How long should you wait should I wait before handing mantis after molt

[LemonV]

My polyspilota sp molted to adulthood last night, approx 11 hours ago she completed it. Her molt was successful and her wings and molt are closed and have been closed for 8-10 hours.

Is it ok to see if she'll climb on my hand now or should I wait? I'm just so excited!!! I can't believe I raised my first mantis to adulthood!!

 

[agent A]

she should be ok now

 

[LemonV]

Thank you!!!

 

[Rick]

At least a few days minimum. 11 hours? No way.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I like to wait at least 48 hours which is also how long I like to give before offering the first meal after a shedding. I do feel the skin is more delicate for the first couple of days after a shedding. It isn't just crawling around that concerns me as far as injury but if the mantis say falls or tries to do a long jump while being stimulated. Thus I prefer to leave them be for the first couple of days.

 

[agent A]

At least a few days minimum. 11 hours? No way.

Rick

if she just wants it to CRAWL on her, is that a problem? a fresh molted mantis crawls on stuff anyways so how r her hands any different if a climbing surface than the inside of the cage?? she shouldnt grab at it or anything but just letting it crawl sounds harmless

 

[Rick]

Rick

if she just wants it to CRAWL on her, is that a problem? a fresh molted mantis crawls on stuff anyways so how r her hands any different if a climbing surface than the inside of the cage?? she shouldnt grab at it or anything but just letting it crawl sounds harmless

Because mantids often jump when being held for one reason. It is better to allow the exoskeleton to fully harden before handling the mantis. It is my opinion that excessive handling in general is not good.

 

[agent A]

Because mantids often jump when being held for one reason. It is better to allow the exoskeleton to fully harden before handling the mantis. It is my opinion that excessive handling in general is not good.

u have a good point

 

[Ntsees]

I wait for the 2nd or 3rd day before I handle mines (if I handle them).

 

[mykey14]

i handle my mantids often.

never had any problems what so ever.

 

[MantidDan]

I wait about 4 days.

 

[happy1892]

Uh oh something is wrong, a few times I have clicked post and it does not post. I did it here but it did not work. I am using a good computer, I think.

Um, I clicked post then it was shown on here. Did somebody delete my posts?

Because mantids often jump when being held for one reason. It is better to allow the exoskeleton to fully harden before handling the mantis. It is my opinion that excessive handling in general is not good.

You just have to be careful with them. If they do fall it could kill a mantis that just molted and it depends, like the size of the mantis (if it is a just molted L1 or L2 nymph no matter how high it is dropped to a hard surface I am guessing that the mantis will just float to the ground and not get hurt but I have tried nothing like that! I have seen those nymphs fall slowly down) and I think probably other things. Recently after molting if their wings are punctured then he will bleed and it will dry up and make a bigger and bigger bubble and the mantis gets weak and dies (maybe there are exceptions :mellow: ). I am guessing if they are punctured anywhere else recently after molting then they will die. I have had mantids punctured several days (maybe weeks) after molting and they got a scab and were fine. I often handle my mantids just after molting and that might not be good but I do not think it did much at all, I was gentle of course. Most of my mantids have died but I do not think it was because I did that and did not do that to most of them. Oh, and you wrote "It is my opinion that excessive handling in general is not good." I think so too. I do not think mantids should be handled a lot and just a little bit.

 

[LemonV]

Yeah, this seems to be a tough call. I think it's safe to say though better safe than sorry. I feel really bad but I love to handle my mantises, Duchess is always so chill and Fifi is always eager to climb on me. I'm just really happy that the first mantises I ever had I was able to raise to adulthood with no serious problems (one did fail a molt going into L5 and had to be put down and duchess cracked a foot at the end of her sub-sub adult molt and lost it at sub adult, now she only has a tiny foot!) I need to be careful and be ready for the worst, and try my best to not set up potential bad situations

 

[happy1892]

Yeah, this seems to be a tough call. I think it's safe to say though better safe than sorry. I feel really bad but I love to handle my mantises, Duchess is always so chill and Fifi is always eager to climb on me.

I am thinking they are eager to climb on me and other people is because their instinct is to run up high when threatened and if you move more sudden they run faster up your arm and I am usually the closest thing around to climb and if there is a stick closer to them they climb that. I guess it is like a person running away from a tiger that is chasing him but they do not seem to care about going toward the attacker or maybe they are not aware or they do not care a whole lot?

 

[LemonV]

I am thinking they are eager to climb on me and other people is because their instinct is to run up high when threatened and if you move more sudden they run faster up your arm and I am usually the closest thing around to climb and if there is a stick closer to them they climb that. I guess it is like a person running away from a tiger that is chasing him but they do not seem to care about going toward the attacker or maybe they are not aware or they do not care a whole lot?

Nah, it's nothing like that. These mantises don't really seem jumpy or scared, more curious to seek higher ground. These guys can run pretty fast, but they almost never run (especially now that they're grown). If I feel like they start to become restless I either put them away or on top of a nearby object. Fifi I think is a bit more energetic, but that might be due to me not handling her as much, or her being smaller. Duchess is always just lazy and just likes to sit on her little pot (I like pots because they are sturdy and my mantis can poop in them) on my desk and watch me use the internet.

 

[happy1892]

Nah, it's nothing like that. These mantises don't really seem jumpy or scared, more curious to seek higher ground. These guys can run pretty fast, but they almost never run (especially now that they're grown). If I feel like they start to become restless I either put them away or on top of a nearby object. Fifi I think is a bit more energetic, but that might be due to me not handling her as much, or her being smaller. Duchess is always just lazy and just likes to sit on her little pot (I like pots because they are sturdy and my mantis can poop in them) on my desk and watch me use the internet.

That is what I call running from what you said. Mantids do not seem to like to move around and when they do they do it slowly (adult males fly a lot, that is the time they are really moving around). Whenever I make a mantis move I feel like I am scaring it or making it uncomfortable to make it move otherwise I would think it would stay in the same place. I had a Sphodromantis sp. "Blue Flash" female that I could not make her move easily and she would stay and attack...... For most mantids if you bother them a lot and more intensely they seem to do threat poses and that I guess is a good thing because I would guess running would not be working. I guess mantids watch things that they are interested in (I mean importent like a might be predator! Or prey whatever.).

 

[LemonV]

I don't want to have an argument with you over something you have no foundation for (i.e how you think I treat my mantises and how my mantises feel about me). Just because these are my first mantises does not mean I don't understand them. I've had these guys since they were nymphs, they have no problem resting on, or hunting on my hand. Mantises will instinctively climb on a higher surface if presented to them so they can get a better look a their surroundings for food, if they were afraid they would either run away or threaten.

If a mantis wants to communicate with a predator, then you know evolution has provided it with that too. Neither of my mantises have even bothered to open their beautiful wings for me other than to stretch them. Don't just assume I'm an uneducated or a careless mantis owner just because I have a question

 

[Sneaky123]

I don't want to have an argument with you over something you have no foundation for (i.e how you think I treat my mantises and how my mantises feel about me). Just because these are my first mantises does not mean I don't understand them. I've had these guys since they were nymphs, they have no problem resting on, or hunting on my hand. Mantises will instinctively climb on a higher surface if presented to them so they can get a better look a their surroundings for food, if they were afraid they would either run away or threaten.

If a mantis wants to communicate with a predator, then you know evolution has provided it with that too. Neither of my mantises have even bothered to open their beautiful wings for me other than to stretch them. Don't just assume I'm an uneducated or a careless mantis owner just because I have a question

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