Mantises are going crazy!!
- Thread starter kpritch17
- Start date
radstusky
Avid Member
I also bought a couple of ooths last month and one of them has started hatching. I hung one in his cage and saw a couple of the mantids there so I moved it. Since then however I have only seen one or two more hatch out. I have fruit flies on hand, but haven't actually been able to see it eat one yet. Honestly the fruit flies look pretty big for the little mantid! I have lots of cups full of excelsior so I am ready to grow these guys up. I thought that they would be hatching out faster once they got started, but it's been a few days now.
draetish
Avid Member
Up your temp to about 80. I kept a basking light on the ooth till it hatched and when it did it was raining mantids.
kpritch17
New Member
I bought 4 FF cultures and just transferred one of them into 6 different smaller cultures so I should have a ton in a couple weeks
Right now one ooth is in a small screen enclosure and the other is in a plastic tub waiting to hatch still. When they get bigger, I'll have to separate them into individual cups but they are doing good for now. Hopefully they won't eat each other too much if I keep enough fruit flies in there. Any tips?
draetish
Avid Member
As long as they have enough to eat and large enough space they should be fine til they get bigger. I've only hatched one ooth and I learned alot about what "not" to do, LOL. I eventually just let them go in my backyard and maybe I'll stumble onto one. I separated them way to earlier and it was way too much to keep up with. Also, even though they need water, don't drown them. Maybe someone with more exp can chime in.
Texas Panther Man
New Member
Im still waiting for my two ooths i have to hatch out. The one i put outside just disapeared. I think birds ate it possibly.
I think birds ate it possibly. 
xanthoman
Avid Member
watering is probably the trickiest part, the slightest too much water and the nymphs will drown. a single drop of standing water can easily drown many nymphs. you can just use a wet folded or crumpled paper towel , but if you move the cage and the paper towel moves it will probably crush a bunch. if you are using a kk or a 5-10 gal aquairium you can just cover the top with extra strong paper towels (i use the blue ones from hd), and then put the top on over them, 90% of the nymphs will end up hanging upside down from the paper towel, then you can just spritz the paper towel without opening the cage, but not so much that it drips, to put ff in the cage i just have a slit in the paper towel that i cover with a wet piece of paper towel so they cant get out. i get the ff in there buy sprinkling a couple dozen in through a funnel. you may have to do it different depending on your setup. you can just spray directly with a superfine mist but you have to be ultra careful. if they are well fed, have plenty of room and climbing material,then you shouldnt have to seperating them for at least 3 weeks. jmo
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radstusky
Avid Member
Mantises not going crazy! (yet)
How do you get the mantises to actually eat? I've had only two hatch so far and they don't seem to eat the fruit flies. It's like the fruit flies are too big for them. One of the mantises died already actually. I'm sure I'll have more coming soon, is there something even smaller to feed them besides ff's?
How do you get the mantises to actually eat? I've had only two hatch so far and they don't seem to eat the fruit flies. It's like the fruit flies are too big for them. One of the mantises died already actually. I'm sure I'll have more coming soon, is there something even smaller to feed them besides ff's?
