Some help neded in prep for nymph's

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Hi, I am verry new to this hobby and this is my first post. I have a florida bark mantis ooth which i found in our pile of junk wood i have read lots of threds on nymph care. I've got a deli cup i've been misting and keeping it warm and soon i will be getting fruit flies cultures. Just wondering what is the foam people put in the sides of the containers ? And any other help full tips would be greatly appreciated!!!!!

 

[Katnapper]

Hi Chase, and welcome to the forum. Some people put holes with foam plugs in the containers to easier facilitate feeding and misting. When opening a smaller hole in the container, you have less chance of escapees (mantis nymphs and/or the fruit fly feeders) when transferring the fruit flies into the container or misting.

But on the negative (for me) side, you also have to use a funnel or otherwise figure out how to get the food in through the smaller hole. I've tried the holes with the foam, and for me it's easier just to open the lid. You can try the holes with foam... it's whatever works for you.

 

[Andredesz]

Hi, I am verry new to this hobby and this is my first post. I have a florida bark mantis ooth which i found in our pile of junk wood i have read lots of threds on nymph care. I've got a deli cup i've been misting and keeping it warm and soon i will be getting fruit flies cultures. Just wondering what is the foam people put in the sides of the containers ? And any other help full tips would be greatly appreciated!!!!!

Hi Chase,

First of all welcome to the board and the hobby! I am fairly new as well. I use MantisPlace for things like humidity foam and the foam plugs already mentioned. This store has a nice supply of tools and things that come in handy when hatching little manties. Here is a link to the page I have bookmarked. MantisPlace-General Supplies This store is run by hibiscusmile here on the boards. She also sells nymphs ans ooths, and she's very nice. I would recommend the excelsior, it's like thin strips of bark that give the tiny nymphs many places to perch within one cup. I have attached a picture of the mantis nursery she sells that I think are ideal for someone who finds themselves with an ootheca.

Good luck to you and your bark mantises!

Carol A

 

[Rick]

There are many ways of doing it. I do not recommend the container slammed full of excelsior. Use a little but don't cram it in there. The deli cup with the foam blocked hole works well for nymphs but I don't hatch ooths in them. I use larger containers like the size in the picture somebody posted. The plugs are just fruit fly vial plugs.

 

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They have Hatched!!!!!!!!

Luckely i have set up furit fly traps in advance and have deli cups with cheese cloth sucerly hot guled to the top of the contaner and have a few sticks in there so far there are 28 nymphs!!!!!! but i know that there could be a few straglers i am verry excited. Have allready split them in to two equal groups and put in some ff's in I am going to mantis place to get other supplies.

 

[Dinora]

Hi Chase,First of all welcome to the board and the hobby! I am fairly new as well. I use MantisPlace for things like humidity foam and the foam plugs already mentioned. This store has a nice supply of tools and things that come in handy when hatching little manties. Here is a link to the page I have bookmarked. MantisPlace-General Supplies This store is run by hibiscusmile here on the boards. She also sells nymphs ans ooths, and she's very nice. I would recommend the excelsior, it's like thin strips of bark that give the tiny nymphs many places to perch within one cup. I have attached a picture of the mantis nursery she sells that I think are ideal for someone who finds themselves with an ootheca.

Yes! Rebecca (hibiscusmile) is the bestest!!! :lol:

 

[hibiscusmile]

Thanks guys, u's are great, Chase great thing to have all them babies running around, this is the best time with them , while they are little! Mist them twice a day with warm distilled water, really warm water, if u try spraying it on the inside of your arm on the soft part by your el bow, u will find the water even really warm leaning to hot, is still pretty cool when it finally comes out, and I like to give the babies and even the bigger ones a nice warm drink! Also feed them a good helping of ffs every day, it won't hurt em, it won't hurt em at all

 

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Well the count gone up to 29 and today all i did was make mantis houses each has a nice stick and lid with cheese cloth hot glued to the top.

I have a few questions

1.When will they start eating (supplies firm mantisplace should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday)?

2.How do you mist do you mist each mantis or just splay above all of there cages?

3.Is the standing water a problem (it is a mist on the side of the cage)?

4 How long till they start molting?

Will try to post pictures

 

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The baby

 

[hibiscusmile]

ha ha ha, he is so cute, with his little fat head!

Just spray the enclosure and getting some on him won't hurt him at all, he will lick it up.

The standing water should not be much, depending on how u spray, try not to leave big puddles in the bottom, I use my forcepts with a piece of tolit paper to dab the bottom if too much water is in there, it is likeanother hand, my forcepts I mean. And afterhatching most molt within 10 days.

 

[Dinora]

OMGoodness!!! It's so cute!!!

I envy you, I don't think I've ever even seen a mantis in my area. Once I did in a nearby city, Pasadena, but not where I live.

 

[Katnapper]

Your baby IS really cute, Chase... x 29!

 

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The stuff arrived today it got here so fast and everything was alive even got a mystery matins(thank you Rebecca) A+++++ I know now that mantisplace is the best place for mantis stuff on the Internet .

Will try feeding will they be eating at 3 days?

 

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The stuff arrived today it got here so fast and everything was alive even got a mystery matins(thank you Rebecca) A+++++ I know now that mantisplace is the best place for mantis stuff on the Internet .

Will try feeding will they be eating at 3 days?

 

[Katnapper]

The stuff arrived today it got here so fast and everything was alive even got a mystery matins(thank you Rebecca) A+++++ I know now that mantisplace is the best place for mantis stuff on the Internet . Will try feeding will they be eating at 3 days?

They should start eating around the second day. Have fun with your new babies!

 

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I had lots of fun feeding all of the babies most ate but some refused . I am really enjoying the new hobby. Now i just need to think up 30 names!!!!

 

[nasty bugger]

I don't think the mantis' will drown if you don't get real sloppy with the water, but I had some crickets just walk right into a puddle, very small puddle of a couple drops of water that was condensed on the side of the bag they were in, that ran down the bag and formed a large drop. Stupid crickets walked in and drowned, in one big drop of water... I don't think the fruitflies do that, but I don't know.

I had one mantis climb on my hand when I wasn't looking at feeding. When I got done I went in to wash my hands and the mantis was in the bottom of the sink looking drowned and like a limp rag doll. I took him into the area where I keep them and put him on a towel to dry, he looked dead and I thought he was, when I came back later he was sitting there upright like nothing happened, so they can take a good wetting, as long as they get out of it and dry, sometimes.

I'm new to this also, but I usually mist two or three squirts into the jars I have, maybe only one if I have stupid crickets in there, which is rare. I then moisten the top when I get down. People here have said they think that'll cut off air, but as dry as it is here I think it dries so fast that they would never even know the difference.

I do think though, that if I had a plug in the side that air could come through, as well as through the top, and then I'd keep the top moist more when it appears close to molting, so molts go easy on the guys.

I don't use the deli container for my mantis', except one. I may go to them though for ease all the way around.

I put some air plants in a couple containers this morning, and I'll see how they like them. So far the one seems to like it, and I think the fruitflies hide in between the leaves or fronds or whatever they are.

 

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Ive also have a few little air plants in there for them not all of them but a few they seem to like it and enjoy hanging on it (or they just want to be closer to the top).My most recent thought is should they be getting sun light? Temporally they have been living on our kitchen table a perfect place with tuns of sun but my parents are over that and are demanding a location change. I have a few places in mind but the issue of sunlight Will narrow it down to one. I Mean in the other locations they would only got light bulb light.