Woohoo just brought home some babies!

[macawlover2]

So in the entomology building at school, I noticed last week a mesh cage FILLED with probably 300+ day-old mantids! I hunted down the professor and talked to her, and she said all her class was studying was how they hatched. So... she was going to leave them all in the mesh cage together until either they all died from eating each other or by getting eaten by the new bugs they're apparently putting in there soon. I offered to bring them home and she said I could take as many as I wanted! By the time I talked to her (yesterday), most of the mantids had already died from cannibalism or starvation as she wasn't feeding them anything.

I think I grabbed around 20 of them, and I plan on grabbing more tomorrow when I go back. I want to save as many as I can, haha! I'm pretty sure they're chinese mantids, but I'm not sure. Here's a picture I took of one last night on my boyfriend's finger:

So wish me luck! I can't wait to raise another batch of mantids! My old ones from Rebecca look HUGE compared to these.

And boy were they HUNGRY! Started gobbling up ff's immediately.

 

[Marianna]

I'm so glad there was a semi-happy ending to this! You are their knight in shining armor!!! I have a chinese mantid, so I'm especially happy you came to their little rescue!!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Great job!!! very nice of you to save them that way, just because Chinese are very common doesn't mean there not a cool species, I have almost always had some around.

 

[hibiscusmile]

gotta lov em!

 

[cuervo]

Goooooooooood luck and go save them :clap:

 

[warpdrive]

what a great jesture.

if you run out of room, I'm sure I can find a place for some.

Harry

 

[hierodula]

MacawLover 2 the rescue!!! :lol: Its great that your saving those poor babies.

 

[ismart]

Thats weak! I understand all they were studying was how they hatch, but just to let them starve like that is not right either! :angry: The professor should have at least found a sutible place to set them free!

 

[macawlover2]

I agree, the campus is large so you'd think that the professor would put some effort into freeing them... I grabbed 30 more yesterday, and have arranged quite a few homes already for them. So it's a happy ending for most of the little guys!

 

[hibiscusmile]

If you can try to give the ones left there water, makes me wanna cry and slap someone! :angry: Also, don't they haave fruitflies at that school?

 

[dgerndt]

That's ridiculous! That makes me seriously angry that she would just let them die off like that!! I understand that most people don't really like bugs, and think of them as "just bugs", but they're still living things! Who is really THAT lazy that they can't go outside and dump out a net cube?!

Anyway, I'm glad you were able to save some of them. Good luck! I love Chinese, as well. I have a few right now.

 

[macawlover2]

Sorry to bump this topic up again...

Last week I was able to save about 30 overall, and quite a few are already in new homes (including my boyfriend as I've hooked him into liking mantids). I went back to the cage at college today and the professor had already put the new bug species in there: a bunch of mosquitoes. Ick. Quite a few mantids were still in there They have water at least, so hopefully they can survive until this experiment is over. I would have saved some but the cage door was sealed for good to make sure none of the mosquitoes escape.

Anyway, my boyfriend texted me tonight all excited and said: "I just walked into my room and a mantid had just shed! I'm so proud of him" He took 6, and all are doing great.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Yr boyfriend sounds like a keeper!

 

[ismart]

Mosquitoes = Mantis food! An L1 chinese can take down mosquitoes.

 

[dgerndt]

Haha, that's what I was thinking, ismart! :lol:

I wish my boyfriend would get into mantids... <_<

 

[macawlover2]

You are completely right, ismart! The remaining mantids at college are as happy as can be with those mosquitoes. Most have become L2, and I saw a lot of them chowing on those little pests (the mosquitoes, not other mantids lol)

I'm still not sure if the professor put the mosquitoes in there purposefully as mantis food or for another experiment for her entomology class...

 

[hibiscusmile]

wont hurt to ask her!

 

[lancaster1313]

Haha, that's what I was thinking, ismart! :lol:

I wish my boyfriend would get into mantids... <_<

My husband was tired of the bugs after a few minutes. <_< It is funny that when I sent him a pic of my first mantis, he texted "Bring it home!" :lol:

 

[Mr.Mantid]

I am curious to see how the remaining mantises will do with the mosquitios in there :rockon: