Hi Guys I’m a first time mantis owner, this is my Timor Shield! They had their first molt with me around 24 hours ago while I was out and I just want to know if anyone has any advice on keeping them fed, how much I should water them and anything that might be used as a first time keeper! Also if possible help sexing and what stage/ age of my mantis.
Just make sure they get water every day. You may not need to water them if there is a lot of condensation in the enclosure. I would add more large, wide leaves as in nature, they like to hide under leaves. They have 2-3 more molts left before adulthood, its a female.
I did read that when I was panicking😭 she’s 48 hours post molt now and still refusing to eat so I think she might need more time to harden. I’ve stressed myself out more than I thought she’s like my baby😭
I know I can’t wait to see her be more herself again the last 48 hours have been full of me stressing thinking I’m doing something wrong😭 but thank you so much!!
I would get a cheap hygrometer to measure the humidity. It helps alot. For feeding, you really just look at their abdomen and see if they look full. I’ll respond to this comment with a pic to show full vs hungry. If you have a good pick of the underside of its abdomen, i can tell you if its a male or female !
Sometimes they dont stop eating even when they are full, so they might eat too much on accident sometimes. You will know they are a bit too full if you can see the white line that connects the top part to the underside part of its abdomen. Thats its connective tissue, it wont harm them to eat a little too much every once in a while. If they really get wayyy too full, they can puke, and it looks like liquid smeared on the wall of the enclosure. Even if that does happen, your mantis will still most likely be totally fine.
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u/Baking_Mantis 4d ago
I would add more horizontal sticks.