Mantids Coming

[Murp]

my mantids are probably coming in tomorrow [SIZE=8pt](Hierodula majuscula)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]or maybe thursday [/SIZE]

wooo hooooo yeah :lol:

 

[hibiscusmile]

Excitement abounds! :lol:

 

[superfreak]

Obviously ordering form Deanna and Alan Henderson at Minibeasts Wildlife? Dont get too excited. They have a tenency to ship mantids as theyre about to moult, and to ship their insects really really young. Plus their prices are absurd. I guess they have the monopoly on mantid supply around here. Not for long though. You need a couple to replace the ones they send you at some point, you give me a PM and i wont charge like 25 bucks for each teeny tiny 1st instar, deformed-from-mismoulting-in-too-small-container nymph. I cant believe they charge that much and then ask for 10 bucks postage as well. Sigh.

 

[Murp]

I have received the Mantids this morning 2 males & 1 female

i think they are a bit older than 1st instar not sure oh there about 4cm (estimation)

i think that one of the males is about to shed because he has a really odd colouration around the soontobe wings

the male that i think is gonna shed is a redish colour with a hint of yellow and black streeks on the arms

the female is bright green

and the other male is a reddy browny colour

they are sooooo awsome :lol: there even cooler than i thought theyd be

[SIZE=8pt]photoes just arent good enough[/SIZE]

 

[superfreak]

yeah i have red males and green females too. wonder if the males have a higher genetic inclination towards the rusty colouration?

gah. cant believe it. bet they send me the tiny about-to-moult-in-the-cup ones on purpose.

check out the females arms. unless shes only recently moulted, she'll have blood red and magenta streaks on the insides of her arms.

and as for the coolness, just wait till they get even bigger one of my females took a chunk out of my finegr as i was taking her out of her cage last night big chompers on her!

 

[Murp]

yeah i just cheked her arm there a pretty colour

 

[Murp]

ohh superfreak do you know how you can tell if they are gonna moult

it would be really helpful if i knew how to tell but i dont <_<

 

[idolomantis]

ohh superfreak do you know how you can tell if they are gonna moult it would be really helpful if i knew how to tell but i dont <_<

When they refuse food(or bat them away) and just hang somewhere in the enclosure, there's a big chance it's going to molt

With some spieces, the wingbuds get i little... dull.

 

[Murp]

thnx idolo going from wat you said my male [SIZE=8pt](named leftie by my step dad)[/SIZE] is gonna moult soon

woooooo hoooo :lol:

and id like to know wat the preffered word is shed moult

 

[Murp]

Leftie has really dull wing buds there a grayish colour

 

[idolomantis]

Doesn't matter everybody uses something ese, but it all means the same.

EDIT: try if he wants a to eat something, if not, probably going t5o moult, if yes, then leftie has grey wingbuds by himself.

 

[Murp]

im having a really hard time feeding them the crikets its so annoying :angry:

and i cant put holes in the containers for funnels because the containers are glass

and the lids are made from brass flywire mesh glued to the normal screw on lids

 

[idolomantis]

Why's that?

Just grab the cricket at his hind legs, open the jar, drop the crick in and close the jar.

never had trouble feeding them, but with keeping them

i never forget the day that 500 of them escaped...

 

[Murp]

[SIZE=18pt]500[/SIZE] how did you get them back?

did you ever get them back?

 

[Murp]

i have the boxes of crikets that u get from the pet store

i put them in the fridge for ten minutes and barley anything happens :angry:

do you think i should increase the cooling time :huh:

there just jumping everywhere i managed to get all but one criket in the box

now hes either spider food or a kitty play toy B)

 

[PhilinYuma]

i have the boxes of crikets that u get from the pet storei put them in the fridge for ten minutes and barley anything happens :angry:

do you think i should increase the cooling time :huh:

there just jumping everywhere i managed to get all but one criket in the box

now hes either spider food or a kitty play toy B)

Like Idolomantis says! Just use a container with slippery plastic sides that they can't climb out of, open the box, reach in and grab one! Don't bother to try chilling them! Sure, a few will get away (usually not 500, though ) but that's part of the fun! Yr cat will thank you! Use the "Search" engine (above) for ideas on how to feed and care for the crix!

 

[Murp]

how tall would you recommend the criket box be?

they jump pretty high

 

[hibiscusmile]

18 to 24 inches is good.

 

[Murp]

thx