New Guy w/ new mantis Need Help From The Pros and everyone!

[TranCE_Productions_Inc]

Hi, I'm new here to this forum & decided to post. I recently ordered 2 Chinese Mantids from a guy on eBay. I received them today and the story goes like this...

After coming back from picking up the package at the P.O. I went directly to PETCO & bought me a fish aquarium for my mantids. It turned out looking pretty good to say the least! After setting up the habitat for my mantids, I placed the live food (A spider, crickets & June Bugs). After taking a look at the mantids I noticed one looked really weak not to mention that one of it's limb was decapitated! What do you think happend? So I placed them in the tank. One of the mantis has brown eyes and the other one had green eyes. The one with green eyes was the weak one. After placing the 2 mantids in the tank the brown eyed mantis (normal & strong) climbed the branched that I placed into the tank. I placed the mantid with green eyes on the branch & it was struggling to hang on the branch. It fell to the bottom and broke 2 legs on the side. At this point it haf one decapitated leg & 2 broken limbs. You can actually see the shin of the leg bent. after dropping to the bottom it just laid there with crickets crawling around it like nothing. Eventually the crickets got hungry and started breaking off it's arm & feasting on the eye. Now it is lying dead at the bottom (cricket food). So now I am left with only 1 mantis. I am new to this and don't know how to determine if my mantis is male or female. If anyone read this & can help. I'd really appreciate it! I'd be happy to show you guys pictures.

 

[Asa]

I thought you would be another spam bot :lol: .

You'll want to intro yourself in our introductions forum.

It sounds like the green eyed one tried to molt in transit and failed. Then when you put it in the cage, it tried to molt again, then failed, perhaps because of the crickets. Anyway, always make sure to see if they are molting before putting food in the cage.

 

[Morpheus uk]

What species are they and how big are they? Junge bugs and spiders dont make good food for mantids, if thier small nymphs then they do just die, for no reason, may be due to inbreeding producing weak nymphs, did you put them together?

 

[Asa]

What species are they and how big are they? Junge bugs and spiders dont make good food for mantids, if thier small nymphs then they do just die, for no reason, may be due to inbreeding producing weak nymphs, did you put them together?

They're Chinese.

 

[TranCE_Productions_Inc]

I will post up images soon. Stay tuned.

 

[TranCE_Productions_Inc]

Here are the links to the images.

ENJOY. Let me know if you have ideas.

 

[TranCE_Productions_Inc]

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

 

[Asa]

Same thing. Its too bad, because it looks like it was a sub adult. (One more moult to adulthood). Anyway, you might want to put some spagnum moss in the bottom of the cage to retain humidity. You can find some here,

www.mantisplace.com

 

[Ben.M]

Sub-adult female

 

[yen_saw]

These are subadult chinese mantis. you have way too many live crickets around, that is no a good idea. Cricket might be the reason why your mantis leg was decapitated. You never know the crickets can turn the table and prey on the lone survivor.

 

[TranCE_Productions_Inc]

at this point the stomache is gone the head is chopped off and the biggest cricket is eating it. Cricket is brave! it will dissapear soon. At least I won't have to remove it from the tank. The 2 claws got decapitated.

 

[Birdfly]

Decapitation means to remove the head, but more important,

your mantis is well satiated and getting close to a moult.

you have to remove all those crickets before your mantis moults

or it will go the same way as the first mantis.

It will not need to eat again until way after it has moulted, the

perch looks ok but dont disturb it at all during the moult as

even moving its cage will rock it of its perch and to its death if it falls.

Remove those crickets the sooner the better!!

Also as Asa says put some moss or tissue paper on

the bottom and give it a few sprays but dont saturate it,

making sure that there is good ventilation to avoid air stagnation

and to humid or dry an atmosphere

edit: PS remove the mantis body, it will go moldy or rott and attract desease.

 

[TranCE_Productions_Inc]

I have spanish moss at home, can i use that instead?

 

[Birdfly]

If you can spray it and it holds an amount of water then i would say yes?

 

[colddigger]

i like pics 2 6 and 9

yeah, you should only have crickets in there when you want them to eat, and then only like one or two... spanish moss is kind of stringy isn't it? maybe a large dense clump would work...i dunno, do they need branches to grow on?

 

[OGIGA]

I have spanish moss at home, can i use that instead?

Yes. I would if I had some.