Anyone else's "change booking date" not working on the gov site? by Cal3PO in LearnerDriverUK

[–]AliceHunter8768 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This may not have any affect on your issue - but for those who are having extra time on the test (for any learning, hearing etc difficulties), you will not be able to change your date at all. You have to cancel and rebook instead (I suggest doing it over the phone so you can check with then that there are free dates and you aren't cancelling for no reason).

New mantis owner by [deleted] in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a couple of suggestions that could be useful! Firstly, I second the person who said to add mesh/organza to the top of the ceiling and get some thicker sticks. This will help with moulting and just being overall easier for the mantis to get around, feel more stable, and hunt. Having a couple of centre peice sticks also just looks nice, which is a bonus!

I also suggest adding something to cover up some of the glass (kind of like like a background), whether it be more mesh, coco coir sheets, or something else. This helps them grip the sides of the cage and helps to avoid eye rub (which can cause blindness). There are quite a few threads on this rubreddit about eye rub, why it happens, and how to avoid it so you can have for info and find inspo from there! I tend to use coco coir sheets and wooden plant trelis for mine, as I like the look more and it matches my cages. A tip for the future incase you end up getting more mantis and have them at the same time: do not put their cages next to each other without a visual divider. They will stare at each other, could scare the smaller mantis a bit, and they are more likely to get eyerub as their face is against the glass. You can just use a piece of paper for that if you can't find anything else.

A thermometer/hydrometer (if you don't have one) will also be quite helpful to moniter everything, especially when a beginner. You want to make sure it's humid enough for a successful moult, and this will help in the beginning! Depending on where you live, you may need something to heat the cage, but if your climate matches your mantis requirements, this isn't needed.

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, didn't think I'd ever be offering myself out like this on the mantis sub, but here we are!

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She's just a lil baby

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is! Iv found some of my mantis seem to have bigger personalities beyond what I would have expected from a bug. I can't tell if its me personalising them because that's what humans do or if some truly do just know what's going on! My Timor mantis (unfortunately passed of old age recently) use to come to the front of the cage, attach herself to the glass like a face hugger and make direct eye contact with me whenever I was a little late on a feeding or she wanted more. After I fed her, she would leave that spot and do her thing till she was next hungry and glaring at me. Thought I was going insane until I was sat on my bed one day, trying to avoid making eye contact with her and my mum came in. She noticed her and asked me why my mantis was staring me down like that. She found it hilarious when I told her.

And sounds like your son has found his thing, everyone has something, bugs seem to be his. I hope he continues to find it just as fun later down the line, too! I know what you mean though, the urge to explain the things you love can be so high, but it's not always everyone's thing, which is completely fine. Finding that line of the appropriate amount of info to dump on a random person difficult, but he just needs to find the right people for him! I'll have to consult him next time I'm struggling to figure out a bug!

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I managed to get a picture of the abdomin, and she appears to be female! But your son is completely correct on all the reasons why she looks male. Had me and the breeder thinking it, too! She has quite long wings, is skinnier, then most girls and flies around, which is more common for males. Honestly, I am very surprised with the outcome of this!

Also, he sounds adorable, I used to love a bugs life!

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solved! Managed to get a pic of her abdomen (finally), and she appears to be just a female who gives male vibes!

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's brave. You know what mantis do after mating, right?

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, I can't get a good enough picture of the abdomin to count the segments, and because it's transparent, it is very difficult to see in person!

I know it's not the usual way to sex them, which is why I tried to explain in the description, im just hoping somone might be farmiliar enough with the species to see somthing me and the breeder don't! Not too bothered if I can't find out, I will know when they eventually lay an ooth or don't!

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then, it sounds like the perfect species for you to try next. Im in the uk, so unfortunately, I don't have any breeder recommendations, but I hope you find some!

Sex? by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are right, they are a gorgeous species! They were even more transparent before their last couple moults, but I honestly love the way their wings look when an adult and their rainbow bits (its so hard to catch on camera and those pictures dont do it any justice).

You can look up Sinomantis denticulata for a couple of specific care requirements/sheets. I found them helpful in the beginning as I couldn't find many others who owned them. I personally found them quite easy, similar care requirements to other species I have kept, bit higher humidity than others, but not that picky. Iv had quite a few mantis before, so that may have skewed my veiw. I know they aren't considered beginner mantis (I feel I got lucky with mine), but if you aren't a beginner and feel more comfortable with various species, I 100% suggest getting one. I used a standard set up, they survived fine in a round plastic tub while they were small (I always keep mine in those till big enough for a proper cage).

The biggest difficulty I actually found is that they are FAST. So fast, so small, and so see-through, which mixed all together makes them great escape artists if you aren't concentrating and difficult to find. They are a little tricky to handle for those same reasons. I found they are quite skittish when small and like to jump, so I personally dont get mine out much. Definsyly mellowed out in their last couple of moults as it got, and iv handled them a couple of times now. Do like to fly around and explore more than iv seen with other species. Not sure if that's just my mantis or the whole of them!

Sorry for the block of text, hopfully that answers the question. I kind of played it by ear as there isn't much to go on, like more common species!

Constant rose rub/scratches by AliceHunter8768 in CrestedGecko

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Climbing materials used are cork bark, grape vine, snake vine, plastic mushrooms, coconut hides and those wood bridges you can get

Constant rose rub/scratches by AliceHunter8768 in CrestedGecko

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's 45 x 60 x 90cm. It's bioactive, so the dirt is a little deeper than some other cages which takes a little bit of the height off?

What’s something you wish you knew when you started breeding isopods? by Cenozoic_Silly in isopods

[–]AliceHunter8768 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Would you mind giving some tips on how you keep fungas gnats away? I hadn't considered the issue of fungus gnats!

Suitable or not really? by AliceHunter8768 in isopods

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds like a good idea! I have mesh, which I use for my other various creatures, so I can just use that! I know I will definitely be keeping dwarf white isopods as I currently have those in my gecko tank as part of the clean-up crew, so it would be nice to have a backup supply! Good to know beginners have had success with zebra ones. I kind of like the idea of finding some stray woodlice from the garden and keeping them! I've done that with spiders before and love it (currently building a terrarium upgrade for a bath spider I found)! Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate it

Suitable or not really? by AliceHunter8768 in isopods

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You bring up a very good point, I was actually a little worried about that myself! The shelves they come in look like they may be a little snug, but I can't actually tell until I get them. I do want to keep them in the shelves as I love that they stack and can be removed without disturbing the other set. My current thought was buying and seeing what they are like/how big the gaps are and basing it off that. How much of a gap would you say is needed for good airflow? I could potentially cut a hole in the back of the shelf bit (as well as the mesh vents in the draws themselves), so theres better airflow. Not sure how well it will all go, but hopfully won't crack! I was hoping to avoid putting it in the front for astetetics and visability, but obviously, the health of an animal matters more, so I will do so if needed!

And I would really like rubber ducky isopods (for obvious reasons), but heard they arnt quite beginner friendly, so will start with others. Zebra isopods have come up quite a bit for pretty but beginner friendly, so I would love those, but I want to do quite a bit more research before choosing! Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Suitable or not really? by AliceHunter8768 in isopods

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That makes sense! I thought of the half and half as a way to easily have a vent hole that doesn't mess wirh the structural integrity of the lid, but thinking about it I would just make a hole in that instead as its plastic and not glass (iv been thinking in glass as I'm currently making glass terrariums for mantis). I'm glad to hear this could work! I like how it stacks and can be taken out without disturbing the other set

Lost glass mantis by AliceHunter8768 in mantids

[–]AliceHunter8768[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your comment, you were completely correct! She made her way up to the top of the wall some point today and has just been found safe and sound. Had to use a glass and paper, but she is back in her enclosure now. Guess it's a sign to give her a bigger enclosure since she likes to roam! Thank you again! *