My Ghost Enclosure

[darkspeed]

Black sand on top of powdered peat moss. Kept at 85f and 70% humidity. Both are very dark brown/burgundy and have been kept in these conditions since L-2.

 

[robo mantis]

Nice!! Is that ghost L4?

 

[macro junkie]

Nice!! Is that ghost L4?

1 of my ghost mantids is green..what does this mean?to high humdierty or to low?il get pics * mj goes to watch vid.

 

[macro junkie]

they got alot of room..nice set up..do they ever fight?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I love the green ones, God sure did give these guys the looks!

 

[Kruszakus]

You keep them together at this stage? They look like L6/L7...

I'd give some twigs here and there - more space to perch on.

 

[darkspeed]

I've only seen them encounter eachother once, and there was a brief boxing match that followed, but no injuries. They move about the enclosure from time to time, but always seem to find their way back to the same two perches, where it is easy pickins for the hydeis that congregate around the bottom of the plants.

Im not sure about the color thing... Rebecca gave me the darkest ghosts she had to begin with and they have been in a high temp /high humidity environment and are still as dark as when they were L-2.

 

[Kruszakus]

Yeah, a tricky thing with bringing out the green color - in my case I do not know why, buy half of my females are green - I just spray them daily and keep them at 25-28C, and there is no green part of the interior - I just keep them in plastic boxes - but the green ones will be moved to bigger containers with some rhododendron branches - you know how sweet this mantis looks when stacked with cool interior.

The truth of the matter is, that you can't control the color - I have green, brown, light brown and sort of dark cherry ones - I keep the in the same conditions and still, their color varies like this - guess you just have to be born under a lucky star to get the most coveted color.

 

[tier]

They are green beaucse you keep them too humid. They will die very soon if you do not reduce humidity.

Keep them at 40%-60% humidity and 30 °C day and 20°C night and they will do most well, but you won't have much green morphs.This is NOT a tropical mantid and it does NOT live in rain forrests; keep it dry!

regards,

tier

edit: Ok, maybe they won't die, but I think there are just a few green morphs because they become green in high humidity and low temperature but wont't do well in high humidity and low temperature in gerneral.

I'd give some twigs here and there - more space to perch on.

Yes, 100% correct. 90% of the enclosure is useless because they cannot reach 90% of the space in the enclosure.

regards again,

tier

 

[Kruszakus]

But I just mist them daily, sometimes every second day - just a bit. Besides, there probably isn't any other mantid that can tolerate humidity fluctuation like P. paradoxa.

 

[Mantida]

I never misted mine, and my cages are really dry. I take them out and give them water, and one of mine is pure green and the other is turning green. Genetics probably.

 

[pedro92]

I know a guy who has alot of mantises and his are green from putting the container under a uvb light tube. so that means with sun they change color i guess

 

[asdsdf]

If it is genetics, you could make two green ones reproduce, so that the offspring will be mostly green! (I sure can dream. <_< )

 

[tier]

Hi

But there are only green females, no males

I've never seen a green male ;-)

Merry Christmas,

tier

Well, I have about 20 Oothecas from green females now, we will see

 

[macro junkie]

HiBut there are only green females, no males

I've never seen a green male ;-)

Merry Christmas,

tier

Well, I have about 20 Oothecas from green females now, we will see

i have 2 both are very green..but i dont know if there male or female.

 

[Kruszakus]

Only female P. paradoxa can get green, males are always in different shades of brown.

 

[nhaverland413]

What plant is that in the enclosure?

 

[darkspeed]

Not sure... just something I grabbed at home depot. I have since replaced it with some sweet little fake chrimson flowers in reaction to the suggestions made about needing more foliage.

 

[macro junkie]

i take that back..i said mine are very green,,there not now i have seen mantida ghosts..now thats what u cal green.no imitations here,,