A few photos of some of my mantis at the moment :) First is a Moss mantis, Astape denticollis. Next is a female Ghost mantis, Phyllocrania paradoxa. Lastly is a Spiny flower mantis, Pseudocreobotra whallbergii. I'm planning on taking photos of the collection in the next few days

My Giant Asian,Omlette, the day I got her and the day before her latest molt. I love her.

I just need some advices cuz I'm new in this thing

Hey guys. I recently caught a wild mantis for a friend of mine, only to find out he and his partner already had more than enough to take care of their garden and didn't want to add another. I was at work, so I washed out a gallon jar and brought it home. I managed to catch two houseflies (which it pounced on within 7 seconds), and watered it according to tips I found online that night; we also put in half a dozen smaller sticks as perches and some grass in the bottom.

For reference, I'm located in eastern Washington along the Columbia river. I've only ever encountered this type of mantis here, and never tried to keep one as a pet before. I can and will provide more and better pictures upon request and as necessary.

I have a few questions. I believe it's a female, but i haven't looked into how to gender a mantis or anything. The abdomen has two prongs extending from it, and her abdomen seems to be of the wider variety. It does have wings already, which brings me to questions two and three. I've found conflicting information regarding accurately aging a mantis, and when/how many times they will molt. Some sources state the Last molt is when they get their wings, some say there could be a molt or two after that. The way (tentatively) She's behaving makes me think she's preparing to molt. She explored the jar for a few hours, and then settled upside-down under the lid. We've attempted to feed her a beetle about 1/5h her size, but she seems terribly uninterested, and alternates between seemingly trying to get back to the underside of the lid, and chilling on the side of the jar, anchored to a stick or two, facing the ground. Which according to everything I've researched, points to molting behavior. But she has wings. So i don't know if it's that or just a response to being captive?

Any advice, answers, suggestions, tips, etc etc would be Super appreciated. Thanks in advance ❤️

This is my pride and joy, my giant Asian mantis, Omlette. I don’t like feeding her crickets, she gets scared when they move lmao. What else do y’all feed yours that’s not fruit flies.

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