Giant Asian Mantis

[Grael]

YAY got my first insect and its a Mantis!

hes about 3-4 cm long, paid 5 GBP for him?her. and its one of the cutest things ive ever seen, whenever i open its lid, it looks up at me lol.

anyway, i was wondering, i read somewhere they easy to se from an early age, the females have 8 segments on thier abdomen(if you call it that) and the males have 6, is this true? cause i counted about 8 on hers(quite hard though so i might be off).

also my friend said they can fly? true or not?if so what age cant hey fly? and how often?

and one more thing lol what substrate do i use? at the mo shes just got basic potting soil, with fake plants which shes climbing about on, and im feeding her micro crickets(which shes eating) i also read its good to give her a mix in her diet, otherwise she will get weak on the same food, for example feed her house spiders,other insects etc.

thanks!

 

[Jesse607]

Females have 6, males have 8. Adults have wings, but normally the females don't use them, but the males do. It will be obvious when your mantid becomes adult, trust me. You do not need a substrate, but if you want one for decor, use anything you want. Don't have too many plants or sticks in the enclosure, because they may get in the way of molting when the mantid gets larger.

 

[Grael]

ok ta.

i just wantering i fitted her out with two plastic plants, and a crystal,she has loads of room in her glass cube, she i have a little of it on a heat pad, its nice and moist in there for her, usually some water on sides. but for the last say week, shes moved away from the plants, and the heat, to the top corner on the glass(she also shed there) but has remained them for a good few days since shedding?

so is she too hot? or is this normal?

 

[Wade]

Unless your house is pretty cold, you shouldn't need any additional heat. I don't think a pad has has any use with a mantid even if heat was needed. It also sounds like it's too wet in there if you can see condensation on the sides. Most species do not need super high humidity, in fact excess moisture combined with limited ventilation will kill them. Most do OK with nothing more than the occasional light misting so they can drink. I hope your glass cube has a screen top.

Wade

 

[Grael]

it has got a glass top, but i usually leave it a tiny slid open.............but i just realised the flaw in my actions.........shes gone! :? shes like a few CMs long........i hope she isnt gonna turn up a few months later when shes 6 inchs and eat my spiderlings >_<