Fortifying

[Ehudd]

for some reason my mantis is covering up his entrances, is this for molting purposes? also, it looks like he is covering the rocks with mucus and then sticking more rocks to it, to make a solid wall of Substrate... Its a G Smithii. My other never did this. I tryed to push it over to see if it was actually stuck, and it was. Its like cement?

 

[Diet Plain]

could be a pre-molt phase. My N.Wen. just did this and it scared me because he was in there for quite a while until he emerged again, with his bright new color . as with the "cement" question, I'm not sure what they use, I dind't get to watch my mantis do his, and never checked to see if it was "stuck" together.

 

[dragonforce]

My g platy did this, but peacock did not.

 

[Pea-brain]

Some mantises do that every night. My P. ciliata goes out of his way to make sure that his hole is plugged up before he goes to sleep. P.ciliata also tend to burrow under rocks, so I get to see the hole he makes. The tunell that leads under the rock is very smooth looking and nearly perfectley round. He also puts his mouth over the sand when he closes up (this takes about a half hour). I think mantises are capable of excreting a type of mucus to stick things together, though I've found nothing of it in my internet prowling. However I think you'll find your mantis is just really good at arranging things so that they don't collapse easily

 

[Ehudd]

okay i am freaked out.
He has a rock around 4" across and back. a wake up this morning and u cannot see the rock just a big pile of sand where it was... is this normal? he has covered his home in sand. should i be concerned?

 

[Diet Plain]

None of my mantis have ever done that. A little sand/rubble moved maybe but never covering the whole home. Maybe he's just extra productive or about to Hibernate . goodluck