Hello from Chicago

[tphan]

Hey there fellow enthusiasts!

I am a college student studying Engineering Physics in Chicago. Despite my chosen career path I have always been, and always will be, a proponent of biological studies and wildlife conservation. The mantis is one of my all time favorite inverts, but living in Chicago has seldom presented an opportunity to see one in person. I recently built a mini greenhouse in my room, and I thought it would be appropriate to get a hold of a few ghost nymphs since the conditions were perfect for them. It started off with two nymphs, but a week later I had already moved the plants outside to make room for three more nymphs; I can already see how impulsive I will be with buying more mantids.

Anyways, that's how I ended up here! My only other resource has been the UK forums, but I have been looking for other US hobbyists because UK-to-US trades are risky for the little ones. I hope to learn a ton from this community! 

Best,

Toan

 

[Rick]

Welcome

 

[CosbyArt]

Hello Toan and welcome to the forum

Indeed mantids grow on you, just wait until you try other species.

 

[tphan]

Thanks!

I've had my ghosts for only a few days and I've already learned a lot from them - the most important being how some of them can go from sitting still as a rock to an Olympic-class sprinter as soon as you open their lid. It looks to me that they seem to know when it's about to happen, too  :mellow:

 

[hibiscusmile]

WElcome!

 

[sally]

Welcome

 

[Sarah K]

Welcome to our forum! Yes those ghost nymphs are the worst about trying to escape whenever the lid to their enclosures open! That is why you need either a feeder hole, or a barrier between the lid and them!

 

[CosbyArt]

Ghosts mantids do quickly learn about their environment, and will show their wants/needs as well. Many actually enjoy getting held and getting out to stretch around, many on a daily basis. Do you get them out and hold them? If not you might want to some, and if you already are sounds like they are enjoying and would prefer it more often.

Indeed a feeding hole is the way to go to prevent any escapes, from mantids or feeders. For ideas on how to make feeder holes take a look at this.

 

[BringontheBugs]

Welcome to the forum , I'm in Chicago too and ghost mantids were also the first insects I kept!

 

[tphan]

Ghosts mantids do quickly learn about their environment, and will show their wants/needs as well. Many actually enjoy getting held and getting out to stretch around, many on a daily basis. Do you get them out and hold them? If not you might want to some, and if you already are sounds like they are enjoying and would prefer it more often.

Indeed a feeding hole is the way to go to prevent any escapes, from mantids or feeders. For ideas on how to make feeder holes take a look at this.

Thanks for the link, Cosby!

The way I have their deli cup environments set up, I do take them out often for daily feeding and misting. I will try to post a picture in the morning. If they make a break for it, I always guide them onto my thumb so I can feel where they are (my other digits are too calloused from guitar B) ). When I have finished misting and dropping in their hydei, I coax them onto the mesh ledge and close the cup. Takes a little slight of hand, but I'm getting there.

Edit- Here is a picture of one of the cups:

This was about 10 minutes after they arrived at my door, so in my zeal I may have slightly oversaturated the enclosure . 

The mesh is exo terra terrarium liner. I had some lying around so I cut them to fit the lid and threaded them together. 

 

[tphan]

Welcome to the forum , I'm in Chicago too and ghost mantids were also the first insects I kept!

I'm glad to hear there's another hobbyist in the area! 

 

[CosbyArt]

Thanks for the link, Cosby!

The way I have their deli cup environments set up, I do take them out often for daily feeding and misting. I will try to post a picture in the morning. If they make a break for it, I always guide them onto my thumb so I can feel where they are (my other digits are too calloused from guitar B) ). When I have finished misting and dropping in their hydei, I coax them onto the mesh ledge and close the cup. Takes a little slight of hand, but I'm getting there.

Edit- Here is a picture of one of the cups:

...

This was about 10 minutes after they arrived at my door, so in my zeal I may have slightly oversaturated the enclosure . 

The mesh is exo terra terrarium liner. I had some lying around so I cut them to fit the lid and threaded them together. 

Your welcome, it is half the fun playing with them and their habitats.

Sounds like you have a system that works for you already at least. I'll just add be careful when closing the lid that you don't pinch their tiny legs or tarsus/tarsi in the lid (I did it before myself and it regrew in a few molts, but I felt awful about it).

Perhaps it was a bit over saturated. For misting ideally you want the visible moisture to evaporate within 30 minutes after spraying it, otherwise it can lead to mold and bacteria growth. Cross-ventilation airflow can help with drying up excess moisture too, just add a cut mesh side panel (see the original link for ideas/instructions). The liner though looks great and should provide plenty of grip without having to worry about them molting too low and hitting the ground.

 

[tphan]

Perhaps it was a bit over saturated. For misting ideally you want the visible moisture to evaporate within 30 minutes after spraying it, otherwise it can lead to mold and bacteria growth.

This is the information I was looking for a few weeks ago. I saw so many guides that stressed the importance of misting, but not many that followed up with how much or how often. Thanks a lot!

 

[CosbyArt]

This is the information I was looking for a few weeks ago. I saw so many guides that stressed the importance of misting, but not many that followed up with how much or how often. Thanks a lot!

Regarding how much and how often, the much factor will depend on how fast it evaporates, in time you will learn how much is the correct amount for your setup. How often though is a debated topic (as mantids primarily receive their moisture from prey), and how dry the air is in the room they are housed in will mean how much extra moisture they need (a RH gauge, room humidity, near them on the shelf helps), but a safe assumption is to water them once a day or every other day.

Some species however like it wetter too, such as my Brunner's mantis nymphs (Brunneria borealis) like misted twice a day but they are a exception.

For the best way to figure out how often to water them is to let the mantids tell you. Mist their habitat and if you see them actively drinking water drops from their habitat they are too dry and you should mist more often. If they are not drinking water drops, cut back the misting to once a day or every other day, until they go back to drinking the water.

It might sound silly, but keeping a watchful eye on your pet will tell you more than any gauge or device will. In the winter months though heaters dry up the humidity to unsafe levels (leading to static electricity), and many of us use humidifiers to replace the moisture. I find the steam mist variety to work the best, I picked up my primary humidifier used for only $10 locally.

If you have any questions feel free to ask, as we are more than happy to discuss our hobby. No need to go so long without knowing, your more than welcome to any help we can provide.

 

[LAME]

Welcome from the capital city, chi-town.