mantis shivering?

[handfulofspiders]

i’m an extreme beginner when it comes to mantis keeping, i ordered this L3-L4 giant golden mantis and she (suspected female but i could be wrong) seems to be doing just fine! except sometimes i’ll look over and she’ll shiver a little..not the gentle swaying they normally do but like she was “cold”
does anyone know what this means? she did refuse a baby mealworm and she stays still a lot of the time which i heard could be a sign of premolt. here’s some pics
(i have about half of the cross ventilation taped over to keep humidity up, which i don’t know if is entirely necessary but i left it just incase)


*leaf hopper is on the outside of the enclosure lol

 

[SilentWidowMaker]

Do you know for sure this is a female and also has this mantis molted for you yet? Sounds like premolt if she's not taking prey either. I've had several Mantis religiosas and never seen that though. I would suggest something for your mantis to hand upside down from for molting purposes thats at least three times her length, not sure if she can hang onto the under side of that plastic.

 

[handfulofspiders]

Do you know for sure this is a female and also has this mantis molted for you yet? Sounds like premolt if she's not taking prey either. I've had several Mantis religiosas and never seen that though. I would suggest something for your mantis to hand upside down from for molting purposes thats at least three times her length, not sure if she can hang onto the under side of that plastic.

i mentioned i suspected she’s a female but i’m not sure, and no it hasn’t! i got it a couple days ago.
i could hot glue a popsicle stick to the top, or a regular stick from outside if u think that would be safe?

 

[SilentWidowMaker]

i mentioned i suspected she’s a female but i’m not sure, and no it hasn’t! i got it a couple days ago.
i could hot glue a popsicle stick to the top, or a regular stick from outside if u think that would be safe?

Well she looks real tiny compare to the height of the enclosure so I wouldn't go too high, they can fall and get injured otherwise she may be able to use the existing popsicle sticks. Make sure you don't ever spray water directly on her but ok to put Small droplets on sidewall for drinking purposes otherwise they get liquid from prey.

 

[handfulofspiders]

Well she looks real tiny compare to the height of the enclosure so I wouldn't go too high, they can fall and get injured otherwise she may be able to use the existing popsicle sticks. Make sure you don't ever spray water directly on her but ok to put Small droplets on sidewall for drinking purposes otherwise they get liquid from prey.

will do, thanks for the advice!

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Needs mesh on the lid.

 

[paumotu]

Hi! Welcome to the wonderful world of mantis keeping! The shivering behavior is relatively common among many mantid species, it's essentially another camouflaging behavior. At this size, nymphs typically will not hurt themselves in a fall, although that can become in later, heavier stages. Your enclosure looks good, though as mentioned previously in the thread, I would attach some kind of meterial to the top to allow for better grip. While they appear to be capable of walking on plastic, as they grow it will become increasingly difficult, and as such increasingly risky to molt from. I suggest shelf liner, cork, or mesh as materials.

 

[handfulofspiders]

Hi! Welcome to the wonderful world of mantis keeping! The shivering behavior is relatively common among many mantid species, it's essentially another camouflaging behavior. At this size, nymphs typically will not hurt themselves in a fall, although that can become in later, heavier stages. Your enclosure looks good, though as mentioned previously in the thread, I would attach some kind of meterial to the top to allow for better grip. While they appear to be capable of walking on plastic, as they grow it will become increasingly difficult, and as such increasingly risky to molt from. I suggest shelf liner, cork, or mesh as materials.

thank u so much for the detailed response! i’ll glue some mesh to the top when i get the chance to take the enclosure apart, right now i think she decided to molt on the popsicle stick..

 

[paumotu]

That looks good for now, though I would try to get sticks that reach all the way up to the top of the enclosure. Mantids will typically look for the highest vantage point possible. I would try to make this change before he/s molts in order to allow for proper molting room. If the mantis chooses a point too close to the substrate, molting damage is possible. If you would like, send an image of the ventral side of the abdomen with the segments clearly visible. This will give an accurate idea of sex.

 

[handfulofspiders]

That looks good for now, though I would try to get sticks that reach all the way up to the top of the enclosure. Mantids will typically look for the highest vantage point possible. I would try to make this change before he/s molts in order to allow for proper molting room. If the mantis chooses a point too close to the substrate, molting damage is possible. If you would like, send an image of the ventral side of the abdomen with the segments clearly visible. This will give an accurate idea of sex.

i hope this is high enough! here’s a pic of it’s abdomen too

 

[SilentWidowMaker]

This mantis has six segments so its a female. The males have 8. Glad your taking advice and improving your pets enclosure these really are interesting and fun pets.

 

[paumotu]

i hope this is high enough! here’s a pic of it’s abdomen too
View attachment 400528
View attachment 400529

Looking good! Hopefully she’ll go on to live a long and happy life under your care!