(no subject)
If my behavior in raising baby mantids is any indication, I would be such an anxious mom. Of course, as I understand it, most of the time you don't spend half the time worrying that your babies will eat each other, which is currently my major concern.
I smuggled three baby chinese mantids out of the insect zoo yesterday, in a tiny "gladware" container. So far they're all still with us, although they do spend much of their day circling and stalking each other. I fed them some fruit flies yesterday, and threw in a bunch of little bugs I collected outside my building this morning. Turns out they're not quite ready for ants. One of them got bit and now they run away from them. I did see one eating an aphid earlier, so I think they'll be okay. There's plenty of those to be found.
I actually don't think I need to feed them very often, but I'm so paranoid if they get hungry, they'll start tearing each other's heads off. When we cleaned the tanks yesterday, there were hundreds of dead baby mantids at the bottom, many with no heads. No wonder the mother lays the eggs and leaves. What mother could bear to watch?
I smuggled three baby chinese mantids out of the insect zoo yesterday, in a tiny "gladware" container. So far they're all still with us, although they do spend much of their day circling and stalking each other. I fed them some fruit flies yesterday, and threw in a bunch of little bugs I collected outside my building this morning. Turns out they're not quite ready for ants. One of them got bit and now they run away from them. I did see one eating an aphid earlier, so I think they'll be okay. There's plenty of those to be found.
I actually don't think I need to feed them very often, but I'm so paranoid if they get hungry, they'll start tearing each other's heads off. When we cleaned the tanks yesterday, there were hundreds of dead baby mantids at the bottom, many with no heads. No wonder the mother lays the eggs and leaves. What mother could bear to watch?