who all has #9

[TheWidowsPeak]

how many of you have a #9 mantis I was thinking of getting one but don't know how to keep them plus I would love to see some pics

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by johnnyjohnjon
how many of you have a #9 mantis I was thinking of getting one but don't know how to keep them plus I would love to see some pics

I've kept and bred this species, and have found the keys to keeping them successfully are 1) lots of ventilation! 2) plenty of moisture 3) lots of grub! (food, lol)

Aggro did a real good pic on a thread after yours. I have a couple pics but not as good as his pic! The adults don't live very long. The babies don't either if you don't give them major ventilation. I tried keeping them in vials as they hatched and were exiting the 10 gallon tank I kept them in. That would have worked if I had more than just lids with tiny holes poked in them. Pantyhose over the vials would have worked great though! The babies are a shiny metallic blueish black coloration. Awesome species! I just hope that someone with more space and more time can learn from my mistakes and get some captive breds going strong!

They're best kept bewteen the lower 70's and mid 80's, tempwise, and bewteen 65% and 95% humidity. They need moisture on a regular basis, needing water to drink from a plant mister probably nearly every day (in a months time, I'd say 20 of the 30 days in a month they should be given a mist, no waterdish or they'll jump in and drown, even in very shallow water).

Hope this helps some,

Paul

 

[skadiwolf]

what kind of substrate is good? are they like Ts in that less space is better when they're smaller? what do they eat?

i think they are spectacularly beautiful!!!

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by skadiwolf
what kind of substrate is good? are they like Ts in that less space is better when they're smaller? what do they eat?

i think they are spectacularly beautiful!!!

I used peat/potting soil. Amount of substrate isn't important really since they're arboreal. Unlike spiderlings, who can deal with living in small quarters (aside from some of the arboreals who do better as slings with more height, i.e. a taller vial) they do need plenty of space to climb. They eat fruit flies as nymphs, grabbing them right out of the air, and pretty much anything that moves and that they can overcome as juveniles and adults.

Yes, they are beautiful! As nymphs they are a shiny metallic black with bluish/purplish sheen. The light hits them and you can see various colors of the spectrum on them. Way cool!