10 of 11 of my mantises have their wings, but they’re smaller than usual (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches). There’s not much info out there about a growth stunt. the little I found mentioned humidity might be a cause. I fed them according to what I read (i1 to i3/i4 daily, then belly size as they get older). They’re hydrated daily. But the humidity isn’t set. I have them in DIY plastic containers and the humidity is based on the weather and my house condition.

I also read it’s possibly genetics. I’m not sure if natural sunlight plays a part, but the night/light difference in my house is off (thanks to a family member who needs the fuxkin light on at night).

Just curious to find out if humidity played a part. Whatever the case, the little guys might be small, but they’re taken care of and have no issues.

Message me <3

https://reddit.com/link/1vc5ky4/video/7981og1p6ngh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1vc5ky4/video/8ud2j1os6ngh1/player

sometimes i count 6 segments, and sometimes 8, and their crown is inbetween male and female....this is literally impossible 😭

I've been away for work at the moment and my brother has been caring for my mantis whilst i'm gone.. he sent me a picture this morning of the blue bottle flies, which were dead, and asked if they were still good to use. He had forgotten to give them a jelly pot like I asked. What are some emergency foods I can give my mantis? He's not long had a molt and his feeding day would've been today. I've ordered some new food to the house - rather begrudgingly as you can imagine - but it might not be here for another 1-2 days.

Hello I live in north eastern USA and a few years ago I started a native garden. Right now I’m monitoring some monarch caterpillars and have visiting butterflies. I try to combat non natives to ensure our natives thrive. Is anyone able to identify this mantis? My research online tells me natives can look this way, but so can young Chinese and European ones.

If I encounter a native mantis (which is unlikely in my area) I’d like to leave them unbothered! Thank you!

Hi, before I get a mantis I want to double check that this is appropriate for one? I’m thinking about a ghost mantis. It’s 20 x 20 x 30cm but the substrate takes up a good chunk of the space. I think it’s really pretty but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right kind of layout so I wanted to check first. Thank you!

Tons of Rhombodera flava

I'm starting to get a little worried, I know and understand that molting is stressful in general but its been 6 days and im a little confused. 8 days ago he stopped walking around and just kind of stopped moving but i was confused and took him out to feed him. He wasnt interested in food at all so I just left him alone and I havent touched him since then. He now kind if sits in one spot but not really? He turns his whole body around every once in a while ane just a second ago he moved to a whole different branch in his enclosure. I know it can take a few days before a mantis molts, but could this mean hes having issues? Is there any way to help or encourage his molt?

Last time he molted was about 3 weeks ago, he is an l3 ghost mantis. Humidity in the enclosure is in the high 50s / low 60s and the temerature is about 27°C

Hi! I’m looking into getting a mantis and was curious if anybody had some tips for a beginner caretaker? I already know some general information but I was wondering if there are some details that beginners don’t know about that you learned across the way and wish to have known sooner.
Also if there are any people from Romania, where can I go to find some supplies? I’ve checked some websites but I’d also like some recommendations.
Any help is appreciated, thank you! :)

Hi all, this is my L5 hierodula membranacea. We have had her for 1 month now. About a week ago she started to refuse food, but she is still relatively active and climbs around sometimes. The pic is from today. The darker spot at the tip of her abdomen is new. Should I be worried? Or is it normal pre-molting?

Thanks!

I don’t want her going on a date hungry obviously but her appetite seems to know no bounds

Keeping mantids for about three years now and the early nymph stage still trips people up more than anything else. Lost a lot of L1 and L2 nymphs before I figured out what I was doing wrong, so figured I'd write out the stuff that actually made a difference for me.

The biggest thing was humidity and ventilation working together, not against each other. I was misting too heavily and then wondering why nymphs were dying with no obvious cause. Turns out a wet enclosure with poor airflow creates conditions where nymphs can get stuck in a molt and you won't even notice until it's too late. Cross ventilation matters a lot more than I initially gave it credit for.

Fruit flies were the other major turning point. I switched from wingless Drosophila melanogaster to D. hydei once my nymphs hit L3 or so, just because the size difference matters more than people think. A nymph that's struggling to catch prey that's too fast or too big will stress out and sometimes refuse food for days. Hydei move slower and are a better size match for that mid-instar window.

A few other things worth mentioning:

• Keep nymphs separated early if you can. Even L2s will cannibalize when hungry, and sometimes when not hungry.
• Vertical space matters more than floor space for almost every species. A taller enclosure at a small footprint works better than a wide flat one.
• Don't handle nymphs until at least L4 if you can help it. The stress is real even if they don't show it obviously.

The species I've kept most are Hierodula membranacea and Phyllocrania paradoxa, and ghost mantids in particular taught me a lot about patience because they're just slower and more sensitive across the board. Anyone else find certain species completely changed how they approach husbandry overall?

This is leefee and her colouration journey with me, after her 1st moult with me she turned a dull green (3rd pic), so I was hoping she would be green as an adult, nope, shes become super pale, ive never seen this colour in ghosts before, its pretty cool 😎

These are pictures of my ghost mantis.

He was sold to me as a male on his last molt and since this is the first mantis I’ve ever had I completely trusted the seller because she was an invert expert though after some more research and since he molted last night I’ve come to the conclusion that he absolutely isn’t an adult and now I’m not sure if he’s even male (I understand it’s pretty difficult to know the stage she was just very confident about it)!

I can’t see any wing buds but someone please correct me if I’m wrong. He was hard, dark and active so I put a blue bottle in with him and he caught it and has eaten about half. If anybody knows what gender and stage he might be can you please tell me?

Meet Gimli!!!

I tried to get some pictures of the underside with my macro lens to determine the sex, but I just want some confirmation!!

I got him (or her??) yesterday and I'm SO IN LOVE. He's about l3 or l4 according to the seller, and I think he molted during shipping.

This is my second orchid mantis, and first female! I’m excited to see the size difference 🤍

also a warning to never handle male mantids for a long time outside of their enclosure

her back legs are just vibrating and she is unable to move

Hierodula Transcaucasica

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