My first mantids! (pics and question)

[themann42]

i received my first mantids the other day: p wahlbergii. i got them from ian and they were shipped overseas and arrived in great condition. i wanted to show a couple pics and well as ask some questions. first the pics:

my question is about watering. i read that they like to drink off branches, so i put some water droplets on my finger and they immediately drank it, quite a lot too! it was neat to watch. the thing is, when i spray water in their tanks, the doesn't bead up on the twigs so i don't think they'll get much water. should i replace the twigs w/thicker ones? right now the tank's mostly twigs, should i try to find a plants that has leaves that will collect water better?

 

[Lukony]

From what I have scene with my mantids (some being the same species). Misting is just to keep the humidity up for the species. The water them I generally spray the glass/plastic of the cage of spray close to leaves. The mantids will find the water.

 

[julian camilo]

they get alot of the moisture they need from their food, misting is usually just to keep the humidity up. however, i do like to mist the actual mantid sometimes, and if its thirsty it will drink the water droplets off of itself. however, it is not vital that you see them do this, no need to switch twigs or anything. they do look a bit hungry so thats maybe why they were drinking off of you. bit if food and some misting theyll be fine.

ps - i had some wahlbergii that would "suck" my skin seemingly, whenever i got them out sometimes. thee was no water visibly on my hands or fingers but im guessing they were a bit thirsty and were taking up the moisture. im guessing i didnt keep them humid enough or something. thats the only thing i can think of.

edit: sorry i dont think i answered your questions very well :?

"should i replace the twigs w/thicker ones? right now the tank's mostly twigs, should i try to find a plants that has leaves that will collect water better?" in short, no. regular misting to keep humidty up and a good food supply should be enough i think, no need for them to have droplets for them to drink up in my opinion. but to be safe, mist the actual mantid once in a while, and if it wants to it will dtink the droplets collected on itself.

 

[themann42]

i have fed them a cricket a day for three days. they're my first small mantids, so i'm not sure how much to feed them. i've caught some wild mantids before, but they're about 10 times as big and so they ate a tone more.

my walhbergii do the same thing where they seem to suck on my skin. that's why i put some water on my fingers and let them drink it. it was pretty neat, so maybe i'll just give them something to drink like that from time to time.

 

[FieroRumor]

Beautiful mantids you have!

I usually spray the tank near them then they do the "windshield wiper" thang, or I'll spray the twig in front of them, and they get the idea...

I also let 'em drink using a straw sometimes...

 

[Executor of Fruit Flies]

I've kept this species before, and learned from a lot of screw ups. Even though they do get moisture from food, I'd mist them everyday if possible, since this species seems to be thirsty all the time; as someone said(I've noticed this too), they'll try to suck the miniscule amount of moisture they sense on your fingers when picked up. And this will also prevent bad molts; my only female right now has bent back legs due to me slacking on the misting, and I'm afraid it'll fall during it's next molt and this'll be my second failed generation of trying to breed them. The biggest problem I've had was with them apparently starving. Since they're small and the spikes also make it hard to see if it's getting too "thin," I'd keep them well fed and fattened constantly. Also, spraying them directly doesn't hurt them(it actually makes it easier for them to find the water), as long as they're not stuck in a mini-puddle.

 

[themann42]

thanks for the tips! how much is well fed? i've read that a couple times a week is usually enough, should i start with a cricket or so a day? i'm also glad to know you don't have to worry about spraying the mantids.

 

[Executor of Fruit Flies]

I'm sure it'll be fine with your feeding schedule, but make sure their abdomens are fat. My subadult looked as thin(or fat) as the one in your first pic when it died, so I guess you could feed it at least a little more.