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Quantrill

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Hey y'all, I hadn't really planned on getting a preying mantis but, opportunity knocked this morning when I found one outside on our patio. A friend of mine had kept some and I always thought it was an interesting idea but never pursued it. What I found looks to be a female, chinese mantis. I figured why not give it a try. This one appears to be fully grown and is about 6" long. I cleaned up and old aquarium I had in the garage and put some sand in for subtrate and added branch for her to perch on. We also picked up some crickets. I'm starting to wonder if she may be getting ready to molt as she hasn't really jumped on the crickets and her abdomen seems kinda thin. They have definitely been within striking distance but she doesn't seem interested.I'm thinking maybe wait until morning and see if any of the crickets are eaten and if not, remove them and leave her be for a day or two. What do y'all think?

Thanks

David

 
Quantrill said:
Hey y'all, I hadn't really planned on getting a preying mantis but, opportunity knocked this morning when I found one outside on our patio. A friend of mine had kept some and I always thought it was an interesting idea but never pursued it. What I found looks to be a female, chinese mantis. I figured why not give it a try. This one appears to be fully grown and is about 6" long. I cleaned up and old aquarium I had in the garage and put some sand in for subtrate and added branch for her to perch on. We also picked up some crickets. I'm starting to wonder if she may be getting ready to molt as she hasn't really jumped on the crickets and her abdomen seems kinda thin. They have definitely been within striking distance but she doesn't seem interested.I'm thinking maybe wait until morning and see if any of the crickets are eaten and if not, remove them and leave her be for a day or two. What do y'all think?

Thanks

David
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well usually when i catch a mantis, it might not want to eat for about a day or 2 because it has to adapt to its new environment.mist the tank every other day, and does he have wings yet? i believe it is a he since its abdomen is thin. :D

:

 
Mantids From heck said:
well usually when i catch a mantis, it might not want to eat for about a day or 2 because it has to adapt to its new environment.mist the tank every other day, and does he have wings yet? i believe it is a he since its abdomen is thin. :D

:
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Yep, it's got wings and the sucker can get around! LOL It just flew across the living room and scared the ###### out of the wife! It's brown with green along the edges of the wings. The pictures I found on the web that match it say it's female. I'm guessing that's incorrect?

 
So that answers that! Sure I'll see if I can get any better pics than I already have, the ones I took this morning don't really show the green on the edges of the wings.

 
Here ya go!

IMG_1614b.jpg

 
Chinese mantis adults are different from most in that the wings extend to the tip of the abdomen in both sexes. In most species, they are longer in the male. The thin abdomen, disinterest in food and ability to fly, though, all suggest that this is a male. To be sure, consult Rick's handy dandy guide: http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7110

When i worked in an Emergency Room many years ago, we always divided a patient's estimate of his blood loss by three to get an idea of the actual amount. Usually, the length of mantids is way overestimated too. 6' is about half as long again as an adult Chinese female and the male is usually a little under an inch shorted. Try placing it on or next to a ruler and just measure the fron tip of the head to the tip of the abdomen; ignore the legs! :D

 
just so you know, becuase its a male and an adult male, itll eat like 1 large cricket a week, male adults eat almost nothing compared to females. Thats probably why you noticed its not eating, its normal for males and it looks pretty =)

 
Thanks for all the info guys! My daughter might be a little bummed since it's not a girl, but, she'll get over it quick. She thinks this is the coolest "bug" ever. This tank I've got is probably WAY too big since it's a 20G tall but, it's all I had. Hopefully it will do until I can get something smaller.(never thought I'd EVER say that when it comes to pets!)

 
That is a young adult female chinese you have there. Welcome.

 
Thanks for the ID y'all. Now,should I be all that concerned about downgrading the tank size? I've read that 1 gallon is ideal and that with anything larger, the mantis may have trouble finding it's food. This being a 20 gallon tall, it should be WAY too big right?

 
Quantrill said:
Thanks for the ID y'all. Now,should I be all that concerned about downgrading the tank size? I've read that 1 gallon is ideal and that with anything larger, the mantis may have trouble finding it's food. This being a 20 gallon tall, it should be WAY too big right?
Click to expand...
It'll work but yes it is a bit too big for a single mantis. I can easily keep three mantids that size in a 2.5 gallon aquarium divided into thirds.

 
I'll see what I can find this week sometime then. I guess they don't care to roam around alot huh?

 

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