Hey guys, new poster here. I found a small Mantid out in my backyard and decided to keep him for a while. I bought a small plastic fish tank and put some branches in there with a few leaves on them and put him in. He seems to hang upside down most of the time on tank and has only hung out on the branches a few times. My problem now is that I decided to buy him some fruit flies to eat since I never know when I am going to be able to catch a fly for him, but he doesn't seem to be interested in eating them. I didn't think they would be so small either. I bought the D. Hydei because they said they were the biggest ones that they had, but when they came in the mail they seem more like fat gnats. Do they get any bigger? My Mantid seems to love house flies and usually has them eaten within a few minutes of introducing them into the tank, but he seems more irritated with the fruit flies than hungry for them.
Also Ive noticed that he has been starting to turn really brown. Is he getting ready to molt? Im just worried that he might be sick. I'm not sure what species he is really, but I have included a picture of him eating a fly in the window. Sometimes I let him set in the window for a while and he seems to really enjoy sitting there and looking outside. So much so that its really hard to get him back in the tank because he will keep crawling up my arm to avoid it lol.
Also Ive noticed that he has been starting to turn really brown. Is he getting ready to molt? Im just worried that he might be sick. I'm not sure what species he is really, but I have included a picture of him eating a fly in the window. Sometimes I let him set in the window for a while and he seems to really enjoy sitting there and looking outside. So much so that its really hard to get him back in the tank because he will keep crawling up my arm to avoid it lol.
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