no chinese mantids :(

i have ordered 3 chinese mantids nymphs (from eBay...i know...bad...) and for some reason, through all my googling and forum searching, cannot find a detailed caresheet for these guys. its probably because they are so common and they are bought for pest controll in america, but there should be a good caresheet somewhere....
MIKE!!!

I've had better luck with the exotics than I have with the "established" species . . .

Give them something to hang from during molts with at least 3x body distance to the ground . . .
Ventilation is more important than humidity (but I've lost some to molts when it was too dry . . .
Don't overfeed (fat mantis = on a diet) . . .
Um, that's all I can really suggest.

If you mist they'll drink the droplets. I've gotten them to drink from a spoon before.

cool! where did you get 'em jordan?

i think it was from flee-bay lol!!!

When i had my mantis, I got one of those exo-terra jungle vines, bent it like mad into what looked like a tangled mess and it was happy as a pig in the proverbial!
Had a couple of plants hanging from the sides too.

Used to give it a spray if it looked a bit dry. Used that forest bed stuff for substrate.

were they chinese ones?
i will have 2 of mine in 2.5gallon plastic terraniums (dont worry, there wont be in the same one) with fine mesh on the lid so they dont get out and the other one will be in a 30 x 30 x 30 flexarium.
i cant wait!!!

yeah i think it was a chinese mantid... looks the same

well i dont have a clue what im doing so they have got some sticks with silk leaves tied to them.
enough room to moult until about 5i.
woodchips as substrate.
i will mist em 3 times a week.
i will feed em fruit flys because they are small and locusts, flies, and mealworms when they get bigger

They're actually pretty easy, just give them a bunch of stuff to climb on and to molt from.

great! thats basically what ive done!

YAY!! there being sent by next day delivery on thursday so i should have the little babies by friday!!!
one of the cute lil' guys:

more pics coming when they arrive!!!

im not getting them... .... the guy emailed me and told me that they they all had bad moults and were damaged so he wasnt going to send them, but there is good news... he has replaced them with peacock mantids!!!! yay!!!

I have no idea what species that would be . . .

Pseudempusa pinnapavonis - peacock mantis.

Even better...

peacocks mantids are kool but they look like any other, until adulthood that is lol

personally i like orchid manitds

lycanlord19 wrote:

peacocks mantids are kool but they look like any other, until adulthood that is lol

personally i like orchid manitds

I admit Orchids are probably the most beautiful, but I don't like them. I prefer a normal Chinese mantid over some orchid ot leaf ones... I want a weird bug, not a plant.

^ exactly, thats why i chose chinese over orchids, peacocks and flower mantids assuming they would be more active hunters and not just hide when you disturb em.
the peacock mantids are worth 5x more but the guy gave me them free with my money back (only 7.50)!!! he said he will be paying for postage and packing aswell!!! definately be buying from him again, if only he had a website.

lol, a plant.

I am from China.If U like ,I can take eggs for you.

august of last year unfortunately lol.
suppose an update is in order... 2 survived till sub adult, a male and a female but the female died mid molt
i got the male to display a few times and got some good photos but lost them in an emergency reboot. i read that they live at the most 2-3 months after adult. well here we are 9 months on from him molting to adult and he is still going! must be some kind of record lol!
can you send oothecas to England? i would love to try again with mantids!
btw i did get two Chinese mantid oothecas but unfortunately all 200+ babies hatched while i was on holiday for 2 weeks and all but a few dehydrated and died and the remainder died shortly after