im getting a
Gambian flower eye mantis tomorrow. as far as i know its a nymph.
they grow roughly 1.5 inchs and eat fruit flies.
as far as i know (or have got told) ;
- they dont need a layer of soil to keep moisture. You can use paper towel just to catch the waste at the bottom of the habitat, makes cleaning easier
- need lots of space as it would be a waste - The housing should be three times as tall as the mantis' length to allow correct shedding
- dont feed when shedding - don't put livefood in when shedding as it can cause them to fall and become crippled.
DO
- need leaves on the bottom - would be a good addition
- sticks and twigs - they need several perches, and access to netting at the top to moult from
- a mist (spray)of water -every2 days - a light spray once a day would probably be better
- netting type material - for him to cling on to - choose a fine netting as fruitflies escape from the smallest of holes. I use voile-type netting with good success
- feed him a fly every 2 days - this seems small from fruit flies, I would offer around 5 at a time and replenish when you notice they are all gone
i would like to know also -
- what else can they eat - avoid crickets for this species. Fruit flies should be a staple, although you may get some success feeding moths and other flying insects
- if soil mixture is used - do i need to spray every 2 days - keep it damp but not wet, spray it if it gets dry
- how long do they live for - however long they take to get to adult, then a few months, but they don't live for that long after maturing
- how long does shedding take - it can take a few hours to get the old skin off, but you should give them a day after shedding to harden up
- do they fly? i ask bcuz they have wings lol - i can't speak for this species, but the winged species i've had haven't flown, and if they can they won't do it readily
- how much space is too much - give them as much as you want, but fundamentally make sure its tall enough to allow them to shed
- what does L1-L4 mean? length? - L stages refer to "instars", the number of moults the mantis makes. The number of moults a mantis will have depends on the species
i would love to see if any of you guys have 1 or a few.
CAN I SEE THEM AND THERE HOMES ???
