Longest Lifespan

[Mantid-Tim]

I know there is much debate about how long mantids live. Some say 6 months, some a year, some u to two years. The longest I've heard/read about is 1 yr 9mo. My longest personally is >8 mo. (Total lifespan from L1 on....)

I am curious, what is the longest living mantid you have ever owned/been a caretaker of. Not read about or heard about, but specifically what is the total lifespan of your longest living mantid?

 

[Synapze]

18 months.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

13 months for me.

 

[Mantid-Tim]

Any tricks? How much do you feed adults, esp. adult females that are not mated, I was always uncertain if you are still supposed to feed them everyday even if they are producing infertile oothecae? I am going for twice a week, blue bottle flies, because I think I was overfeeding if anything....

 

[guapoalto049]

I have a Deroplatys truncata female born in 2018. She’s 2 years, 2 months old (781 days) and 6-7 oothecae deep

 

[Mantid-Tim]

I have a Deroplatys truncata female born in 2018. She’s 2 years, 2 months old (781 days) and 6-7 oothecae deep

Wow. now that's the longest I've heard of! I have a D. lobata that I just got. I think he is an L6....

 

[Mantid-Tim]

Im curious for all those who have seen mantids live this long...what do you feed them and how often? I'm pretty sure it's up to a lot of factors, but the  most significant one we have control over is nurtition. I just can't seem to get my adults to live all that long and wanted some help on this. I feed my adults blue bottles and the schedule is feed, then skip two days, then feed again. Anything I am doing wrong here?

 

[guapoalto049]

I think the most important thing for longevity is reduction of stress. Mantises who live with more space, more access to good footing (i.e. live plants and not metal screen), and no exposure to excess heat tend to live the longest. A varied diet in theory is great, but feeding exclusively sugar fed bluebottles will get you big healthy adults and big healthy oothecae. I used to use wild collected food to “vary” the diet. I also occasionally had perfectly healthy mantises die with black vomiting episodes, and now I never do.

 

[Mantid-Tim]

I think the most important thing for longevity is reduction of stress. Mantises who live with more space, more access to good footing (i.e. live plants and not metal screen), and no exposure to excess heat tend to live the longest. A varied diet in theory is great, but feeding exclusively sugar fed bluebottles will get you big healthy adults and big healthy oothecae. I used to use wild collected food to “vary” the diet. I also occasionally had perfectly healthy mantises die with black vomiting episodes, and now I never do.

Interesting take on this! I keep my mantids mostly in 8x8x12 Exo-Terras, and sometimes I wonder if its enough space for them. They do seem content hanging of the top or one of my sticks though. Also the adults I let out of the cages a lot. Most seem to like the interaction and the extra space of roaming free on my curtains (lol), and the ones that don't I leave alone more.

So do you feed exclusively blue bottles then?

 

[guapoalto049]

Sugar fed bluebottles and red runners. I keep a small number of dubia for the large species

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Im curious for all those who have seen mantids live this long...what do you feed them and how often? I'm pretty sure it's up to a lot of factors, but the  most significant one we have control over is nurtition. I just can't seem to get my adults to live all that long and wanted some help on this. I feed my adults blue bottles and the schedule is feed, then skip two days, then feed again. Anything I am doing wrong here?

Mantids live longer if they don’t have a schedule often. I feed whenever my mantids are thin and they often go 1+ years.

 

[hysteresis]

I think that with long-lived genera like Deroplatys, the trick is to keep them mechanically intact. Line their enclosures only in the soft shelf liner, and don't handle them, unless they climb willingly on to your hand.  I keep hearing their tarsi get broken and they have troubles getting around otherwise. Physical injury can lead to infection, etc.

My desiccata female should have a long way to go, as she's 15 months since hatch. Shes a beaut and still producing fertile ooths.

 

[Mantis Lady]

I think Esmralda is my long lived one. She is still with me. Only eating sucks. I have to force feed her for a few bites. (roach  goo) better a bit in her belly than nothing. She loves to drink. but she is still alert.

 

[FeistyMcGrudle]

I have two female ghosts that hatched August of '19 that are still around. I also have three female spinies that hatched last February that are still around too. None of them are fertile, so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it? They're also kept in temps from 60-70 degrees, and are fed once a week.

Now watch, I'm gonna jinx myself and they're all gonna croak tomorrow lol.

 

[Mantid-Tim]

Glad to see such long lived mantids. I am raising a bunch of nymphs right now, and they are mostly pre-subs. I want them to live longer this time, so I have adjusted some things based on everyone's advice. I got raising nymphs to adulthood down to a science but keeping longer living adults (> 1 yr) hasn't happened so far. I do have some female ghosts that are probably about 8 mo. old and still putting out oothecae though....