# A Vivarium that Prays...



## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

My Praying Mantis construction is finally DONE!!!
























This vivarium will house a chinese praying mantis. I had the theme of "temperate" and will choose ferns, and other plants that help execute this theme further. The wood, pine cones, and pine needles were locally collected. I baked, then freezed, then (in the case of the needles and cones) boiled. Hope you like it!!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Cool! Can't wait to see the creature


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## yours (Nov 11, 2007)

The background really turned out nicely...I like the temperate feel of everything littering the ground, including the twigs and pine cones......I probably will NOT be looking forward to the inhabitant however....

THEY are THE reason I developed such a huge insect phobia when I was younger....noNOnoNOnoNOno....the eyes, the i-can-spin-my-head-all-around....*twitch*

Yeah, no.

But I will have to see this planted 



Alex


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Looks good... do you already have the mantis? Male, female?


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

No, I don't have the mantis yet. When I do get it though I'm hoping for a big female...

I am a bit nervous because I absent mindedly sprayed the tank with tap water (since I have bought some spring water). I don't see any fungi either... might it be a good idea to throw a few _tiny_ bits of apple into the tank? I'm getting springtails and woodlice this week and I'm a bit worried they won't have anything to feed on...

PS: Thanks for the kind words everyone!!


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Well, I absolutely hate to say, but I'm going to have to sell the viv. It flared up my allergies so bad I started to think I had the flu. The minute I went to a different room I started to feel soo muchbetter.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Oh my!

I wonder if it was something in particular in the viv? You could try eliminating things to see.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

I'm almost positive it's the leaf litter, but it made me sooo miserable I would rather not experiment :/


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## Frank H (Nov 3, 2005)

Bummer! Are you giving up on the mantis idea altogether? or are you going to start over but with no leaf litter. 

Id invite a friend over and ask them to clean out the leaf litter.. and see if you still are affected by the remaining ingredients.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Nah, if there's even a slight chance of having what happened again I would rather not take it...


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## Kirru (Aug 20, 2010)

Just curious as to why it would effect you after it has been completely set up rather than during the set up process.. Just a bit confusing. Praying mantis are pretty sweet insects. love them and how they kill their pray... pure amazement.. i'll have one one day as well but for now, frogs and saltwater fish


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Things take an interesting, hopefully good (in an ironic way) turn. I am running a 100 degree fever even after taking the viv out, so maybe its not it after all...


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

What luck! You're only terribly sick! 

hope you're feeling better soon.


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## Kirru (Aug 20, 2010)

I agree, I didnt think that the viv caused you to get the sniffles.. lol great that you there is hope for it to stay


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

I caught "Herbert" today beside the backdoor. Here he is in his new home:


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Awesome, I think we're in need of a feeding video!


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Hehe, have to make sure he eats first 

Getting petco crickets tomorrow!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Love it!


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Well, turns out Herbert was quite the catch. She (yes, she) is a _Stagmomantis carolina_, one of the few species truly native to the US. She's most likely in her golden years. Here is a few pictures after I was FINALLY able to convince her to eat her meal:
The victim:








Om nom nom


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Bravo! 

eta: This is very exciting. I really love mantids. In fact, I let the bushes outside my windows grow wild because there were a bunch living in them. I didn't want to accidentally chop them up with the hedge trimmers. It sort of pissed my neighbors off, lol.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I love mantids!! I just wish they lived longer


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

frogface said:


> Bravo!
> 
> eta: This is very exciting. I really love mantids. In fact, I let the bushes outside my windows grow wild because there were a bunch living in them. I didn't want to accidentally chop them up with the hedge trimmers. It sort of pissed my neighbors off, lol.


Hehe, thank you...



frogparty said:


> I love mantids!! I just wish they lived longer


Don't we all!!


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

If they lived as long as tarantulas Id have many species. I want an idolomantis so badly


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Some great new pictures up!!!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Awesome! Thanks for the update.


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## boombotty (Oct 12, 2005)

Did she lay an ooth on the bottom wood? That would be cool if you could find a male for her.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I love the robotic aspect to their motion. Its so creepy to imagine one the size of a dog


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

frogparty said:


> I love the robotic aspect to their motion. Its so creepy to imagine one the size of a dog


If they got to the size of a dog and lived just a long, it's definitely on my pet list!

Awesome eating pics!


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

boombotty said:


> Did she lay an ooth on the bottom wood? That would be cool if you could find a male for her.


Yeah she did actually. Now that you say that, I have another carolina that is living in that pothos plant right next to her:










PS: Can I stake moss in using a little wood to the clay background?


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Sadly Herbert died (albeit at a ripe age for a praying mantis) yesterday afternoon. During her lifetime she laid 5 ootheca (egg sacs) in all, none were fertile however.

Hopefully before spring I can get some ferns to put in and other plants. The woodlice and springtails I ordered from poison beauties are absolutely thriving (as were the fungus gnats, but they are slowly being displaced). The clovers I added in are as well, but arent really spreading. The moss and weed type plant, on the other hand, seemed to waste away so I took them out. I'll probably wait a half-year or so before I consider another mantid just for the sake of getting some plants...

PS: I have become less involved in the forums because I am distracted by preparing for a Senegal (parrot).


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

RIP Herbert


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## botanyboy03 (Apr 18, 2009)

Rest in peace, Herbert(a) Have you looked into getting a tropical mantid for next year?


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## botanyboy03 (Apr 18, 2009)

eos said:


> If they got to the size of a dog and lived just a long, it's definitely on my pet list!
> 
> Awesome eating pics!


If they got to be the size of a dog, I doubt they'd be man's best friend. We'd be part of their food chain, so I'd be scared.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

botanyboy03 said:


> Rest in peace, Herbert(a) Have you looked into getting a tropical mantid for next year?


Hmmm, I don't know. I may get another carolina, or possible a colony of ghost mantids...


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

Ok, well, I added some leaf litter today to maybe help boost the woodlice population (which, I might add, is not small by any means). I ordered some plants finally too, just have to take some clay and do some pathwork on the background.

I ordered Korean Rock Fern, Birds Nest Fern, Oak Leaf Creeping Fig, and Azolla Caroliniana. The ferns will go in the top two pots, the creeping fig in the bottom two. The azolla will hopefully help fill in the floor.

Here's a pic:


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## botanyboy03 (Apr 18, 2009)

The Azolla is an aquatic fern, usually floats on top of the water. Its a real pesky weed in the Southeast. I'm not sure how well it would take to a terrestrial existance. I have a wild collected Korean Rabbit's foot fern I got from a division at work, in my Campana auratus tank, which is climbing up a cocohut.


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## Wallace Grover (Dec 6, 2009)

botanyboy03 said:


> The Azolla is an aquatic fern, usually floats on top of the water. Its a real pesky weed in the Southeast. I'm not sure how well it would take to a terrestrial existance. I have a wild collected Korean Rabbit's foot fern I got from a division at work, in my Campana auratus tank, which is climbing up a cocohut.


I heard it grows pretty well terestrially if kept sufficiently moist...


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