Newbie invertebrate owner, hello!

[rudebega]

Hi, all! My name is Ru, I'm a writer from the deep south US, and I've always wanted to own mantids. Right now I just have four little t. sinensis that a friend gave me from a garden ooth about a month ago, because he knew of my yearnings. I'm proud that I've managed to shepherd them all to L3 without any mismolts! Eventually I'd like to invest in a fancy mantis or three, but I wanted to join so I could get tips on feeding and housing as my current tiny monsters get bigger.  

The largest and most personable of my L3 sinensis:

Current habitat (gonna upgrade soon): 

Blurry baby picture:

I also own several mammals, including a host of rats, two cats, and a really awful roborovski hamster. 

It's nice to meet you all! 

 

[Sarah K]

Welcome!

 

[Rick]

Welcome

 

[CosbyArt]

Hello Ru and welcome to the forum

I've got a handful of Chinese nymphs myself that have recently molted to L4, from some ooths I found and hatched. The only downside to them is they are bottomless pits on eating compared to many other species, with the adults eating about double compared to most other species as they are so large.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Welcome!

 

[rudebega]

Hello Ru and welcome to the forum

I've got a handful of Chinese nymphs myself that have recently molted to L4, from some ooths I found and hatched. The only downside to them is they are bottomless pits on eating compared to many other species, with the adults eating about double compared to most other species as they are so large.

I've noticed! I've been feeding them hydei and I have to put fresh flies in basically every day. I'm already gathering materials to construct an outdoor fly trap so I'll have larger prey for them soon--it's one of my projects for this weekend, along with constructing a rot-cage for a cardinal I found this winter. I'll probably place them near each other in the back garden. Two birds with one stone, as it were!

 

[CosbyArt]

I've noticed! I've been feeding them hydei and I have to put fresh flies in basically every day. I'm already gathering materials to construct an outdoor fly trap so I'll have larger prey for them soon--it's one of my projects for this weekend, along with constructing a rot-cage for a cardinal I found this winter. I'll probably place them near each other in the back garden. Two birds with one stone, as it were!

It is good to offer nymphs food daily to avoid any excess cannibalism anyway, and leads to stronger nymphs.

Glad to see you have plans in place to capture live prey as it really helps to ensure you have feeders when needed (as pet stores around here are often sold out of crickets and don't stock anything else). Only thing to watch out for is pesticide/chemical use as that can get on the flies and affect your mantid - I haven't had it happen in the last few years but is a possibility to watch out for (neighbors spraying gardens, city spraying for mosquitoes, etc. are the main concerns).

If you can get away with having cockroaches as feeders (with the Dubia species being the most common/prolific) that is the best solution in the long run and for the colder months. As they are breeding machines and easy to keep going, but is something my wife will not allow no matter what.

With crickets the other alternative, no matter what I've tried with crickets the best I've ever had was about a 25% boost of hatching nymphs to repopulate their tank no matter what I've done (I've read and tried many various things over the years). Anymore with crickets I just buy enough for a week and two, as breeding has been a waste of time. Some keepers have had luck with crickets, but it seems the majority don't like me.

 

[rudebega]

I'm gonna avoid roaches if I can. I'm with your wife on that one. There's a local pet store that stocks them for their beardies, though, so if needs must... uuuugh. The things I do for love. I'll see if I can stick to flies, crickets, and the occasional mealworm and wild-caught moth. Thank-you for the tip about pesticides! The city does spray for mosquitoes during the summer, so I'll have to be careful. It's good to know I can't over-feed them at this stage, at least, and watching them hunt is so awesome. 

 

[guapoalto049]

welcome!

 

[CosbyArt]

I'm gonna avoid roaches if I can. I'm with your wife on that one. There's a local pet store that stocks them for their beardies, though, so if needs must... uuuugh. The things I do for love. I'll see if I can stick to flies, crickets, and the occasional mealworm and wild-caught moth. Thank-you for the tip about pesticides! The city does spray for mosquitoes during the summer, so I'll have to be careful. It's good to know I can't over-feed them at this stage, at least, and watching them hunt is so awesome. 

Lol, I haven't fed roaches to any of my mantids so you can survive without them too.

They do go crazy for moths and butterflies, but I haven't had a single mantid eat a mealworm under any circumstance (cut, crushed, smeared on the mantid or offered from my fingers or thongs - not a single species or various sized mantid I've had did anything more than slap it away).

Glad you are enjoying your nymphs, have fun, and feel free to start a mantid thread of your own with photos of the nymphs as they progress (we all like photos).

 

[MantisGalore]

Hello