Greetings

[Osfigueroajr]

Hello, my name is Oscar.  I live in California and work at an aerospace manufacturing company here as an assembly supervisor.  Last year I was walking through a local farmers market with my two boys and spotted a booth that sold worms for composting, ladybugs and had one chinese mantid ooth left.  I'd never seen a praying mantis, maybe because I live in the city or never really paid attention.  As a child I loved playing outdoors and catching bugs and just observing them, so this spiked my attention.  I love learning new things and since I have two boys I like showing them the things I did when I was a child.  To this day sometimes I see a grasshopper, ladybug, or other bug and sometimes I feel like catching it just to show it to them.  Then we release them.  Well on this particular trip to the farmers market, I purchased the ooth and took it home in a mesh bag that was provided.  I hung it over a window as the gentleman who sold it to me instructed.  I forgot completely about it for a month, maybe more but on January 2, 2016 , this ooth hatched (what i suspect was over a hundred mantids.)  I released most of them but kept about 10 or so(it took me a while to get them spread all over the front bushes and the back yard.  The ones I kept indoors have been growing fast here and surprisingly they are about twice as big as the ones I released in the bushes in front of my house.  Mantids have captivated my interest since they hatched  and therefore to date I have purchased a phyllocrania paradoxa ooth, hierodula membranacea ooth, hierodula sp. java yellow ooth(which just arrived today), an L2 Hierodula Majuscula and a lot of supplies.  (Gotta say that the hydei flies can get out of control fast.".  That's my story and I'm looking forward to getting to know more of you.  This seems like a very close group of mantid enthusiasts just like I have become.

 

[MantisGalore]

Welcome!

 

[intheabyss]

Welcome Oscar! Wow... sounds like you've got a lot of tiny critters on your hands (and more to come in the future)! Good luck with them all... I'm sure you'll find plenty of support here, as I have (I only recently got into keeping mantises myself).  

 

[Osfigueroajr]

Thank you both for the friendly welcome.  Yes, currently I'm just trying to get some training/experience under my belt (with the chinese mantids) before the new little ones arrive.  Luckily haven't had one casualty yet from the ones I've cared for.  Did almost have a bad molt with one of these mantids. Scared me really, because I picked up the container at the wrong time(as it was shedding). 

 

[CutieCrawlersArt]

Very awesome story, welcome to the forums!  Also the molting stage always makes me nervous. xD

 

[Rick]

Welcome

 

[SpaceWolf]

Welcome!

 

[Osfigueroajr]

Thank you all.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Welcome Oscar!

 

[dmina]

Welcome to the group!

 

[Starving Always]

hahah this is so relatable. i used to collect them awhile back, and im back into it!! and already i have so many ooths and different species XD feel free to message me if you have any short questions you might come along with. i am always available for help (-:

 

[Osfigueroajr]

hahah this is so relatable. i used to collect them awhile back, and im back into it!! and already i have so many ooths and different species XD feel free to message me if you have any short questions you might come along with. i am always available for help (-:

Thank you.  I definitely will and just as an update my ghost mantids just hatched earlier this week. 27 were counted.  They look so cool, although they creeped out my wife because they look so much like ants.

 

[Starving Always]

hahaha nicee!!

 

[CosbyArt]

Hello Oscar and welcome to the forum

Sounds like you have the collectors mentality already - Best of luck to you and your pets.

 

[Osfigueroajr]

Hello Oscar and welcome to the forum

Sounds like you have the collectors mentality already - Best of luck to you and your pets.

Thank you.  I sure do.  Probably been there, done that when it comes to collections or keeping different types of pets.  (Well maybe I haven't collected or kept everything as a pet but definitely more than the average peson).  I love doing the research and then trying out the different things that I learn.  Especially love attending the expos or shows when they are available.  In short, constantly learning about different things is what I think keeps me sharp.  Currently my focus is on raising the mantids I have.  Hopefully one day I'll move on to Orchids, Odolomantis, and Rhombodera sp. Stalli. That is unless I end up annoying my wife with my new hobby, then she'll slow me down a bit.  j/k

 

[CosbyArt]

Thank you.  I sure do.  Probably been there, done that when it comes to collections or keeping different types of pets.  (Well maybe I haven't collected or kept everything as a pet but definitely more than the average peson).  I love doing the research and then trying out the different things that I learn.  Especially love attending the expos or shows when they are available.  In short, constantly learning about different things is what I think keeps me sharp.  Currently my focus is on raising the mantids I have.  Hopefully one day I'll move on to Orchids, Odolomantis, and Rhombodera sp. Stalli. That is unless I end up annoying my wife with my new hobby, then she'll slow me down a bit.  j/k

I've come to find the average person has a dog, maybe a cat, and anything else is too exotic. With most not having even that anymore due to no-pet rental agreements and seemly rampant allergies and stuff that makes for a crazy list. Can be rather odd for sure.

Sounds like you have goals and got your wife on-board, or at least your two sons. I know it is more fun to have others to share hobbies with. Selling anyone on cockroaches as feeders though is tough, so crickets are a good backup (I'm still banned on roaches).

I hope mantids turn into a enjoyable hobby for you and your family.

 

[Osfigueroajr]

You're absolutely correct there are too many obstacles for most people.  I'm rather lucky at the moment.  I bought my house about 3 years ago and lucky for me the garage came with an insulated room which was previously used as an office.  This office is where most of my mantids and feeders are currently residing.  My wife banned the roaches as well.

 

[CosbyArt]

You're absolutely correct there are too many obstacles for most people.  I'm rather lucky at the moment.  I bought my house about 3 years ago and lucky for me the garage came with an insulated room which was previously used as an office.  This office is where most of my mantids and feeders are currently residing.  My wife banned the roaches as well.

Nice, sounds like you have plenty of room then for trying various things. I still plan to sneak in the Green Banana roach (Panchlora nivea) eventually - as I could get by with the adults as they look nothing like a roach, but the nymphs will be the undoing. Glad I'm not the only one on that - my wife things they are the most vile thing

 

[Osfigueroajr]

Hilarious.  I showed the message to my wife, she thought it was funny that you snuck them in too.  What she doesn't know is that on Saturday before I saw your message, I snuck 4 small Dubia roaches in from the local reptile shop as well just to try and see if the mantids would eat them.  Needless to say, I won't be showing her the rest of this conversation.