She lives on! We've had her for several weeks and she is still doing well. We have been feeding her crickets and bugs from the store and those that we can find. We were at a birthday party on a Sunday and the host was sending everyone home with bags of food. I gracefully declined the leftovers, but I did ask to take home the praying mantis they had on the outside of their kitchen window. Odd request, I know, but Millie does appreciate a variety. I captured it in a cup and covered it with Saran wrap; it sat on the counter awaiting a gruesome fate. When we got home, I lowered the cup into the cage and slowly pulled the wrap off. Mille had grabbed it up in no time. She is an amazing insect. We watcher her chew the other mantis right in half with a macabre fascination. It has been like our own National Geographic special in the kitchen. She had been pretty voracious.
When I came home from the last night of conferences she was finishing laying her egg sac, which is called an ootheca. If, big if, she was involved with a mantis prior to being caught these may be fertilized eggs. If so, they will hatch in 24 to 48 days. There could be hundreds of them. Unless they separate them, they will eat each other until one remains. Hmm, kind of like "Survivor."
Everything we read said she would die shortly after laying the eggs. However, as the post started out, she lives on. I think that because she is in a warm climate with food and water she might last a little longer than normal. It will be interesting to see. We have been forgetting to go to the pet store, so I spent some time looking under the stepping stones in our yard with a fork in hand. I found a worm, which I wasn't sure if she would eat, but I rinsed it off and offered it to her. Snapped up and eaten within ten minutes. I also found a large creepy centipede. I was able to flip it onto it's back, scooped it up, and brought it in. I was very careful not to drop it because I do despise centipedes! Millie has gotten used to me lowering sacrificial offerings into her cage. She is not put out by the fork in the least. She was quite delighted with the crawly creature. It will be interesting to see how things progress; I will of course keep you posted!
When I came home from the last night of conferences she was finishing laying her egg sac, which is called an ootheca. If, big if, she was involved with a mantis prior to being caught these may be fertilized eggs. If so, they will hatch in 24 to 48 days. There could be hundreds of them. Unless they separate them, they will eat each other until one remains. Hmm, kind of like "Survivor."
Everything we read said she would die shortly after laying the eggs. However, as the post started out, she lives on. I think that because she is in a warm climate with food and water she might last a little longer than normal. It will be interesting to see. We have been forgetting to go to the pet store, so I spent some time looking under the stepping stones in our yard with a fork in hand. I found a worm, which I wasn't sure if she would eat, but I rinsed it off and offered it to her. Snapped up and eaten within ten minutes. I also found a large creepy centipede. I was able to flip it onto it's back, scooped it up, and brought it in. I was very careful not to drop it because I do despise centipedes! Millie has gotten used to me lowering sacrificial offerings into her cage. She is not put out by the fork in the least. She was quite delighted with the crawly creature. It will be interesting to see how things progress; I will of course keep you posted!