new mantid owner! (plus a few questions...)

[erin]

Hello!
I'm Erin. I bought my first mantis last week. They're a timor shield mantis (L3/4 according to the shop) and I've named them Jeremiah.
I am using coir as a substrate and have fake plants in his enclosure, as well as mesh on the top for moulting.
Just a few questions on moulting... I have heard that this usually occurs every 7-14 days, is this correct from experience? And how long does moulting usually last for? Any advice on preventing mismoults while we're here
Thank you

 

[agent A]

hi Erin, I'm Alex!
I did answer your question in your previous thread, but lemme answer it again
1: I do not recommend substrate in a mantis cup. If you want to use it, that's your prerogative, but I find it gets in the way when it comes time for cleaning the cup out. You'll want to clean out wastes every few weeks. I live in Colorado, where the air is VERY dry, so I only have to clean out the cups every 3 weeks, but back when I lived in Rhode Island, one of the most humid states in the contiguous USA, most cups needed to be rinsed every 10 days, with females' cups getting cleaned every week. Your mantis will get pretty big and you'll probably want him in a container like the one on the far right as he gets older:

2: Molting in general happens every 10-15 days, although it can take longer or shorter depending on various factors. For example, warmer temps will speed up the growth and make intervals between molts shorter. This is true in ALMOST all cases, except for those semi-arid species that diapause as late instar nymphs during the hottest, driest parts of the year. Be aware that temps above a certain threshold can be lethal, so don't overdo the heating. Male nymphs tend to grow more quickly too, and some species are very rapid growers. Rhombodera, ime, have a lot of molts (8 I think) and the young nymphs go about 12 days between molts, but older nymphs are closer to 15-20 days. Also, a good diet will speed up development
3: The molt itself takes between 10 and 45 minutes, again depending on the nymph's age. Those last 2 molts are gonna be a little slower. Be sure the mantis gets to lap up water from the surfaces of the cage, and be careful not to disturb him too much around molting time, and he more than likely will be able to molt without many difficulties. Of course, there are some instances where the nymph just isn't capable of making it through a molt, but these are pretty rare.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Welcome, substrate is not needed. I dump their containers each feed, with substrate I couldn't do that.