My inverts.

[Bob Lee]

My lot where really strange. They just kept dying. They'd moult and then die. Or moult wrong and die. I ended up with only 2 in and weirdly 1 never moulted into an adult. Was a large juvenile and just wouldn't moult. Lived like that for ages.

How did you keep them?

 

[basin79]

How did you keep them?

Couple of inches of sub. Various pieces of cork bark angled off the sides/back.

 

[Bob Lee]

Couple of inches of sub. Various pieces of cork bark angled off the sides/back.

What humidity? What were you feeding them?

I current have mine in a plastic tub with no sub, and I provide the toilet paper tubs as hide, they seem to be living well in it.

 

[basin79]

What humidity? What were you feeding them?

I current have mine in a plastic tub with no sub, and I provide the toilet paper tubs as hide, they seem to be living well in it.

Oh I'm aware how easy they are to keep. I've kept Assassins before those.

It was literally like I had a "bad batch". The fact 1 of them wouldn't have their ultimate moult reinforced that to me.

No idea what humidity as it's pointless measuring. Damp sub in places, dry in places. Fed on crickets, wax worms. Was genuinely odd. Especially that 1 that wouldn't have the final moult. That was a head scratcher.

 

[Bob Lee]

Oh I'm aware how easy they are to keep. I've kept Assassins before those.

It was literally like I had a "bad batch". The fact 1 of them wouldn't have their ultimate moult reinforced that to me.

No idea what humidity as it's pointless measuring. Damp sub in places, dry in places. Fed on crickets, wax worms. Was genuinely odd. Especially that 1 that wouldn't have the final moult. That was a head scratcher.

I started with 14, now down to 12, two of them didn't look that well at the very beginning.

The first one died the second day they arrived.

And another one died today, he was one molt behind everyone else, and when he finally molted a pair of his legs were stuck inside it, and it seems to block him from eating and walking properly.
I tried everything, pre killed prey, added moisture, I took the molt off him by hand... I even tried putting him along in a container with a crushed superworm...
He died anyways, and his body was significantly smaller then all the others

Really makes me worried how some of them just... randomly die like this, when all the others are living just fine

 

[basin79]

I started with 14, now down to 12, two of them didn't look that well at the very beginning.

The first one died the second day they arrived.

And another one died today, he was one molt behind everyone else, and when he finally molted a pair of his legs were stuck inside it, and it seems to block him from eating and walking properly.
I tried everything, pre killed prey, added moisture, I took the molt off him by hand... I even tried putting him along in a container with a crushed superworm...
He died anyways, and his body was significantly smaller then all the others

Really makes me worried how some of them just... randomly die like this, when all the others are living just fine

Aye. Believe me I was scratching my head. I'm not 1 that simply says "well they simply weren't meant to live" and I blame myself. But there was literally nothing I could think of.

 

[The Seraph]

Perhaps genetic abnormalities? They are bred as colonies, correct? If so, maybe the general lack of new water in the pool is creating some adverse effects?

 

[Bob Lee]

Perhaps genetic abnormalities? They are bred as colonies, correct? If so, maybe the general lack of new water in the pool is creating some adverse effects?

Could be, but there isn't really a way for us to add to this gene pool...

 

[basin79]

Perhaps genetic abnormalities? They are bred as colonies, correct? If so, maybe the general lack of new water in the pool is creating some adverse effects?

That's what my thought was.

 

[basin79]

Could be, but there isn't really a way for us to add to this gene pool...

Aye there is. Breeders could swap their adults around. Although to be honest I doubt there are anyone breeding them like that. Most likely they started with a few and now have more so just sell the excess.

 

[Bob Lee]

Aye there is. Breeders could swap their adults around. Although to be honest I doubt there are anyone breeding them like that. Most likely they started with a few and now have more so just sell the excess.

It's gonna be hard finding a breeder to swap with

Plus, they all come from that original import, if that import didn't establish enough genetic variation it doesn't matter how much we swap, at one point there would still be a problem... That's not gonna happen any time soon but I'm a little worried, hearing a bunch of reports on these guys "randomly" dying...

 

[MoranDisciple]

Aye there is. Breeders could swap their adults around. Although to be honest I doubt there are anyone breeding them like that. Most likely they started with a few and now have more so just sell the excess.

I've been keeping my colony in a critter keeper with absolutely no sub and no humidity. I just have on piece of bark on the bottom and one leaning diagonally across the enclosure. They've all matured into adults. I always ensure there are a few red runners in with them. I also added a small bowl of moist sub for them to lay eggs in, but so far no luck on that front.

 

[basin79]

I've been keeping my colony in a critter keeper with absolutely no sub and no humidity. I just have on piece of bark on the bottom and one leaning diagonally across the enclosure. They've all matured into adults. I always ensure there are a few red runners in with them. I also added a small bowl of moist sub for them to lay eggs in, but so far no luck on that front.

The vast majority of keepers have zero issues with them. Like I've typed these where very strange.

 

[basin79]

 

[basin79]

Nabbed some pics of his beautiful lass. Hierodula sp blue.

 

[ColeopteraC]

Gorgeous!

 

[AlexHerpKeeper]

Hierodula Majuscula.

what species is that i keep 2 dwarf african mantids and one banded flower mantis

 

[basin79]

what species is that i keep 2 dwarf african mantids and one banded flower mantis

I put the species name. Hierodula majuscula. Tank of a mantis.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Wow. Stunning!
- MantisGirl13

 

[KevinsWither]

Beauty!