# Praying Mantis



## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

Can anyone advise on how these beautiful insects should be cared for ...

I am thinking of getting one along with a giant millipede to add to my pets...

But before I do I normally do a bit of research although as always there is conflicting reports...

has anyone got a mantis???


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

yep i got a juvinal the other day, she's called betty hehe. 

Very easy to look after, keep it in an appropiate sized tank, depending on how warm your room is you may or may not need extra heat;I havn't. When young spray everyday and feed one small cricket, as they get to adult size this can be cut back to every other day. 

thats about it really, though make sure there are lots of branches as need the room to hang from when they mault. 

Jay


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

when lifted out the tank are they fairly slow or quick...

my only fear comes from dropping them if they were quick or hurting them...

apart from that they are absolutely beautiful


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

I'm thinking of getting one too!! how big does the viv need to be?


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

not sure about viv size...

trying to get as much info as I can... my boyfriend really wants one too 

they are SO cute

( and im a 34 yr old LOL)


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

I have a couple it really depends on what species you get some are small as adults others huge, some are really easy to care for others are harder, it all depends on what ones you get, they are reasonably fast but dont tend to run my little chinese mantis hop quite alot but my adult African mantis is very placid and will just walk out on my hand.


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

are some easier to care for than others? what are good starter mantids that can be handled?

lol yeah sparkle they're gorgeous aren't they!! 34 isnt too old 2 want a mantis btw lol


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

Im hoping to get a large slowish one.... so any suggestions on that would be great


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

im no expert but Chinese mantis seem quite popular and cheap and mine are great little characters at the moment they hop finger to finger and run around and never want to get back in their pot its a right mission lol, they get to about 5" so they are quite a large species, mine is only about 1-2" at the moment.

My African mantis is fully grown though and shes still quite playful she never wants to go back in her pot either and is quite happy to sit on the arm of the chair next to me without running off, they are a bit smaller id say shes about 3" fully grown.

Id definately recommend them they are great. They are big eaters though my adult will quite happily eat 3 big crickets in a sitting.


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

Siuk... DO YOU HAVE ANY PICS.... i woudl love to see them.. they sound fabby


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

my camera is really bad and these are the clearest shots had to take them with a crappy camera with no zoom through a magnifying glass


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

SiUK thanks soooo much for posting up about yours, hardly anyone keeps them it seems. im sure sparkle appreciates it as much as i do.

n thanx sparkle for lettin me share your thread a bit hun :lol2:: victory:xxx


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

oo might be a stupid question, but do they bite?


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

na they dont bite they have trippy mouth parts that are hard to explain they may be able to nibble at bit but they havnt to me


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

ahh im well excited now. been looking on the exotic pets uk website, thinking of getting one of the dead leaf looking ones. but it says to cover the floor with dead leaves...where do i get dead leaves from? just out of the street or something?


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Hehe, i used to keep my adults in the large old sweet tub conatiners u find them in sweet shops or markets, and make a mesh lid. I now have an old fish tank which will either house my curent one marbled mantis or 2 if i get another one and divide it. 

really great pets to keep, might attempt to breed some, well maybe, if i get a male marbled mantid. they are really nice to keep. the africans are quite nice starter ones as are the marbled ones. Tho i have just got my first marbled and she's awsome, only a baby at the mo which is great hehe. 

The no really bit, tho the do occasionally try and nibble. my marbled decided she was going to attact my arm the other day, no idea why, was funny tho and tickled hehe. 

Jay


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

babygyalsw2 said:


> ahh im well excited now. been looking on the exotic pets uk website, thinking of getting one of the dead leaf looking ones. but it says to cover the floor with dead leaves...where do i get dead leaves from? just out of the street or something?


you wanna be careful using leaves from the floor because of bugs or disease, also they are not the best kind if you wanna handle them, though they are really cool


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

thats what i thought about the disease, so where the hell do you get dead leaves? lol...i think ill try ones like yours...definitely being a starter n everything.

n thanks for the reply Jay...you really should breed some...especially if the females bite off the males head when mating (still cant get over that). 

have you any idea why they do that anyone?


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

apparently they dont bite the head off if u feed them alot before the meeting, or if u feed during the meeting, tho would have to investigate the more. 

oh and just took come pictures for you where betty was determined to climb all over my phone and not stay still, but i tried lol.

Housing










mantid and housing



















An idea of size, and i'm not wearing black nailvarnish, thats a first lol










Betty investigating camera










Jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

awwwwh shes beautiful!! thanks so much for sharing pics!!! She's tiny!! Very interesting habitat...what exactly do you have in there? I see some dirt and twigs...what exactly is it and where did you get it from? Obv. not out of the garden hehe


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

The dirt is coco block, which Darkdan sent me when i took the mantis off him. Though u can get it from most reptile shops i belive, or u can use vermiculate. The twigs are that just twigs, i put some bits of slate in there to make it look better as i had some left over from the geckos cliff i made, though that is purly for my benifit really. Thats it really, very easy to look after, when she gets bigger, she will move into a larger glass tank, with a few more pieces of wood, and larger branches. The tanks also get's sprayed dayly, there is no standing water in the viv as it can be dangerious for them.

edit: the benifit of coco over normal garden center compost is that aparently it doesnt harbour mould, though since this is the first time i've used it im not sure how true it is. Though it does seem to be holding water very well. 

Jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

do they climb about a lot then? what does she eat, crix or something?


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

in Wilkinsons you can get these coir blocks which is coconut fibre they sell it for hanging baskets its 69p a block, you get the same stuff in petshops the same size blocks for £5 I use it for all my tarantulas and inverts


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

they like good ventilation so mesh top or a tank like Spikes is needed


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

ahh ive come across the two most helpful people in the world lol!! ive never ever seen a wilkinsons in my life, i thought it was made up! i like the sound of coconut fibre. 

so what potential housing dangers should i be aware of? like i wouldnt want them to drown or hurt themselves because of something ive done with the tank!


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Yer currently mine are eting small crickets, which are the smallest ones out of the crickets i feed my stenos with. 

The only danger i have ever came across is over/under feeding, and leaving standing water about. Though i used to do this with cotton wool in the dish so that they couldnt drown, untill i was told it was just as bad, so now i just spray. 

Feeding wise, i always make sure the mantis eats the cricket, either directly from the tweezers (tho this one seems more interested in eating the tweezers lol) or eat it when i place the cricket near to the mantis. If they don't eat it before the cricket become to active or shows no interest i take the cricket away and either try again later in the day or the following day. 

edit: wilkinsons is great for plastic tanks, fake plants and piecies of wood on the cheap. Apparently they have a tall faunariem type thing available recently, as a mate brought a couple, tho havnt seen them yet. Apart from that i use the old swwet tubs, the large tall plastic ones u see on the walls of old fashion sweet shops and fix a mesh lid, or old fish tanks again with a mesh lid. 

jay


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

lol I am helpful when I know what im talking about, to be honest they are quite hardy little things they dont need a water bowl so they wont drown just spray the tank every day or so, they spend most of their time hanging upside down on branches or the top of the tank, they feed on crickets they are fascinating to watch eat.

I bought mine from ebay, you get a few at a time because being so tiny a couple may die just through natural selection so to speak they are cheap but you need to keep them seperate I keep mine in the little cups they come in for the first few months

eBay.co.uk: 5 CHINESE PRAYING MANTIDS MANTIS L2/3 live insect (item 200100989794 end time 27-Apr-07 21:34:15 BST)


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

how many crickets does yours eat a day then? im currently feeding my leo on size 2 (tiny weeny crickets) because shes difficult and she likes eating the tweezers too lol


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

I feed my adult about 3 large brown crickets every other day and my little chinese one about 3-4 pinhead crickets every other day


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

right looks as though you've enticed me too much now, im going to have to get one lol

How long do they live approx?


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

about 1 year to 18 months


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

Wow!! I only just saw your ebay link!! ahhh im an ebay freak too!! So you can keep them in their cups for a few months, and feed them in there too? What about heating or anything, do they need that at all??


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

well as long as your house doesnt drop too cold at nights they should be ok at room temp, and yeh I feed them in the cups or on the table and they live in there for a bit, because its easier to feed them and its easily big enough they can be quite fiddly at that age cos they are so small


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

sounds perfect. thanks so much for the ebay link too. im sure sparkle will definitely be happy when she sees this thread!! 

is there anything else i should be careful about?


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

not really chinese matids are pretty straight forward, you may need a heat mat if the temps drop too low and also I just read on one site that they need a water dish but I was always toldas long as you spray them then they will be fine when you get them spraying will be fine anyay I keep mine in pots at one end of my spider tank so they stay quite warm, I dont know what other pets you have but maybe you could put them into the other end of a tank you already have in the pots


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

i have leos. i suppose i could corner it off but i would want any escapees getting eaten!! ill get something like a HerpHaven to keep them in!!


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

YAY

cant wait... im getting some tooooo

YAYAYAYAYA

now just for my millipedes LOL


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

ahh sparkle how can u keep millipedes they're soo scary lookin!! i didnt mean 2 hijack ur thread...but we've been given some great info!!


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

HIJAK away.. IM rather partial to hijaks LOL

I adore millipedes.. they are incredibly docile and gentle creatures...

I handled one first about 5 yrs ago at a zoo. It was about 11 inches and was so lovely....

the only things I dont like are insects that have scaley wings... Like crockets or ladybirds..

I was attacked by a plague of ladybirds when i was 7... 

yuk


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

aww no!! i dont like daddy long legs (crane flies) or moths..ladybirds give me the creeps too!!

do millipedes bite? they just look so creepy...maybe a baby one id be okay with but not a big chunky one


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

you can get millipedes that dont grow very large and nope they dont bite at all. they are very docile and calm..

on the other hand centipedes are nuts...

my friend has recently aquired an african red centipede.. it looks rather pretty I think BUT it has a nasty bitch of a sting OUCH...

and the venom is stronger than 10 bee stings..


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

omg they sting? they have venom? are all milli's like that or can u get some that dont sting? x


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

all centipedes sting, millipedes dont though, there was talk of some centipedes going on DWA, they can be quite dangerous definately not for the faint hearted


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

ok might be a weirdo question but whats the difference between a millipede n a centipede? im guessin its the amount of legs...


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## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

i believe this may have something to do with it:








James


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

ok, now what the hell is that? whatever it is it looks mad disgustin yuk


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## YELLOWFISH (Mar 30, 2007)

That is a centipedes mouth.  And yes, they are not afraid to use them on humans. 

Millipedes can't hurt you directly but they secrete mildly toxic chemicals when stressed that can cause temporary discolouration and irritation to the skin.


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

aha yes.. nasty nasty

whch is why I prefer millipedes lol


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## carisma02uk (Sep 14, 2006)

ok i have only reas the onriginal post but wjat i would say is its dependant on the specific species...
mostly the humdity needs to be high and they need alot of climbing material..... i used to use 2in of gravel then top soil (steralised) with a heat bulb on top caged off.
this then heats the soil and atmosphere and creates humidity and the regulatory heat they need......


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

Mez said:


> i believe this may have something to do with it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


iv seen that on men in black!! creepy, iv fallen for mantids and will be getting my first soon, funnily enough from the same person in the ebay link, he/she is very helpfull and pretty cheap?


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

ewwwwwww thats nasty!! so millipedes dont have mouths like that??

Getting my mantids off ebay today!!! put myself on a waiting list for a dead leaf one too!


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## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

milipedes do not have mouths like that, no..those fangs are actually modified legs!
Edit: is there any online shops that sell these inverts? TheSpiderShop.co.uk dosn't.
Ta.
James


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

modified legs? thats even more disgusting. they look way dangerous


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Mez said:


> milipedes do not have mouths like that, no..those fangs are actually modified legs!
> Edit: is there any online shops that sell these inverts? TheSpiderShop.co.uk dosn't.
> Ta.
> James


Virgina cheeseman is really good, she stocks a really wide range of healthy insects and have never had any problems when ordering from her, though havnt done so for a few years now. I know alot of people that use her, and havnt heard of any problems yet. 

Virginia Cheeseman 

Jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

Spikebrit...great link!! I see she sells Mantids too!!


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

babygyalsw2 said:


> Spikebrit...great link!! I see she sells Mantids too!!


yep hehe, i havnt personally brought mantids of her but a mate has and was very happy. I used to get my more unusual stick insects from her. 

jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

yeah she sells quite a few different species doesnt she...by the name I thought she would be american but im glad i was wrong lol. where is she based? her little reptile house looks adorable.


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

it does doesnt it, think she is in high Wicom or somewhere, her address on on her site somwhere. She's really lovly, and is really pasionate about her insects. You pay a little more buying through her then soe places but its worth it. 

jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

I might just take a trip top see her as she welcomes it!! i'd love to see her place


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Virginia Cheeseman is waaaay over priced though.. And i've heard bad reviews personally.. I won't buy from her. I buy spiders from TheSpiderShop:- - Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates as Lee is brilliant.. and sells a wide range.. shame he doesn't sell mantids. 

What mantid species are you looking for particularly? Ebay sells a lot, as feeder food.. various species.. pretty cheap too. 
Also try here:

Faunology :: Available Fauna :: Pet Insects :: Praying Mantis

Praying Mantids and stick insects for sale and exchange; deroplatys dessicata, creoboter, tenodera aridifolia sinesis, orchid mantis, hymenopus coronatus, gongylus gongylodes, idolomantis

For Sale - Praying Mantids & Egg Cases, Insect & Reptile Live Foods, Equipments, Books

Mantisinc Insect Store - Live praying mantids, praying mantis, phasmids, beetles and livefood for sale. All your exotic pet needs.


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

awww u darlin!! Thanx Becky, I really liked one on the last link. I REAAAALY want a dead leaf mantis but cant seem to find them anywhere on sale...this spiny flower mantis is gorgeous though!


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Becky said:


> Virginia Cheeseman is waaaay over priced though.. And i've heard bad reviews personally.. I won't buy from her.http://insectstore.com/index.php?cPath=22&osCsid=a620ab3754ab46a86b84fab7f7439c0c


Really. I've never heard a bad word said against her other then the fact her prices are expensive. When i used to order from her, if any of the insects i order even suffered damage through a bad shed she would often send an extra one. Didnt bother me, got 2 insects for the price of one, both being perfcctle fine after one shed.

What have you heard against her, the last time i order from her was nearly 2 years ago now.

jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

its good she sent an extra one!! i think im due to get my mantids on saturday!! atm it looks like chinese ones unless i can get a dead leaf!!


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

babygyalsw2 said:


> its good she sent an extra one!! i think im due to get my mantids on saturday!! atm it looks like chinese ones unless i can get a dead leaf!!


dead leaf ones reqire a bit more work, chinese ones willmake a very good first mantis. 

Where u getting them from??

Jay


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

I got an orchid mantis today shes great less than 1cm long, really tiny, pretty though, shes demolished two pin heads already that were half the size of her, even though I was told they only eat flying insects


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

SiUK said:


> I got an orchid mantis today shes great less than 1cm long, really tiny, pretty though, shes demolished two pin heads already that were half the size of her, even though I was told they only eat flying insects


aww please put up pics!! be great to see her!!

And yeah spike ive just always wanted a dead leaf....ever since i saw one at london zoo but if i do get one ill really make sure i do everything i can to take care of it properly!!

btw how do you sex a mantis?


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

babygyalsw2 said:


> aww please put up pics!! be great to see her!!
> 
> And yeah spike ive just always wanted a dead leaf....ever since i saw one at london zoo but if i do get one ill really make sure i do everything i can to take care of it properly!!
> 
> btw how do you sex a mantis?


to sex them you count the segments on the underside of the abdomen, I think it differs from species to species but females have more than males, you could look it up species specific on the net, I havnt got actual pics of mine but shes the same as this

hymenopus coronatus


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

Sweet, SiUK, whered you get her/him from, and if you don't mind me asking, and what did you pay for it?

Keep tpying with the idea of getting one as well, they do look amazing. 

jay


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

from a lady off ebay £6 plus + P+P which I thought was a really good price, they are tiny though but still a good price


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

SiUK said:


> from a lady off ebay £6 plus + P+P which I thought was a really good price, they are tiny though but still a good price


would that be milkie13? im getting two African mantids (£6 including shipping) and hopefully a ghost from him/her my first mantids.


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

I wil be getting a few mantis soon too... : victory: 

and I decided on african giant landsnails and not millipedes


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

Royal Boa said:


> would that be milkie13? im getting two African mantids (£6 including shipping) and hopefully a ghost from him/her my first mantids.


yeh thats her, her name is Sue, she emailed a good care sheet with them as well, I did glance through it but id already done quite a bit of reading before I bought it, very good service answered all my questions quickly and sent it the next day


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

they must be a couple then because i got emails back from a Tony Spurrier? im trying to sweet talk him into sending a little larger examples so i dont have to bother with fruit flies!? we'l see


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

make sure u post pics!!!


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

you'd need a prett good macro setting, they are tiny and my 2 week old camera has broke (twice) so i threw it at the argos manager, will get another soon though, but for now, here are adults of each....

African Mantid









Ghost (ripped from bugnation, sorry?)


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

I have an adult african mantis shes well cool, sits on the arm of the chair whilst I watch tv, those ghosts are pretty cool, I want some from the BTS show


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

their great arent they, they have something coming out of their hed that looks like two twigs wrapped around each other, here's another pic from bugnation.....


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

like a big unicorn horn lol I want one.


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## Morelia Matt (Dec 6, 2006)

yeah, im just waiting for a reply from this milkie to see if he/she has any?


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Guess i'll be looking for some of these for you at BTS then yer simon?  hehe


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

Becky said:


> Guess i'll be looking for some of these for you at BTS then yer simon?  hehe


yes please:no1:


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

yep no worries!


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

would so love a ghost hehe, they do look awsome. I think it may have to be my next investment hehe. 

Jay


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## Rainwater (Apr 18, 2007)

stuck!! would they be okay kept in a herphaven? its like one of those exoterra faunariums (the plastic boxes with ventilation)??


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