r/mantiskeeping

I purchased an orchid mantis ootheca online & this is what I received? What’s the likelihood that it’s going to hatch? It looks completely dead to me. 😭

My orchid mantis is running around erratically, she’s barely eating and she’s just about to go to an L4. is this pre molt? her humidity is absolutely fine and so is her temp. Could this be stress or just because she’s searching for a molting spot??

I’ve been adding to a planted 12x12x18 Exo Terra for the past few months, and I was given the opportunity to adopt a Carolina mantis (who I’ve named Leon) a few weeks ago. He was in his 3rd instar when I got him and he was transferred into his tank after his fourth instar! He has molted successfully two more times since then!

I’ve been feeding Leon with flightless fruit flies and he’s been finding his food quite successfully and exploring just about the whole tank! I add ten or so approximately every 2 days, whenever I find there are no more visible flies.

I’ve read that wire mesh is damaging to mantis tarsal claws so I’ve covered about half of the mesh top with an old pair of nylon tights, while leaving a space for my tank light to actually illuminate the enclosure. I’m on the lookout for some glass or fabric mesh panels to replace the mesh with, some good directions to go would be appreciated!

His humidity ranges between 60 and 75% and his temperature is typically around 75F.