Mantis

greentriple · Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:33 pm Post subject: Mantis

I found one in my yard and I'm not sure how to care for it. I've done what some of the sites suggest, but he wont eat and seems very stressed. HELP>

Anubis · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:48 am Post subject:

It's quite late in the year and most likely the mantis is near the end of its life. They're usually voracious eaters, and if you have one that's not eating, that usually means it doesn't have long left.

No North American species to my knowledge overwinters in significant numbers.

edit: Eh, I should learn to read posts better and visit this forum more often. It's probably long dead by now...

greentriple · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 10:33 am Post subject:

It's still going strong. Eating a few times a week and it seems to have laid eggs. My wife has taken to caring for it, one less pet for me to deal with.

spencer · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject:

if your mantis layd eggs it might die soon because alot of bugs lay then die and since what other have sayd say they usually dont make it through the winter maybe they lay then die and they're babys are the next generation and this happens every year?
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Anubis · Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 1:57 am Post subject:

Good to know it's kicked back. But yeah, don't expect many more weeks. You might want to get those eggsacs into escape-proof containers. Whenever you want them to hatch, just put them near a heat source or wait for spring/summer.

edit: Oddly enough, an eggsac I found several weeks ago just hatched out. I didn't give it any heating, so I guess temperatures of around 70 will suffice. They've hatched out much earlier than they would naturally.