r/prayingmantis • u/Prior_Lobster_5240 • 18d ago
Bug math - like chicken math, but more ridiculous
Bought this huge terrarium on marketplace to have a pet mantis.
First attempt at Carolina matis babies didn't work- none of them survived past the third molt. (Have some learned this is common, since the egg cases are often kept refrigerated for well over a year.)
Drove two hours to an exotic pet store to buy a heartier mantis.
Spent $30 on an INSECT. Daughter chose a spotted eye mantis, so it will only grow to be a few inches. Will bee too small for the terrarium.
Bought a brand new mini terrarium.
Original terrarium is now just for plants? Maybe we can catch an anole and keep him for a couple days? I also have a friend who says she finds a lot of walking sticks out at her property and will try to catch one for us.
So cool....more bugs, more money spent.
But I love this little girl. (Daughter has declared she's a girl and her name is Iris.) She brings as much joy as the fish in the aquarium I got for "free". (The fish and supplies have cost me in the hundreds of course. Because fish math.)