two and came back and the skin is in the same place. It's almost all the way off, it's just at the end of the abdomen. Is there any way I could help it? Like misting it or gently pulling it off?

 

[The_Asa]

I would mist lightly.

 

[Meiji]

I just went away for about an hour or two and came back and the skin is in the same place. It's almost all the way off, it's just at the end of the abdomen. Is there any way I could help it? Like misting it or gently pulling it off?

Then it should be fine. It will either detach when the mantis deficates, when the mantis chews it off, or when the mantis moults again. In my experience it's more common to have a leg or two stuck in the cast off skin and that impairs the insects' mobility and hunting ability.

 

[Hypoponera]

Probably too late to help. Was the mantid hanging by the tip of it's abdomen with the tip still in the old skin? If so, that is normal. When a mantid is molting, the best thing is to leave it alone. Don't mist. Don't touch! It is very easily damaged or knocked down. Neither is good! Misting is something to be done before the molt starts.

 

[maneatingmoo]

Oops, I misted it some. Yeah, it's standing on the screen cieling with the dried brown skin hanging from the tip of the abdomen. It's still like that. I know it's alive because it's abdomen is moving up and down.