Raising a baby praying mantis

[Tarantula_man94]

off topic but mantises are freaking awsome

 

[Ariel]

off topic but mantises are freaking awsome

HAHA that they are

 

[Bugs In Cyberspace]

Ariel,

I'm very sorry to read some of the comments in this growing thread. Stagmomantis carolina is native to your state and is surely what you have there. I'm rather shocked to see that everybody is going along with the idea that it might be non-native.

You're doing great and there is no shame or concern in loving your native bug and releasing it if you so choose.

I may have misundertood a post way back on page one, but if anybody has concerns about what may be harbored in the guts of the millions+ pet store crickets raised and sold each year, we have a lot more to worry about than a native mantis that might eat one.

(By the way, I had the pleasure of collecting with Trace from the zoo in Omaha last month. He's an enthusiastic bug guy and the zoo there is real asset to the state!)

 

[whitewolf]

Good to see your still having fun with it.

BIC: Just an FYI the baby bugwing I got from you finally got her wings lol. She even gave me a little nip on the finger for doing tank mantince the other day. Owch but how cute.

 

[Ariel]

Ariel,

I'm very sorry to read some of the comments in this growing thread. Stagmomantis carolina is native to your state and is surely what you have there. I'm rather shocked to see that everybody is going along with the idea that it might be non-native.

You're doing great and there is no shame or concern in loving your native bug and releasing it if you so choose.

I may have misundertood a post way back on page one, but if anybody has concerns about what may be harbored in the guts of the millions+ pet store crickets raised and sold each year, we have a lot more to worry about than a native mantis that might eat one.

(By the way, I had the pleasure of collecting with Trace from the zoo in Omaha last month. He's an enthusiastic bug guy and the zoo there is real asset to the state!)

I was pretty sure she was a native species, I did find her, like i said, and she looked like just a smaller, wingless version of all other mantids I'd seen in the past. I didn't think she was a non-native species. Thank you for clearing that up, and for the scientific name.

Thanks, I love doing it because it's a way for me to get closer to nature with out really damaging the population, since i release them when they've grown up. I've done this several times with monarchs, I acctually have two now, one thats cocooned and one that looks like its getting ready to, when they hatch I'll release them too.

true enough owo If anything i'd be much more worried about my Ts than my little mantis, though i love her, my Ts are my babies! But I'm fairly sure they arn't doing much, if any, damage. I understand the concern since they're kept in a small area in huge groups, but still.

After I get my liecense (which will hopefully be soon with all of the set backs I've had D: ) I plan to get a job at the zoo, right now I work at a pet clinic, which I love, but I think zoo keeping is more my calling. I've probably met him, I mean I'm at the zoo every other week if not more (that is NOT a joke LOL) and I'm a bit on the chatty side and often get into conversations with the keepers.

Good to see your still having fun with it.

thanks ^^ ya, she's a great little mantis. I'm just amazed how well she's doing after losing that leg!

 

[Ariel]

Stagmomantis carolina is native to your state and is surely what you have there.

I finally took the time to look at some pictures of this species, and I think you're correct. Especially noting the stripes on the grasping arms, I don't know how common that characteristic is in mantids, but it definately resembles my little girl.

 

[Ariel]

Well, have a bit of a bad update about this girl. her grasping arms got stuck in her molt, and she felt. She's still alive, and I got her arms free but she hardened the way she landed so her neck is at an angle. its looking pretty bad.