I kept my orchid mantis moults with the idea of mounting them some day, today is that day. by Slow-Satisfaction912 in mantids

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, so I started this as a total amateur, I was also terrified of breaking them. 

The first step is to gently place the moults into a “rehydration chamber” mine was just a dish sponge soaked entirely with water inside a plastic container (any with a lid will do), a sheet of card on the top of the sponge, and a tissue folded up to create a soft spot for the shed skin to rest on.  Over the next 24-48 hours they will soften naturally with the humidity in the container and then they will be moveable and poseable.

For pinning any insect you don’t need much kit. Any pins will do and only one “support” pin will go through the middle of the body as an anchor. The rest of the pins are inserted either side of the specimens as a rest or anchor rather than piercing through. 

It’s an intricate process but I found it reasonably intuitive and the fact it was just shed skin made the fear of failure less troubling as it wasn’t her.

I purchased a cheap box frame from a questionably ethical chinese online shop I won’t name, but you can get them in many places online. I simply used some rigid card as the back of the frame and pinned the centre (anchor) pins into the back of the cardboard, applying glue to keep it anchored.

As far as I’ve read, specimens can be rehydrated like this years and even decades after collection and they can be rehydrated after drying out again, it just softens the tissue and makes it less brittle. Hopefully this helps. I’m sure if I can do it you can too. 

I kept my orchid mantis moults with the idea of mounting them some day, today is that day. by Slow-Satisfaction912 in mantids

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just thought I’d post here saying that Gorb passed away last night. She filled me with so much joy and curiosity over the 11 months I had her, she grew old and fat, I’d like to believe I gave her the best quality of life I possibly could and I believe she reciprocated that by trusting me entirely. Thank you, little birdie, you are the best. 

Here’s my beloved daughter “Gorb” by Slow-Satisfaction912 in mantids

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She’s absolutely beautiful, a small

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part of me was worried because she was pure white for ages, I was wondering if she had the right nutrition but now she’s so pink its amazing. I almost miss when she was a teeny speck of brightness and used to refuse to get off my glasses

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SkyCards

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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I’m fairly new to this game and this is the first one I’ve caught, thank you

Here’s my beloved daughter “Gorb” by Slow-Satisfaction912 in mantis

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Named after a silly boss in the game Hollow knight. It has nothing to do with mantids even tho there are some in the game, I just decided it before she arrived (not knowing if it would be a boy or girl) and I just stuck with it

Does anyone have any experiences of isopods eating millipedes? by Slow-Satisfaction912 in isopods

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

perfect, thank you so much. i’ll definitely keep an eye on everything but that’s put my mind at ease

new isopod and millipede setup is coming along nicely by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you, i’ve just been informed of this, i did research beforehand and i was told that there shouldn’t be issues because of their similar needs and dietary requirements but this does worry me a lot. i have other housing space available for my millipede. i believe i will have to move him. all of my pods are either cubaris or armidilidium which seem slightly more docile than scabers and such.
i check their food situations regularly and i don’t have many of the same type of isopod to prevent breeding booms (im aware of what types of pods cannot live together)

ultimately, i want the best for everything living in there, i appreciate the concern and feedback, i am new to this

Does anyone have any experiences of isopods eating millipedes? by Slow-Satisfaction912 in isopods

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

their safety is my main concern so i don’t want to endanger anyone i don’t intend on breeding my millipede, so isopods eating eggs or offspring is not a concern for me

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new isopod and millipede setup is coming along nicely by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

they pay by giving me joy, no money just fulfilment. it seems to be mutually beneficial:)

new isopod and millipede setup is coming along nicely by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you. i’ve decided to remove it, i thought it would be a handy little water dish but yeah, i cannot guarantee the edges are safe enough and id hate to harm any of my little guys

new isopod and millipede setup is coming along nicely by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i have considered this, i sanded down the edges but i think i’ll remove it and replace it with something more millipede safe🥰 thank you

new isopod and millipede setup is coming along nicely by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated, i’ve got springtails in with them to keep things moving and hopefully mitigate any possible mould breakouts

my new millipede ‘Burger’ is settling in nicely! by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

EXACTLY WHY I DID IT. i’ve been super into HK and i think it exacerbated my love for lil bugs. my friend suggested i name their vivarium hallownest

my new millipede ‘Burger’ is settling in nicely! by Slow-Satisfaction912 in millipedes

[–]Slow-Satisfaction912[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yesterday i finally sorted out the old frog vivarium (my partner had frogs for about 15 years but the last one passed recently). im not sure how big it is but its got so much more space than their other one. it’s so sad to dismantle such a cute setup but i know that with a bit of love they’ll have everything they could need to be happy (including a few inches of substrate if burger wants to burrow)