My Enclosures (new to raising mantids)

[tylersterrain]

Hi,

I'm new to raising mantids and want to share a photo of my current enclosures with the mantidforum members. I have a sub-adult Ghost and six L2 Creobroter Gemmatus Nymphs. I split the nymphs into two separate habitats (3 in each), so that I can track who is being fed.

I want to raise these little guys the best I can, so I would appreciate any advice or corrections that I should make on my enclosures/housing!

Link to Pic:

http://s1104.photobu...current=002.jpg

On each side I have two identical cups, they have mesh on top for molting. At the bottom is a sponge pad that I use to retain moisture. On the side is a hole with a foam plug so that I can easily feed my little friends some food. One of these has my Ghost and another has three L2 nymphs.

In the middle is the deli cup that my nymphs were shipped in, this has paper towel hot glued in it and on the lid is a fine breathable cloth that covers large holes. I poked one of the holes and put a foam plug in it (once again for easy feeding). This enclosure has the other three L2 nymphs in it.

Thanks!

-Tyler

 

[lancaster1313]

The containers look good to me, but I am not sure if the Creos are communal. Maybe someone who knows more about that species can help with that.

I keep all my mantids separate unless I am hatching oothecae, but all of the species that I have kept will eat eachother even if well fed. :shifty:

 

[twolfe]

I'm not sure what species of Crebroter I have, but I raised mine communally. I initially kept them in an 80 ounce deli container with lots of places to perch. I recently moved them into a net enclosure with a plant with lots of perches. Out of the 9, I still have 7 of them. Two of them disappeared around L3 or so. Three of them have molted to adults. I keep them well fed.

 

[patrickfraser]

I am cautious when I only have a few nymphs and keep separate. You never know when that hunger pang will hit and a sibling is within reach. I, like, likebugs, will keep a lot of nymphs together from an ooth hatch as I don't worry about losing a few. But when I only have a few, that isn't an option for me. I play it safe. Even the so-called "communal" mantid still has an aggressive side. It's in their nature.

 

[patrickfraser]

Two of them disappeared around L3 or so.

Were they abducted, back? :lol:

 

[tylersterrain]

That is something that I was really curious about. The last thing I want is my baby mantids snacking on each other. So far so good, but I'm going to play it safe and split them up, thanks for the advice.

 

[tylersterrain]

Were they abducted, back? :lol:

Get ready for Cowboys and Mantids

 

[twolfe]

It's a good idea to play it safe when you can. I went from about 45 mantis to 150 mantis in the past month. So, I can't keep them all in separate containers. I keep my orchids and mendicas separate. Most other species I separate as sub adults. But I raised my first generation Creobroters without any issues, and I had two adult females living with one adult male for about three months. Eventually the male died. He mated with both of the females off and on. I did get nervous when the females would get close to each other. I've also raised Ghosts communally but have had occasionally issues with cannibalism.

 

[gripen]

Looks almost exactly like my setup. I would separate the creos though don't risk it.

 

[tylersterrain]

Thanks for the info Tammy! That's a lot of mouths to feed!

I'm going to find some smaller containers for the L2's. Then I can track specific behaviors! Today I realized the creos would "sneak up" on each other and spook one another. Fortunately the habitat is large enough for them to run away.

 

[gripen]

Keep us posted about the creos I want to see what you find out about specific behavior.

 

[tylersterrain]

Will do!

 

[RevWillie]

I have relatively few mantises so it's easy for me to keep them in separate containers.

I have had pairs of Creos and pairs of Ghosts living together:

- the Creos were somewhat aggressive and would intimidate each other; when they grew at different rates I separated them.

- the Ghosts do fine together but I just lost a solitary one to unexplained causes so I am separating the others to make sure everybody is eating and OK.

Best of luck!

 

[sporeworld]

Bah! Live on the edge, baby!

But seriously, I've had a LOT of Creos. Just feed them well, and they'll be fine.

I find that a less complex environment allows them to see each other, so no surprises.

They will CONSTANTLY threaten each other. It's one my favorite parts - pretty comical.

Havng said all that, if you can't get them PLENTY of food, reliably, keep them apart. Otherwise, my advice is let them share a much larger enclosure.

 

[tylersterrain]

So, to be on the safe side (I already spin fire, that is enough edge-living) I created this housing today:

http://s1104.photobucket.com/albums/h335/TheMantaman/?action=view&current=001.jpg

I have a funnel that matches the hole-size where the black-foam plug is. I also cut out the lid so that I could hot-glue mesh to the top.

This new enclosure is a big improvement. I was getting tired of the rubber-bands quickly (not to mention I worried about hurting a little mantis arm/leg/raptor...lol).

The next thing to do is create a similar design for my ghosts enclosure!

So I have a question in turn.

At what stage will these creos gems out grow these enclosures (provided they are a little over 1.5 inches tall).

 

[Precarious]

So, to be on the safe side (I already spin fire, that is enough edge-living) I created this housing today:

http://s1104.photobu...current=001.jpg

Looks good! I would suggest one thing. Lay a square of paper towel in the bottom of each. It's nice to have something the nymphs can actually grip on the bottom - especially if they should fall during molt. Plus it makes cleanup a little easier. Just throw out the paper towel and rinse the cup.

I would also make one of the walls in the 32 oz cup textured for the Ghost. You can glue some of the screen to the inside wall.