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Mieske

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Sep 23, 2016
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Location
Guthrie, Oklahoma
As some know, I've had the pleasure of watching a Female Carolina hanging around my front door for 3 weeks now. Last week she moved to the bushes next to my front door. She's pregnant.

The Question: I've never touched her before. I've let her be free. The weather is getting colder at night though. (in the 50's now). Is it safe to pick her up without getting bit? Will she try to bite?

I was going to let her remain free, but I've been thinking lately I'd like to bring her in and keep her alive. I could capture some moths from an unlimited supply it seems. Day time we have webworms that come in droves to our front porch. Then at night, we have hundreds of moths.

Sorry, I'm new to all this :)

 
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That's awesome that you have gotten to study her and you'll learn a lot more after bringing her in! You don't have to worry about her biting you! I would just put your hand in front of her and see if she will climb up on you. If that doesn't work, then I would slowly move your hand under her until she starts walking on you. Like kinda forcing her to walk on you. 

Never grab a mantis, that's the quickest way to see them freak out! Good luck!

 
Thanks for responding. I was going to go try now, but I'll wait till morning. There's a wasp out there and I'm not trying to fuss with it... What is it with my front door and it bringing all the insects to it? lol

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A mantis biting is really rare but I have heard of it happening once. ;)

Usually if they are scared they will flair up in a threat display and smack at you with her raptorial forearms. Typically though even wild mantises will be interested in you and walk onto your hand; however, if you are scared of her and may drop her or move your hand suddenly when she walks on I'd advise against it as either would badly injury her.

I would suggest using a stick or dowel rod and coaxing her onto that, which she will grip to and hang on too. Then you are free to place her in a container and take her inside. :)

 
Well, I got up and wanted to find some kind of container. Couldn't find anything until I got an idea to be crafty. :D It's 61/2 inch tall and 3 1/2 inch wide. Is this suitable? Do I put dirt in it or just some branches?

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That looks great! No need for dirt, a paper towel will work nicely for substrate. Will keep moisture in and she can drink off of it if she wants.

Put some sticks in and maybe a clipping of a shrub that will give some green for a while. I like to make the enclosure as natural as possible, but have fun with it! :)

What color is she?

 
She's gray with a little red on the wings... I think it's her wings... I'll get a better picture of her red a little later.

I put a coffee filter at the bottom and stuck a fake green plant at bottom. I'm collecting sticks now.

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She'll be fine with the torn wing, females commonly don't fly. Maybe you'll get lucky and she'll leave you an ootheca as reward for taking her in. ;)  

 
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That would be nice. I live in Oklahoma. It was a pretty humid summer here. But it's fall and the low was 50 degrees last night. Should get up to 75 today. I put a couple of small moths in the jar. The jar is on my windowsill in my room upstairs. Not sure about humidity or if Carolinas need it. Right now it's 68 in my house. We haven't fired up the heaters this year just yet. Not sure what else to do. Do I tare a piece of paper towel, get it wet and drop it in?

 
Just mimic your spring/summer temps and you should be fine. room temp for her is good.

For humidity a paper towel damp will work, personally I wouldnt worry too much about it since she's already an adult and will no longer molt. If anything offer a drink (misting) daily or everyother.

I use regular dirt with my mantids that I keep and it works fine.

 
To give her drinking water I would buy a small spray bottle and just mist her daily or every other day. :)

 
Glad you found her in time. :D Indeed the wing is no issue, and likely caused from mating or even a bird attack - I've found several with missing limbs or wing issues in the wild.

I've done the same to old screens in the basement for my various bugs. The only problem though is aluminum can be rough on their feet/tarsi and can lead to broken ones, as the aluminum does not give any (no flexibility). I've even had a mantis that would occasionally get it's raptorial forearms stuck in aluminum screen trying to catch it's prey. The standard fiberglass/plastic screen works better for gripping, and without the mantis damage, if you can find a piece of that. Though the screen tends to be more of a problem for mantises nearly the end of their lifespans.

As your mantis is female she will be laying ooths soon (they lay ooths mated or not, but she is most likely mated), my Carolina's prefer to lay their ooths on the screen mesh between sticks. When she gets gravid (pregnant) and if she doesn't lay the ooth after a week or two, you may need to transfer her to a bigger container with more sticks so she can find a place to lay it. Some females are rather picky where they lay their ooths, and want more potential locations.

Regarding the container the height is good, but the width should be wider. The basic rule is the container should be 3 times taller than the length of the mantis, and 2 times wider then the mantis length. Which translates to 7" tall and 5" wide roughly, but adults don't need all the height as they will no longer molt, but I find more extra width essential for females to lay ooths.

As she is in a small jar with no cross ventilation, you should mist her twice a week (or every other day at most) with room temperature water. In this case, less is better, as it will prevent any mold problems, and mantises get their water needs from the prey they eat. A cheap $1 spray bottle will work great, just give it a few squirts - ideally you want the water to evaporate within 30 minutes or less once it is sprayed. So just adjust your watering amount until you find the right amount for her habitat.

Spring water is typically used for misting to prevent calcium deposits on the container sides; however, tap water should be fine it just may make the container dirty.

Heat wise 68F is a bit cold, but should be fine Carolina's aren't overly picky. If you want you can use a lamp with a incandescent bulb (anything not LED/fluorescent) to give her a bit more warmth during the day. Shoot for around 75F if you do give her heat, and she will be more active too. ;)

Edit - Here is a care sheet for Carolina mantises.

 
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I'm geeking out! Lol... I know it's nothing new to you guys but it's exciting for me as it's the first mating I'm experiencing! I got so lucky finding that male tonight!!! They've been at it for around 2 hours now!!! OK, I'll calm down now :D

 
I'm geeking out! Lol... I know it's nothing new to you guys but it's exciting for me as it's the first mating I'm experiencing! I got so lucky finding that male tonight!!! They've been at it for around 2 hours now!!! OK, I'll calm down now :D
I'm sure you meant for this to be in your other post. No worries though, we all still find it fun and exciting too, otherwise we won't bother with it all. :D Congrats though on finding/capturing him, and hopefully your girl lays plenty of fertile ooths.
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