She is here!! :D (i think its a she!!)

[Summers]

Hi all,

Got my mantid today! (thanks ian).

I think its a she coz i can only count 5/6 segmends and she(?) has a fairly wide abdomen.

I got her out the box and was all she is tiny at the mo, although she must of moulted on the way there was another perfectly formed mantid in there

She is jus having breakfast as the mo in the form of small crickets. I didnt realise how small she was till i got her so i had to rush out and make her a new enclosure! I have pics of the one i originally had but i think i will wait till she grows into it!! otherwise i will never find her lol.

Here she is:-

Her Munching:-

New Enclosure! :-

Her one for when she gets MUCH bigger!! :-

 

[Rick]

Looks good and looks like you have good setups. Only thing I am concerned about is the vertical height in the small enclosure with the green mesh. I can't see her in there so I can't tell how much space there is. They need plenty of space to molt.

 

[Summers]

i hadnt put her in there at that point she was still eating so i left her in the cup she came in. If you see the leaf in plastic container she is about 3/4 the size of that she has a good amount of room to moult. I know the pics arnt the best but can u tell if she is infact a she?

Thanks

Make that 1/2 the size of the leaf! I jus checked!

I will also be putting down the same moss stuff in the bigger one but will leave that until she grows.

 

[Rick]

She should be fine for one or two molts in there. It does appear to be a she. Hard to say without seeing her in person. But at her size it can be hard to tell even though on these they are large for their size. Looks like you want with the spaghnum moss?

 

[Summers]

Thats good, it will be her home for a while then! 4 now i will probably put the smaller one into the bigger enclosure. I have a heat mat underneath so it will add a bit more warth as the temperature here now is steadily dropping I can count 5/6 but i guess i can get a more possitive ID when she next moults.

Yeah thats right, it was the most suitable moss type substance i could find in my local pet shops.

 

[Rick]

That moss is the best to use IMO. I don't use heat mats but from what I hear it gets colder where you are so that is better to use than say a heat lamp which would dry the air out too much.

 

[Summers]

Yeah it does get quite cold in the winter in the good ole UK :? Yeah i thougth the mat would be better. has a look around and only got a small one. keeps the big enclosure at 23/24 degrees constantly.

 

[MantisDude15]

hey congrats, i cant see the pics cuz im at school, but ill look when i get home. i didnt catch what species she? was. i just got a budwing and a grandis nymphs are cool arent they?

 

[Summers]

Thanks mantisdude

She is a Giant Asian Mantis. They are really cool! ive been wanting one for a while but last week i thought i will jus go for it!! How long you had yours for?

 

[Rick]

Do remember they get quite large and a gravid female will have a huge appetite.

 

[MantisDude15]

yea i have a giant asain too (grandis) she just molted like 3 days ago, she almost doubled in size! they do get really big. ive ahd mine since last wednesday

 

[Summers]

excellent! I got mine 2 days ago!! She moulted on the way to me so im not sure how long it will be till her next one. How big is ur one now?

 

[Summers]

Do remember they get quite large and a gravid female will have a huge appetite.

Yeah, the females are larger than the males arnt they? and this species is one of the largets you can get 2 ive heard. There is a local pet shop about 10/15mins walk from mine who are open everyday and stock everything from small crickets to large locusts and crickets so if i do find she eats loads then i can jus pop out and get some more

 

[Rick]

Do remember they get quite large and a gravid female will have a huge appetite.

Yeah, the females are larger than the males arnt they? and this species is one of the largets you can get 2 ive heard. There is a local pet shop about 10/15mins walk from mine who are open everyday and stock everything from small crickets to large locusts and crickets so if i do find she eats loads then i can jus pop out and get some more

Not always longer than the males but as in most mantids they females are built much more heavier.

 

[skinnylegs]

nice house phone :wink: