Mantis Diary

[KJS3639]

Mmmk, so I have been wanting to start a Mantis diary for a while, but was too lazy. When I got up this morning, I found that our O. Scyllarus (haven't really named her yet, but have been calling her Gingi from Shrek...don't ask) had molted :dance: This is what has prompted me to start the thread because it is really interesting (I know, I'm a mantis nerd :rolleye1: ).

So I got up this morning, and didn't really pay attention to the tank when I turned the lights on other than to make sure she is ok (I don't know the --- yet, but I am calling her a she for now since we call our N. Wennerae Monty). All seemed well, she was poking her head out of her home as usual. An hour or so later I walked into the kitchen and something in her tank caught my eye. We can see the front of her tank from the dining room, and the back of the tank from the kitchen (fun to watch while cooking ). Anyways, the back of her entrance is seen from the back of the tank, and sitting there was a molt, or so I hoped. Well, it ended up being her molt which I thought was sooo cool. I tried to get it out, but she wouldn't let me and kept kicking up sand at me. Finally, I left her alone, and two minutes later she brought it out for me She is very conscious of keeping picked up after herself. She even brought out an empty shell of a snail that I gave her that was on it's way out. She set it outside of her home off to the side as to say "Beware of Mantis Shrimp" or "Welcome tasty morsels...uh I mean friends" . She comes out and roams around but I have yet to get a picture since I am in awe and sit very still when she does come out. I will get one soon enough. She is quite the little engineer as well. She has been building her home for the past week, ever since we got her. She likes to carry the sand out and set it on the coral rock right next to her home. She is also very picky about how her home is set up. I swear she fiddled with where to put a small rock for like an hour. Anyways, I will stop rambling, she is sooo cool though. After I show some pics of her, I need to introduce you guys to Monty. Here are some pics:

FTS

The molt

 

[KJS3639]

Ok, so now I have to introduce Monty...I know I know, looonnng thread, but I can't leave my other kid out We got Monty from a person in Montana, he was a hitchiker. We believe he is a N. Wennerae, and is much smaller than Gingi. Monty is only about 1 inches to 1 1/2 inches, and Gingi is about 3 1/2 to 4 inches. So, Monty was in the 20 Long, which was just way too much room for him since he never really left his home. We found a great deal on a set up 12 gal. Nano, so we bought that for him and decided to get a Peacock. We finally found a store in MI that had a Peacock, and the day we went to go and get the Peacock, we moved Monty into the 12 gal. After Justin moved him, we couldn't find him, but just figured he was a little stressed after the move and was hiding (not that he is all that easy to spot anyways ). So we went to go get Gingi, who was 2 hrs. away mind you. When we got back, we figured we would be able to find Monty, but he was nowhere to be found. We were getting worried, but thought he was still in hiding. So we drip acclimated Gingi and put her in. We went to bed for the night, and the next morning Justin had to go to work, as did I, but he goes a couple hours earlier than I do, and he still couldn't find Monty. So I got up later and was getting ready for work. I went to the front of Gingi's tank and saw her butt, so I figured she was looking out the back, so I went into the kitchen to see her, and out of the corner of my eye, above and to the right of Gingi, I see Monty :eek2: My heart sank. The size difference was staggering, and I new I had to get him out right away. I don't know if Monty realized she was in there, but he must of because she was striking rocks last night. He was all redecorating his rock with a piece of shell or something in his hands completely oblivious to gigantor approaching him. Without hesitating and hoping it wasn't a structural piece, I ran and grabbed the feeding tweezers to pluck the rock out that he was in. As I went to do this, Gingi must have sensed him and start to curl up and around the rock towards Monty. I grabbed the rock as fast as I could and got him into the 12 gallon. I knew he was in there becuase I saw his little beady eyes staring at me from the rock I was carrying to the new tank, and then he ran out of the old rock and into a new rock that was previously in the new tank. I am sooo glad I found him because there would be no way he could stand a chance against Gingi. So, all is well in mantis land now, both are safe and doing well thank goodness. Here are some pics of teenie Monty:

FTS

The next few are from when he was in the 20 long

 

[KJS3639]

No one liked my novel enough to comment :hmm2: :sad1:

Gingi and Monty are a little hurt

 

[Feclar]

I just read it, nice pic's

That was a lucky save for the little guy, surprised the peacock was already hunting after the first night

What are all those tall plant looking things you have in your tank?

Having a hard time figuring out how to bring some color into a mantis tank

 

[KJS3639]

Most of the coral in there are different types of Xenia (pom pom, etc.), that is probably the tall plant things you are talking about. We also have some big fuzzy mushrooms, and an aussie duncan. We are trying to find something that would be ok sustaining getting beat up now and then (between the margarita snails and Gingi ). Yeah, Monty was really lucky I saw him when I did. I was off to work in about ten minutes. Poor little guy would have been toast. I couldn't believe she was hunting already either, but that would be my luck. It was like we both sensed him at the same time...wierd...

 

[pimpinitup6969]

nice pictures

 

[KJS3639]

Thanks

 

[KJS3639]

So I was right about the fact that she would know if she was up for a meal she had to crack open or not...and she wasn't. Her appendages are still too soft, and probably won't be completely ready to take on Mr. Hermie for about a week, from what I have been told. That is fine with me though, I'm not big on the whole live food thing, but need to do it once a week to keep her appendages strong. It was funny because the stupid blue leg was quite fearless, until Gingi came really close, then Mr. Hermie was not so tough. He battened down the hatch so fast ^^& I think she was basically trying to defend her burrow more than anything while she recovers. Here are the pics:

This one was when the hermit first got put in there (the hermit's home's previous owner was an astrea as you can see):

This pic after the hermit decided he wanted to play with Gingi, not so bright, on any other day he would've been dinner:

 

[KJS3639]

So an update on her feeding. We saw her trying to attack a margarita snail a little while ago, and figured she must be hungry if she's going after the big guns. We fed her krill a couple days ago, but wanted her to use her appendages. So we put a hermit back in the tank. Before I even set it down and let go of it with the feeding tongs, she was already swimming after it. She grabbed it and I grabbed it back because I wanted her to do a little work for it. I set it in the sand and only a few seconds later, she came back out, grabbed it, and took it back into her lair. She smacked it once and then like the lazy little thing she is, she started to dig inside the shell instead of cracking it open. I don't know if she got upset with the hermit or what, but she decided to bury it, upside down, in her lair :eek1: . We figured a rotting hermit wasn't good for her environment, so we decided to take it out and will try again another day. She is such a wierdo

 

[John7429]

Great journal. Thanks for the time and pics!

 

[helipilot]

I am enjoying reading your journal, both tanks are beautiful, great pics.

 

[Feclar]

So... what happened to that blue leg hermit?