My Spoiled Mantis

[prslaughter]

I am sorry to hear Gizmo passed. I understand the mourning, although there are some who do not. Of course, I also know plenty of people who don't "get" keeping insects as pets at all, so it's not surprising they can't understand forming a bond with them or being sad when they go. Gizmo definitely sounds like a very special creature with a distinct and unique personality. She was fortunate to find some humans who could truly appreciate that.

I have had so many that I don't always get attached to them all, but when you come across the ones with that little something special (like your Gizmo). . . .how can we not????

 

[Sticky]

She was a beautiful, special girl!

 

[Gizmo]

HER OOTHECA HATCHED THIS MORNING! Everyone said (correctly) that because she was caught in the wild her ootheca might not be fertile BUT IT WAS!

She left us with her babies after all! 

We are going to try our hardest to separate out as many as we can when we can and not do the method some do where they allow the nymphs to thin themselves out through natural selection. I have a bad feeling that since she was wild-caught it may be another high mortality rate. That'd be sad but if we have enough to carry on her legacy we'll be happy. Hopefully she mated with an equally smart male but we'll take what we can get.

 

[Extrememantid]

I've never had a ton of success keeping the nymphs alive unfortunately. I've caught L4 nymphs in the past and they were fine to raise, but the first few instars is a pain.

 

[Gizmo]

You are not kidding. Molting to me is a terrifying event. They are cute and it's fun to feed them fruitflies but the random deaths can be disheartening. 

I've had two incidents with an Orchid and a Chinese male mantids, where they stopped eating and acted as if they were going to molt, only to find them dead a few hours later for no obvious reasons. Just out of nowhere dead. 

 

[Herpo]

She is a very nice mantis, such charismatic creatures!

 

[Jessie]

I personally think there alot smarter then we give them credit for. With all the hate and anger with people today. I thinl that its us that needs to learn how to be emotional. Just my opinion.