# just got my praying mantis



## nirvanarules1 (Mar 14, 2007)

well the today i was cutting ivy of our cherry tree to keep it alive and what do i see a praying mantis so i caught him and have him in a 5 gallon plastic reptile cage well i was wondering i know to spray water in his cage and what not and i was guessing to feed him crickets he is about 2inches long.
I will put pictures up tomorrow.


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

There's a few good books out there on keeping insects as pets--there should be some good info on mantids in them, IIRC, but I don't remember much of it...sorry. Hope it helps you to know that the books are out there, though.


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## nirvanarules1 (Mar 14, 2007)

ChilDawg said:


> There's a few good books out there on keeping insects as pets--there should be some good info on mantids in them, IIRC, but I don't remember much of it...sorry. Hope it helps you to know that the books are out there, though.


yea man definatly will pick up a book didnt think of that


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## Piranha Guru (Nov 24, 2005)

Crickets (wild are best) are okay, but they love moths, flies, grasshoppers, etc... Stay away from bees, ants, spiders, and beetles (they don't like the hard shells). I caught one about a month ago and it has shed 3 times. I don't mist the cage at all (tends to do more harm than good). You can keep a sponge or wet cottonballs in there if you're worried about humidity, but your house should be fine this time of year. You should be able to keep it alive until October or November...longer if you're lucky!


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## nirvanarules1 (Mar 14, 2007)

thanx alot he actually shed last night and i found him yesterday so i was amazed i thought he was dieing and i felt bad i took him and he died but woke up looked at him and he is fine moving around and all but yea i'll put a sponge in there


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## GN121406 (Jul 28, 2007)

I always wanted 1!! Do they sell them at regular stores?


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

They do, but they're often ornamental ones from other nations--different caresheet altogether. If you really want an American mantis, I would check out either the trailer park across the street from my apartment, a couple of cities in Wisconsin, or, if you want something closer (and can't find my addy...not just giving it out!







), try some garden supply catalogs. While a lot of them sell only mantis "egg cases", some might sell individuals. It's worth a shot...


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## GN121406 (Jul 28, 2007)

Thanks!


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

Not a problem. Hope you find what you're looking for...


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## nirvanarules1 (Mar 14, 2007)

GN121406 said:


> I always wanted 1!! Do they sell them at regular stores?


i have never seen em for sale in stores not even the ones chilldawg said about i live in a place called delaware and its kinda illegal to kill them and i think keep em but i honestly dont care just try and look for em in ur yard what state you live in?


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

It might be hard to find them on Long Island, I don't know. (Fresh Meadows seems to be close to LaGuardia, am I right?)

http://www.livemantis.com/ http://statequarters.20m.com/main.html

For our British friends: http://www.insectstore.com/ http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/ http://praying-mantids.co.uk/mantids/mantids.htm


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## 77gp454 (Feb 18, 2007)

nirvanarules1 said:


> I always wanted 1!! Do they sell them at regular stores?


i have never seen em for sale in stores not even the ones chilldawg said about i live in a place called delaware and its kinda illegal to kill them and i think keep em but i honestly dont care just try and look for em in ur yard what state you live in?
[/quote]
Illegal? I always just heard it was bad luck to kill them? Better keep em alive just in case









I had one on the trunk of my car once before leaving work, I just figured it would jump off at some point. When I got home 20 minutes later (highway drive) the bug was still there!


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## barbianj (Aug 3, 2003)

I have heard of people spotting them more often in my area (north of Milwaukee) within the last year. I have not been lucy enough to see a wild mantis. Nice find!


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## nirvanarules1 (Mar 14, 2007)

yea it was i was just trying to save my cherry tree by cutting off the ivy and i find the little guy def will put pics up tomorrow was kinda busy today


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## snakehead rock (Mar 26, 2006)

nice find, cant wait to see the pics.


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

sh*t i want one ....a lady found one in a bag of grapes a few years back and ever since then ive been on the hunt for one in the pet shop... there cool hunters..


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## nirvanarules1 (Mar 14, 2007)

sorry guys i havent been able to get some pics up of the mantis will try as soon as possible


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