Help me!

[Wade]

I'd definately try to find some finer screening. If they can fit through, they will. If you can get a section of nylon of fiberglass screening, you can use it between the lid and the top of the tank.

I'm not sure of their ability to see colors, but I assume they can. They have excellent eyesight (not surprising, since they're adept at capturing flying prey). I often find Chinese mantids among flowers, preying on butterflies and bees.

Wade

 

[Katy]

They hatched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh my god, I'm so excited, I came home from driver's ed today to find one of the egsacks covered in little mantids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So far only the only eggack has done anything, but they're sooooooooooo cute! I love them! They're teeny tiny and caramel coloured, and their eyes are black, they all ran and hid among the plants, under the leaves and in the flowersyou can hardly see them, except for a little pair of eyes walking around once in a while. You know how baby fish are sorta see through so you can only see the eyes and a bit of their insides? That's what they're like. ok i know i sound like a ditz but I'm soooo happy!!!!!!! just the end closest to the lamp hatched, I guess that has something to do with it i guess! I promised my little cousin one, so when I go see him this weekend, I'm gonna bring one to show him. I think I'll take care of them till they're a little bigger before giving them away. and they are cowards, lol they run away from EVERYTHING!!! Well I think if i was just a pair of eyes I'd run too. I wish I had a camera with a macro lens so I could take their picture! Anyway, they seem happy and are wandering everywhere and dont seem to be having any trouble. Thanks to everyone for all their help!

Katy

ps they aren't even trying to get through the screen, but they can definatly fit!

 

[Wade]

Congradulations Katy! Have fun with 'em.

Wade

 

[Katy]

Hey do they usually hatch in batches? the bunch I mentioned earlier are allright, but then nothing happened for a while, I was starting to think something might be wrong, but just a half hour ago a LOT started hatching, do you think that it'll stop for a while then a new batch will hatch?

 

[Wade]

The Chinese will generally all hatch in a pretty narrow time frame. I'm not sure what caused the pause in hatching, they should be completely done very soon if they're not already. Are you sure they're not hatching out of a different ootheca. There are a few species that hatch out out gradually over the period of a week or so, but this is the exception.

Wade

 

[Katy]

The new bunch was going along great, then they just all of a sudden stopped, and a lot died, they dried up and couldn't get out, two were stuck with just one leg to pull out, they were alive, and I didn't want to leave them there so I pulled them out, theyre each missing a bit of a leg, but otherwise ok. The rest that didn't have and legs free are dead...I'm sad...I don't think the other eggsacks are fertile or anything. I have about 50 little guys running around though, so that's good. So far they'/re not eating eachother, I don't know how long that'll last though!

 

[Wade]

I've also experienced a certain amount of die-offs soon after hatching with this species. Dessication could be the problem. Luckily, there's always so dern many of 'em!

Wade