L5 (orig. L4) Miomantis caffra ❤

[MantisGirl13]

Hehe it is started the mantis virus So many mantids you want too keep.

Too true! My virus started two years ago and is getting worse every day!!!  

- MantisGirl13

 

[hysteresis]

My first ever successful molt!

Even if I had to intervene.  

I was about, prepping the kids' backpacks for school. Mio #4 perched low on its twig. i came to check on the mantises, his head was just above the cotton substrate I have in their jars.

I had to get in there to raise his twig.

THEN HE FELL! ...

Right on to the soft moist cotton. Dropped less than an inch into plushy loveliness. I picked it up by the shed, secured the shed into forceps, and suspended it so as to let it conclude its shed. 

Perfect L4/L5 Mio.

 

[Prayingmantisqueen]

Awww... Good job!

 

[MantisGirl13]

Wow! Good save! I feel like they only ever fall when I am watching them, lol   

- MantisGirl13

 

[hysteresis]

Wow! Good save! I feel like they only ever fall when I am watching them, lol   

- MantisGirl13

I had to intervene. There would have been a serious mismolt otherwise. 

I did get the twig up, and it was high enough, but the shed released from the twig after a few mins. 

I just put several hydei in there for when its decides to resume its hunt. It looks VERY interested. LoL.

Nice I decided to take the morning off .

I think golden #2 will molt today / tonight. She seems hooked safely from the mesh lid.

The other two mios are up on their lids. Maybe we'll have a moltathon! 

 

[Mantis Lady]

I had to intervene. There would have been a serious mismolt otherwise. 

I had 2x to intervene to help a mantis molting good. Sometimes they are hanging to low to have room to molt. you saved your mios life

 

[Aristalochia]

Glad you caught em

 

[hysteresis]

I had 2x to intervene to help a mantis molting good. Sometimes they are hanging to low to have room to molt. you saved your mios life

And having saved Mio #4, I now realize that the correct step with golden #2 would have been to suspend her by her molt and let her finish. She would have been in better shape. 

 

[hysteresis]

Glad you caught em

Yup. Thought I was facing a 2nd mismolt. Relieved!

 

[hysteresis]

Here (he?) is @Aristalochia. L5 ish?

 

[hysteresis]

And my littlest one today, Mio #3.

 

[Aristalochia]

s/he looks nice n bright. My herd's been molting the last few days too Many of mine turned brown.

 

[Mantis Lady]

nice little mantids

 

[hysteresis]

Mio #4 that recently molted just ate some dubia guts. Off a toothpick. Not all my nymphs want to take even the most delectable portions of guts. Too skittish!

 

[Mantis Lady]

Good it worked.  I need to feed my ghosts with dubia guts too because they don't want to eat the grasshopper babies. I hope they get used to handfeeding soon. My h. golden loves them.

 

[hysteresis]

Mio #1 molted.

M. caffra are such cute little things. ❤

Best I could get through the curved glass of his jar.

Just waiting on Mio#3 to molt now.

And, Rhombo#2!

 

[Mantis Lady]

gratz on the molt

 

[hysteresis]

gratz on the molt

Thanks. And Rhombo#2 molted overnight too. We're going to have a feeding party today!  

 

[hysteresis]

Crazy thing about Mio#3. 

Ive been expecting a molt for a week as it hadn't been eating, so I've withheld hydei all this time.

Stumped, I shook a half dozen in there just now. OM NOM NOM. It's eating up the hydei.

Poor little one. Ive been starving it.

Maybe it'll molt after this. 

 

[hysteresis]

Mio#3 still hasn't molted. I offered hydei and it ate again! 

Funny side story. I fed too many FF so uncapped a 2nd jar to shake some in to another mio jar. When handling Mio#3 on its lid, it tried to make a run for it up my hand. I wrangled it back into the jar, but then capped it with the lid from Mio#1 who is larger having molted. When I realized what I'd done, my heart stopped!

Luckily, I got the lids switched in time, without further incident.