How often should they molt?

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DJ_deejay

DJ_deejay

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I have a couple of sphodromantids ("Blue Flash") and I read online that they usually take between 10-14 days to molt. Mine evidently didn't get this memo.

Let's see... I got them at L1 on the 7th of March and now at the 28th they're all L5. I usually get an average of 5 days between molts. Is this unusual?

 
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That seems fast to me. I'd say a week or two between molts, unless you are feeding very well and keeping them warmer. I keep mine at room temp, so they may take longer between molts. Also as they get older the molts take longer. Especially when waiting for them to molt to adult. That's just torture sometimes. :lol:

 
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It occurs to me I have never bothered to keep track of molts. Despite being bugs, the mantises seem pretty good at figuring out when it is time on their own so I find it less stressfull to simply leave it to them.

 
I live in Florida and my house stays really warm (I don't offer them any additional heat other than room temperature). I'd say between 78 and 90 during the day in my house and maybe 72 at night if I'm lucky. As for food, I just feed them when they stare at me and demand fruit flies. Needless to say, my mantids are fat, lol.

Although...

After their last molts to L4 on the 20th - 24th my fruit fly culture crashed. They were receiving maybe a single fruit fly every other day (and a tiny one at that) if they were lucky. One went almost 6 days without food. I figured that it would slow down their molt and maybe I'd see something after 8 or so days instead of 5 but they molted at precisely 5 days even after their crash diets. I don't think it is the amount of food they're consuming... I think... they are magic mantids...

I decided to log everything about them when I first laid eyes on them. I feel in love at first sight and wanted to know everything about them. I log their eating habits, molts, personalities, and coloration changes. Since this is my first time ever keeping them I want to remember forever if I ever do anything wrong so that I will never do it again.

As for mantis crack... if I ever figure out how to bottle whatever my mantids are using to Hulk their way to adulthood I'm mass marketing it, lol.

 
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The first molt from birth to L2 may take 7-10 days, but every molt after that takes progressively longer.

So yours are either complete freaks of nature or you may have miscounted?

I would go with gripen on this one and lay off the crack... :lol:

 
Ok, I make a daily diary and I can share my info so you guys can see I'm not full of ######, lol.

3/7/12

received 5 L1 "Blue Flash"

3/9/12

lost cup 5 to unknown reasons

BF#1 molted (L2)

BF#2 molted (L2)

3/10/12

BF#3 molted (L2)

3/11/12

BF#4 molted (L2)

3/15/12

BF#1 molted (L3)

BF#3 molted (L3)

3/16/12

BF#2 molted (L3)

3/17/12

BF#4 molted (L3)

3/20/12

BF#3 molted (L4)

3/22/12

BF#1 molted (L4)

FF culture crashed

3/23/12

BF#2 molted (L4)

3/24/12

BF#4 molted (L4)

3/28/12

BF#3 molted (L5)

BF#3 caught a random fly in my room of unknown origin (starvation based?) appeared to be poisoned from the prey

3/29/12

BF#1 molted (L5)

BF#3 passed after becoming sick suddenly yesterday after consuming a few bites of the wild fly and then tossing it away (RIP... hubby and I cried)

3/30/12

received new FF culture

3/31/12

BF#2 molted (L5)

BF#4 molted (L5)

Obviously I edited this to show only losses and molts to conserve space. Doesn't this seem really fast?

 
Also photo evidence (btw I am very sorry about the quality. I sadly only have a crappy cell phone camera thus these are blurry as all get-out).

6ksNC.jpg


Taken the first day on 3/7/12 at L1

approximate size 5mm to 7mm (the 5th was runty)

btw that's a flower if anyone's wondering

Dxb5z.jpg


taken yesterday on 3/30/12

approximate size between 20mm and 30mm

Yes, I only count a molt if I see the shed skin or actually witness the molt (which I get to do a lot because I'm a night owl :D and I don't remember reading anywhere how amazing that process really is to watch!!!)

I have actually saved a few molts pressed in my journal, but the rest I remove as soon as I found them (after documentation of course)

I feed them whenever they ask for it. Usually every day or two. Right now because they are so big they go through about 10 FF's every 2 days. I ordered some HF's though, mainly because I couldn't afford to put it off anymore, and they should get here Wednesday or so. I figured I'd give them 1-2 flies every 2 days or however much they ask for.

I know the "asking for" thing is weird but they seem to come to the part of the plastic closest to me when they are hungry and place their faces against the plastic. After I feed them and they are happy, they move to the top to hang and relax. At least until they get hungry again and place their faces against the plastic. So either I am insane and personifying a creature I have grown to enjoy, or I somehow conditioned them to do this behavior... which I might have accidentally done... whoops

 
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DJ_deejay said:
So either I am insane and personifying a creature I have grown to enjoy, or I somehow conditioned them to do this behavior... which I might have accidentally done... whoops
Click to expand...
Aww that is so cute, you think you have conditioned them when in truth, it is they who have trained you to give them food when they press their faces on the plastic. *Pats you on the head.* Good human, your mantises are doing a fine job of molding you into a proper mantis keeper. ;)
 
I've never seen such quick molting. I am still finding it hard to believe.

 
In no way am I doubting your honesty or integrity, it's just puzzling is all? Your the only person I know of to report such a rapid growth/molting intervals, please keep us posted on your future findings.

BTW do you live near a nucular power plant? ^_^ (jk)

 
I am glad I found something interesting, lol. I'll keep my records up and when they have lived out their lives I will report what I find out. Also I have started keeping paykulii, I am receiving a Taiwanese Flower Mantid, and a few mystery mantids, so I'll post anything weird with them as well.

And no power plant ;)

 
My M. Paykullii are very slender and small mantids. Plus I only have 2 of them. I have 3 of the Sphodromantids left and they are larger and much more robust (i.e. I made them fat).

Even if I somehow could mix them up I have the paykullii in much, much smaller cups and I have a different color flower in their containers.

I am pretty certain these are my original Sphodromantids

 
Well the pics r a bit blurry so it's hard to discern species

They could very well be Sphodromantis I don't know but my hierodula multispina look almost identical to Sphodromantis and they grow real fast

I never kept Sphodromantis so maybe they do grow that fast

Not sure wat is goin on here to be honest, not tryin to question or argue with u I am just a bit curious why they r growing so fast

Is this an April fools joke? :p

 

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