Tenodera sinensis: My Very First Time Raising Nymphs!

[CosbyArt]

@Storm&bugfreak Your welcome, and glad to see things are going well.

The cardboard made habitats would be something that would be for a quick fix, as the cardboard would easily be damaged from misting, chewing insects getting in/out, and would likely turn into a paper mess (from frass, prey leftovers, cardboard mites, and related) rather quickly. If you did replace it was needed (likely 2-3 weeks) it would be a stop gap method, and spending time once on a plastic/glass habitat would save you much trouble.

I must admit I have seen cardboard used for breeding containers and similar before with good results, they were of course just a temporary housing for a specific purpose. Although if you were to treat the cardboard with layers of latex paint, thin layers of varnish, or such that would coat and harden the cardboard making it much sturdier - it might be a more permanent arrangement. Sounds like a project I should play around with when I get some free project time.

No problems there with PetSmart, a common supplier for those who need flies immediately or even have access to one. I can understand the shipping problem, a easy fix there would be to instruct your supplier to mark the package to be held at the post office for pickup (I've had it done before, and during times of excess cold/heat for better results than a mailbox (bug oven)). But of course if the shipper forgets to mark the hold at post office option even once, then you would be busted.

 

[Serle]

Greetings Everyone

I am in a little late on the thread , really exciting to hear about your first ooth.  Waiting for my first ootheca to arrive some time next week and am getting some banner ideas from reading about your hatch.

Cool Lifestyle ... Serle

 

[Storm&bugfreak]

Thank you Serle! Update on the hatch so far, I am now down to 4 tenoderas left.. I lost 3 due to them getting stuck in their skins while molting. The rest of them made it no problem and with no deformities. I figured out why I lost the 3 too.. I noticed their cages were drier than the others who successfully molted.. I realized that the newer containers I put them in had much more airflow so I had to increase moisture intake, which I believe saved me the 4 mantids. I am sad I lost 3, Kip, Io, and Zorro will be missed  But it's been so much easier taking care of just 4! And now that they're L3, I'm going to try and introduce them to small mealworms. I honestly may wait until they're L4 to do that. So far, Cagn, Jet, Zion, and Milo are living to see another day and here's to them making it all the way to adulthood! 

I'm not going to lie, these critters are molting real fast! My buddy who I gave a couple of nymphs to said his just now have molted to L2.. Mine have been L3 for almost 5 days now! With how quickly these fellas are growing, I would not be surprised if L4 is reached next week! I'm sure after that, their next molts will take longer to happen as I've heard when they're in the later stages, they sometimes take up to a month to molt again! I honestly think @Cosby that these guys (And/or girls) will reach adulthood in early February because they're molting a lot quicker than I thought. I seriously thought L2 wasn't going to be reached until late November and L3 by early to mid December.
I'll keep you all posted!

 

[CosbyArt]

@Storm&bugfreak Sorry to hear you lost several due to humidity, sadly it is that time of year too where it is a more common problem.

The molt to L2 only typically takes a week, so if your buddy's nymphs took longer it is likely a sign of cooler temperatures at his house and/or light feedings. Your nymphs should slow down on their molting as they advance, as the time between molts gets longer each time. Of course if they are kept warm, they will molt quicker than normal.

 

[Storm&bugfreak]

Cagn at L3  He's getting so healthy! I say he because I actually managed to clearly count his abdomen layers underneath and I counted 7! I'm going to wait until he, or it I should say it still, is L4 to be absolutely sure. It's starting to twitch again while staying still so I think he or she might be preparing to molt soon. Tomorrow, I think it'll start rejecting food.. and Since it molted last Sunday night (It rejected food the Friday before the Sunday it molted into L3) I believe a molt will happen around Tuesday night or sometime Wednesday. I can't believe how fast some of these guys are molting! I will say I have been keeping my room religiously at 75 degrees and have kept them under light, that gets decently warm I should add, at least 10-12 hours a day with the light off at night while I sleep (mainly so I can sleep lol.) So I'm not surprised that they've been molting quick compared to my buddy's who just keeps them in a bugarium in his spare bedroom.. His basement gets pretty cool too so I did tell him they'll take much longer to molt and grow.

More updates to come!

 

[Storm&bugfreak]

@CosbyArt Here's Milo, Mantis 0! All the other ones to let everyone else know have died from bad molts and one overly curious mantis hopping onto my space heater and literally frying its back legs, I eventually put him out of his misery  Milo has been introduced to nourished crickets and mealworms! Both of which he really enjoyed!

I just recently purchased another egg of the same species! I'm going to give this another try in the next month or two, this time with all of them in one cage until they're a bit older!

 

[CosbyArt]

@CosbyArt Here's Milo, Mantis 0! All the other ones to let everyone else know have died from bad molts and one overly curious mantis hopping onto my space heater and literally frying its back legs, I eventually put him out of his misery  Milo has been introduced to nourished crickets and mealworms! Both of which he really enjoyed!

I just recently purchased another egg of the same species! I'm going to give this another try in the next month or two, this time with all of them in one cage until they're a bit older!

Sadly that is common over the winter due to the extreme low humidity (from the heaters), and most of my newly hatched nymphs the other day didn't last long either (someone has been using the fireplace directly below my room and the humidity has been around 10-15% with catastrophic results to the new nymphs).

Glad to hear your trying again, and found ways to improve already. That is the great thing if you can control the outcome (humidity notwithstanding) you should have better results with each ooth.

 

[Teamonger]

@CosbyArt @Storm&bugfreak

Sad news all around  I was having the same issues with humidity in these winter months. It was a constant battle that was driving me crazy. To solve the issue I started googling and found out you can glue together a low cost fogger with a cheap humidifier and a bit of tubing. Now my issue is actually too much humidity at times and I'm still fine tuning the set up.

Here is the video (its a bit long, you'll likely want to skip ahead to the actual build description).





And this is the humidifer I picked up at walmart for about 30 dollars. I could not find this exact one on the US sites but there seem to be a few even cheaper options for you folks across the boarder.
http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/mainstays-22-l-ultrasonic-humidifier/6000196060666

 

[CosbyArt]

@Teamonger Ha, yeah I've seen that video multiple times and was the leaping point into my own automatic waterline fed humidifier and watering system project I've mentioned before for my new bug room. Thanks for posting the link for others though. Great to read you made something as well from it and are getting great results.

I got even more parts last week for my system ($300+ now..) and began setting it all up then the flu got me, and turned into bronchitis. I'm hoping soon to get back to work on the project now that I'm doing better, but it will be next week due to my day job/work.

Here is a peek at some of the parts, and those dang pluming parts range from $5 to $15 each which is why the crazy price. Well besides the obviously more expensive things like the water filtering system, a ultrasonic water fogger/humidifier (the heart of decent humidifiers) with float and replacement heads, the automatic humidity meter/controller, etc...

 

[cwebster]

Milo is lovely! We had our first pet mantises this year, also tenodora sinensis. I love them! Sadly only one remains, Minty Mantis, who I brought inside due to weather. Can't wait to get more eggs in the spring. They are so friendly and personable! Honey Mantis was tan with green eyes while Minty Mantis is all tan. 

 

[Storm&bugfreak]

Well bad news everyone... My very last nymph I had had to be left to rest  He molted fine into L7.. Perfect wing buds.. He did have a difficult time at first.. wouldn't eat for days.. I mean it took Milo 3 to 4 days before he was remotely interested in any feeders.. I tried meal worms, a couple house flies I found in my house, and crickets and no luck until day 4-ish when he finally ate a cricket that almost escaped his clutches.. He seemed weak too.. After finally eating a cricket or a meal worm every other day (That's another thing.. He would only eat every other day.) Anyways.. He recently formed a hole in his abdomen.. I guess a prolapse of some kind or an intestinal burst?? And today it was wide open and every time he breathed, you could see his organs pop out.. So I left him in an ice box and buried him.  @CosbyArt you have any idea what might have caused this? I have heard of rare occasions where mantids organs just explode.. I didn't overmist him or anything.. Gave him water whenever he needed it.. Kept in in temps 72 degrees or more with humidity between 30-50%.. Would push it to 70% whenever he was close to/during his molting. Used some soft-bark substrate.. I have no idea what caused this.. I have to guess an intestinal blockage of some kind?

Anyhow, the good news is, the egg I got online hatched a few days ago and I have a brand new batch of T. Sinensis nymphs! So far they're doing great.. Been keeping them together and plan to until they molt at least once or twice, then I'll separate! Only problems I've had with them is them escaping and getting caught behind the Styrofoam decord attached to one of the sides of the cage.. But most of them are still managing to stay out of there! Hopefully this is only a temporary issue until they molt and get a little bigger!

Also, @CosbyArt... any ideas on where I can buy large amounts of already hatched fruit flies?  I got two batches from PetsMart but they're both all empty now and a couple of my mantids are already eating eachother. :/ All the ones I could find online were cultures that had a waiting period on hatching.

 

[cwebster]

Congrats on your new nymphs! I get melanogaster fruit flies from petco here and mailorder hydei from Rainbow Mealworms online then culture my flies. I also get pinhead crickets from Rainbow Mealworms. They are great. Just make sure to make your own fly cultures right away from some of the flies and every few weeks...that way you never run out. You can buy fly culture medium, mix it in deli cups, and throw in some excelsior. 

 

[CosbyArt]

Well bad news everyone... My very last nymph I had had to be left to rest  He molted fine into L7.. Perfect wing buds.. He did have a difficult time at first.. wouldn't eat for days.. I mean it took Milo 3 to 4 days before he was remotely interested in any feeders.. I tried meal worms, a couple house flies I found in my house, and crickets and no luck until day 4-ish when he finally ate a cricket that almost escaped his clutches.. He seemed weak too.. After finally eating a cricket or a meal worm every other day (That's another thing.. He would only eat every other day.) Anyways.. He recently formed a hole in his abdomen.. I guess a prolapse of some kind or an intestinal burst?? And today it was wide open and every time he breathed, you could see his organs pop out.. So I left him in an ice box and buried him.  @CosbyArt you have any idea what might have caused this? I have heard of rare occasions where mantids organs just explode.. I didn't overmist him or anything.. Gave him water whenever he needed it.. Kept in in temps 72 degrees or more with humidity between 30-50%.. Would push it to 70% whenever he was close to/during his molting. Used some soft-bark substrate.. I have no idea what caused this.. I have to guess an intestinal blockage of some kind?

Anyhow, the good news is, the egg I got online hatched a few days ago and I have a brand new batch of T. Sinensis nymphs! So far they're doing great.. Been keeping them together and plan to until they molt at least once or twice, then I'll separate! Only problems I've had with them is them escaping and getting caught behind the Styrofoam decord attached to one of the sides of the cage.. But most of them are still managing to stay out of there! Hopefully this is only a temporary issue until they molt and get a little bigger!

Also, @CosbyArt... any ideas on where I can buy large amounts of already hatched fruit flies?  I got two batches from PetsMart but they're both all empty now and a couple of my mantids are already eating eachother. :/ All the ones I could find online were cultures that had a waiting period on hatching.

My male mantids as they age normally start to eat less, and as adults tend to eat once a week (sometimes every two weeks) even when offered prey every other day. The hole in the abdomen could have been a puncture from a sharp or pointed object in the habitat as well. Indeed if there was a internal blockage or other issue it could have developed into the resulting hole from a rupture  from the blockage or a bacterial infection.

Glad to hear your new ooth hatched, always nice to have lots of babies running around.

Actually for Melanogaster fruit flies I do know where to buy adults at and in bulk too. Chuck at SpiderPharm sells FF pupae, which hatch out flies in about 2 days - I've had nothing but great service when I bought from him too. The only other option is to order fruit fly cultures online that are producing; however, to be honest I've never had any luck getting live flies delivered, larvae/maggots and eggs sure, but few flies.

 

[Storm&bugfreak]

@Teamonger Ha, yeah I've seen that video multiple times and was the leaping point into my own automatic waterline fed humidifier and watering system project I've mentioned before for my new bug room. Thanks for posting the link for others though. Great to read you made something as well from it and are getting great results.

I got even more parts last week for my system ($300+ now..) and began setting it all up then the flu got me, and turned into bronchitis. I'm hoping soon to get back to work on the project now that I'm doing better, but it will be next week due to my day job/work.

Here is a peek at some of the parts, and those dang pluming parts range from $5 to $15 each which is why the crazy price. Well besides the obviously more expensive things like the water filtering system, a ultrasonic water fogger/humidifier (the heart of decent humidifiers) with float and replacement heads, the automatic humidity meter/controller, etc...

View attachment 8569

Woah @CosbyArt I didn't see this until just now! You went all out that's awesome!  Unfortunately I can't spend too much money on these little critters as I have my storm-tracking hobby as well that costs a good deal of money already.. So I go simple and cheap and use a spray bottle and keep my little humidifier next to the cages!

 

My male mantids as they age normally start to eat less, and as adults tend to eat once a week (sometimes every two weeks) even when offered prey every other day. The hole in the abdomen could have been a puncture from a sharp or pointed object in the habitat as well. Indeed if there was a internal blockage or other issue it could have developed into the resulting hole from a rupture  from the blockage or a bacterial infection.

Glad to hear your new ooth hatched, always nice to have lots of babies running around.

Actually for Melanogaster fruit flies I do know where to buy adults at and in bulk too. Chuck at SpiderPharm sells FF pupae, which hatch out flies in about 2 days - I've had nothing but great service when I bought from him too. The only other option is to order fruit fly cultures online that are producing; however, to be honest I've never had any luck getting live flies delivered, larvae/maggots and eggs sure, but few flies.

And that makes sense.. I was wondering if it was to do with him being a male as I've heard males eat a lot less when they get older.. I just though the lack of eating part didn't occur until adult-hood when they're in mate-searching mode. It was making me worry! And as for Milo, his cage did have a good deal of grit and grime left on the sides from water drying off and mantis waste being deposited on the sides.. I cleaned it out a couple of times, but the last few weeks I haven't had the time to clean it much with work, school, and my storm-tracking job on the side as well.. So I guess he may have just drank bad water some time ago.. Got a gut infection and it blocked him up causing his side to get a hole in it.. I wonder if fungus might have been the culprit too as the cage, like I said, had a lot of grime and whatnot on the sides. I tell you what, raising these buggers is a lot more difficult than I thought! Definitely a time and energy consuming hobby!

And thank you all for the congrats on the latest hatch! I think after this next round, I'm going to start looking for other species such as giant asian, giant african, or some other giant species to keep.. Probably going to steer away from the raise from hatching part and just start buying live nymphs online when the warmer weather moves back in.. then wait until summer to find some of the native/naturalized ones in my local area!

 

 

[Storm&bugfreak]

Also, thank you CosbyArt for the tips on getting fruit fly feeders! I'll definitely check that site out!

 

[CosbyArt]

Woah @CosbyArt I didn't see this until just now! You went all out that's awesome!  Unfortunately I can't spend too much money on these little critters as I have my storm-tracking hobby as well that costs a good deal of money already.. So I go simple and cheap and use a spray bottle and keep my little humidifier next to the cages!

And that makes sense.. I was wondering if it was to do with him being a male as I've heard males eat a lot less when they get older.. I just though the lack of eating part didn't occur until adult-hood when they're in mate-searching mode. It was making me worry! And as for Milo, his cage did have a good deal of grit and grime left on the sides from water drying off and mantis waste being deposited on the sides.. I cleaned it out a couple of times, but the last few weeks I haven't had the time to clean it much with work, school, and my storm-tracking job on the side as well.. So I guess he may have just drank bad water some time ago.. Got a gut infection and it blocked him up causing his side to get a hole in it.. I wonder if fungus might have been the culprit too as the cage, like I said, had a lot of grime and whatnot on the sides. I tell you what, raising these buggers is a lot more difficult than I thought! Definitely a time and energy consuming hobby!

And thank you all for the congrats on the latest hatch! I think after this next round, I'm going to start looking for other species such as giant asian, giant african, or some other giant species to keep.. Probably going to steer away from the raise from hatching part and just start buying live nymphs online when the warmer weather moves back in.. then wait until summer to find some of the native/naturalized ones in my local area!

Thanks, I figured it would be well worth the effort and expense once it is up and running (no worries of habitats drying out or over saturated). At the moment I am waiting for one more part and should have it finally turned on and running. I did the same for awhile with a cheap spray bottle, but recommend a pump sprayer as it gives a finer mist and less messy.

For sprayers some have luck with this type and is usually around $5, but I found the 1-gallon is easier/lasts longer/and holds a entire jug of water and is often on sale for $5 too.

Also, thank you CosbyArt for the tips on getting fruit fly feeders! I'll definitely check that site out!

Your welcome. They will come in a small bag, and are like tiny houseflies/bottle fly pupae bought too, just place in a container at room temperature and they emerge.

 

[Teamonger]

For pump sprayers with that desirable fine mist you can also pick up smaller cheap ones from dollar stores or Walmart that are supposed to be for women to put their hairspray and the like in for traveling. I have a tiny "hair spray" bottle I picked up for like 2 bucks in a little travel pack at the dollar store.

https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=travel%20spray%20bottle&typeahead=travel%20spra

I have one of these little portable ones to use on my current desk pet at work in his tiny enclosure.

The one CosyArt linked looks like a bruiser, that is a nice massive one. That seems like a very nice alternative to the cool mist humidifiers.

 

[CosbyArt]

...

The one CosyArt linked looks like a bruiser, that is a nice massive one. That seems like a very nice alternative to the cool mist humidifiers.

Haha, you should see one in real life then. Size wise it is nothing more than a 1 gallon water/milk jug with a hose, and same weight if filled completely 8 pounds - but it works just as well half filled which then weighs about 4 pounds, or a quarter filled at 2 pounds if needed. The sprayer does great even with a few ounces of water as it nearly empties the tank completely before I have to refill it.

I guess for some it still may be a bit much though and if that is the case the other linked to in my comment is used - then again with the 3' wand the tank can be sat nearby and only the wand has to moved around depending on the habitat setups. Typically the commercial grade sprayers start at 5 gallons or more (the 1 gallon is aimed more at home use), and those 5 gallon or more models I agree would be too much for about anyone to lug around a bug room.

Indeed the cheap spray bottles do work as you linked to but the difference in quality, ease of use, spray given (adjustable patterns too), amount of water held, and other bonuses make it much better for those serious about the hobby or have many mantids to take care of for only about $5-$10.

 

[Jessie]

Luckily in my kit i got since i thought that would be the best bet since its my first. Everything comes with it,i am gonna use a paper towel instead of dirt tho and a stick it came with.