Mantid help please!

[Whatcamo]

Ok so I'm really wanting to get some mantids from Pssh but here's some answers I need answered first from all you mantis people haha!
1)When they hatch can I feed them pinheads (have thousands) or do they need to be fruit flies?
2) how long can they be housed together?
3) when they get bigger will they need separate enclosures? I have a 20g long aquarium that I could load with sticks and plants would that be sufficient to house a breading colony? Do the ooths have to go in. The fridge like silky eggs?
Anything that you could help me out with would be great please!!!!!!??????

 

[mychamtini112012]

I don't know about one or two. They will need separate containers if you decide to keep some as pets. They will climb the glass of your tank, I made that mistake. I didn't put mine in the fringe, just kept them in a tank at mid to high 70's.

 

[Solid Snake]

Ok so I'm really wanting to get some mantids from Pssh but here's some answers I need answered first from all you mantis people haha!
1)When they hatch can I feed them pinheads (have thousands) or do they need to be fruit flies?pinheads SHOULD work.
2) how long can they be housed together? Mine started cannibalizing each other after 2 days.
3) when they get bigger will they need separate enclosures? I have a 20g long aquarium that I could load with sticks and plants would that be sufficient to house a breading colony? Do the ooths have to go in. The fridge like silky eggs?
Anything that you could help me out with would be great please!!!!!!??????

They willl need to be housed independently from one another, or else they will eat each other.

The ooths can be stored in the fridge for quite some time is my understanding.

For sure have food ready for them. Mine hatched in 2 weeks.

If you look at my past threads, there should be pics of how I kept my ooth. I think it worked well, and would use the same technique again.

 

[Whatcamo]

So even in a fairly large tank with plenty of food roaming around and dense foliage they'd need to be housed individually ? How should that / easiest and cheapest way to be done?

 

[sandrachameleon]

Ok so I'm really wanting to get some mantids from Pssh but here's some answers I need answered first from all you mantis people haha!
1)When they hatch can I feed them pinheads (have thousands) or do they need to be fruit flies?
2) how long can they be housed together?
3) when they get bigger will they need separate enclosures? I have a 20g long aquarium that I could load with sticks and plants would that be sufficient to house a breading colony? Do the ooths have to go in. The fridge like silky eggs?
Anything that you could help me out with would be great please!!!!!!??????

I've fed pin heads to baby mantis before. They eat them up fine.
you can house them together forever, except that eventually you'll have only one LOL they will eat each other as happily as they will eat anything else. Keeping PLENTY of other stuff in there for them to eat at all times helps, but I usually end up with a 100 big jars and critter keepers and exoterras and fish tanks and.... The larger enclosures I have managed to keep 2 or 3 in for a long while, until maturity
I've never put mine in the fridge, but the room gets cold at night in winter.

 

[Solid Snake]

So even in a fairly large tank with plenty of food roaming around and dense foliage they'd need to be housed individually ? How should that / easiest and cheapest way to be done?

Deli cups, with cloth/paper towel over the top, held by a rubberband. That was suggested to me, and seems sound. I have only housed 5 of them, the rest free roam the cham room, and the rest of my house, getting bigger and bigger...

 

[Whatcamo]

Haha ok so do the ooths don't have to be refrigerated before they can hatch?
Do any of you bother dusting them?

 

[Solid Snake]

Haha ok so do the ooths don't have to be refrigerated before they can hatch?
Do any of you bother dusting them?

No, I dont dust treats. If they were to be used for babies, I guess I could see them being dusted maybe.

Refrigerating them keeps them from hatching.

Keeping them at about 80F and fairly humid triggers them to hatch

 

[Whatcamo]

Sweet thanks for the info

 

[pssh]

The other info is good. It's possible to keep them together for quite a while as long as you have PLENTY of room and places to hide/hang, TONS OF FOOD, and mist them at least once a day. As adults/sub-adults they need to be kept alone.

European mantid ooths tend to require a cold period, but mine have already been kept cold so it's not needed.

 

[Whatcamo]

Thanks for the input Pssh