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Exotic Mantids!

Mantis Kindom

I don't know when the mantis will be in stock (towards spring I would assume?) either way they have some of the AWESOME crazy variates like the orchid mantis's!
 
cool! For some reason i've never really had luck with mantids before:( , they always seemed to just randomly die. I think that the reason was because of some sort of parasetic wasp larvae or something like that, because there is always a grub on the bottom of the container.

Around my house, we have stick mantids, bark colored mantids, and some green mantids. nothing much:(
 
like all mantids are like native to other country's dude, mantids are native to Asian country's I think!
 
Alright some mantid recognition!!! I love mantids!!! I breed I.Oratoria, which are very common where I live. I have 2 egg sacs (oothecas) in incubation right now and eagerly waiting for them to hatch. I haven’t moved on to exotic species, but I am looking into it.

If you think Orchids are cool, you should check out Idolomantis Diabolica. These things are SOOOO COOL! They are the coolest animals I have ever seen. I have read that they are some of the toughest to breed and care for. Do a quick google search on them; they are 100% delicious eye candy.

Oh nice avatar change nepenthes_ak!
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (nepenthes_ak @ Dec. 13 2006,7:55)]like all mantids are like native to other country's dude, mantids are native to Asian country's I think!
plenty of Mantid species are native to the US. heck ive got one species up here in the frozen north. gets about 1.5 inches long at most and i usually find them on the sand and gravel patches along side creeks hunting various flies
 
Oh? I guess I should have not posted that like my original thoughts were not to. OH well. I think I would try a common mantid again before I moved onto something Hard.

http://www.insectstore.com/gallery....5~0.JPG

This species?

Either way I really want to try Matnids but I need a bigger enclosure for them, and I need some feeder insects... like roaches and meal worms and fruit flys... these would go great for the ants too so I don't know it all depends on where I am after a few months.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (rattler_mt @ Dec. 14 2006,9:45)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (nepenthes_ak @ Dec. 13 2006,7:55)]like all mantids are like native to other country's dude, mantids are native to Asian country's I think!
plenty of Mantid species are native to the US. heck ive got one species up here in the frozen north. gets about 1.5 inches long at most and i usually find them on the sand and gravel patches along side creeks hunting various flies

Yeah, you’re right. Many can be found in the US, but several of these species (like mine) were introduced back in the late 1800's as a natural pest control and have quite successfully taken over.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I think I would try a common mantid again before I moved onto something Hard.
The African Mantid (Sphodromantis) and Chinese Mantid (Tenodera aridifolia) are the best beginner mantids. But, you could also go with the Carolina Mantid or a Stagmomantis species. If you want to go big, go with the Giant Asian Mantid (Hierodula Membranacea). All these are easy to care for.

Remember, when going into a new hobby, it's always important to read as much info as possible. So do your homework before getting one of these marvelous creatures.


EDIT: I have to share this picture with you:  
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Idolomantis Diabolica, The King of all mantids!
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I allways do my research!!!

I did when I got into ants as well!! What do you suggest to keep them in? What about plants Do they prefer live plants? Do you know any god sites or something? PM me or w/e!
 
Sorry if I offended you with the research suggestion… I wasn’t implying that you wouldn’t do reading.
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You can keep mantis in a variety of container/tanks. The main issue you have to worry about is prey capture. The enclosure cannot be so big that the mantid will have trouble finding and catching its prey.

I keep nymphs in medium deli cups. For nymphs, one can use peat moss, soil (potting mix), or sphagnum moss; there are other substrates one can use, but these are the best because they retain water and increase humidity (which eases molting). Nymphs need tall enclosure so they have lots of room to molt. A mesh lid also helps because they like to hang upside-down when molting.

Enclosures for adults can differ depending on the species. The species I keep grows to about 3.5 inches, so I keep my adults in large plastic Critter-Keepers. I use peat moss as substrate and I add in a big rock (for décor), and I keep a couple branches in there that allow the mantid to climb up to the lid where it likes to hang upside down. Most mantids do not require live plants, just branches and/or large bark pieces for them to climb on. Other exotic mantids may be more arboreal than native US mantids, so a tall 10-20G tank may be used, which then will require them to have a tall plant, but I have read that using fake (silk or plastic) plants and branches off a tree is just as fine.

I will PM you sending you links to some helpful forums.
 
  • #11
From what I've heard those so call "giant indean mantids" Hierodula aren't any bigger than Chinese or European m,antids, justa bit bulkier.
 
  • #12
WOW that king of all mantid was one neat looking bug. I had no clue there were that many different types of mantids. Wow. I may not be interested in raising them, but I am about to do some research on them. Just looking at the would be fine with me. LOL
 
  • #13
you have made my night, i must control my urge to buy mantids
 
  • #14
lol, i love mantids, dident know there was a "group" of people who raised them. Here in New England i havent seen our native mantis in more then a decade! seeing this thread might make me consider raiseing them in a terraium and then realeaseing them carefully into the wild, i would just need to reasearch my native species.
 
  • #15
This doesn't have much to do with exotic mantids, but....

HOLY CRAP GET IT OFFFF!!!!!!!!

IMG_8276.jpg


Yeah it was on my head.

IMG_8266.jpg


Cute though. (Yeah this was before I actually trimmed my nails.)

-Ben
 
  • #16
WOW! That thing is fat! Mantids are the only bug I don't mind touching me, as long as they don't jump... that freaks me out.
 
  • #17
Lol, I think it's a mama mantis. Seemed to like eating it's legs and stuff.

-Ben
 
  • #18
Wow. Those bugs are really cool lookin. I was thinking of starting an antfarm but after seeing those pictures.... idk. But then again having a whole colony of ants attacking its prey... desicions, desicions ???
 
  • #19
Jeez...

"During mating the smaller male often jumps on the back of the larger female. Miscalculating the jump may mean the male becomes a meal. If the jump was successful, the pair mate and during copulation the female may turn and devour the male's head. The body of the male is capable of completing the mating, when complete the female will finish eating the male."
 
  • #20
Lol, I once saw something on Discovery where a male had his head bitten off, but he was still doing it.

-Ben
 
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