Are you allowed to keep these?

gothsinpink

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
33
I recently just watched a video on www.youtube.com of a guy feeding a locust to his praying mantis and it was pretty cool and all but I thought these were endangered? Are you allowed to have one as a pet? I'd love to have one but I don't know anything about them lol Just was wondering if these was legal or not? :D
 

cricket54

Arachnoangel
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Dec 27, 2003
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When I moved to NJ, and had found one from in front of my house, my neighbor told me that too. I thought they were protected in only certain states like PA. If you find one outside, I don't see how it could hurt if you keep it a while in the house and feed it. They are such facinating insects! I do know that you can buy all kinds of different ones over the internet from archnodealers and I have seen baby ones sold at Reptile Shows. I've never bought one myself because their lifespan is just so short. Have collected their "egg sacks" (forget the correct name) and kept them in jars outside till they hatched, then released the babies, for yrs ever since I was a little girl.

Sharon
 

lucanidae

Arachnoprince
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Jan 15, 2006
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mantis

I wasn't able to view the video, but if it was the Chinese Green mantis you find in the U.S especially the Northeast then it is definetly not endangered. I've heard this rumor MANY times. They are actually an introduced species and doing quite well, so well in fact that they are becoming pests in some areas because they eat all of the good insects as well. If it was a different mantis I can tell you that currently none are listed on the ESA and so they are not protected in the US.

ootheca is the name of the egg sac, just like a cockroach. Cockroaches and Manti are very very closley related orders, kinda dissapointing huh?
 
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Scythemantis

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Feb 27, 2005
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499
It's actually a complete urban legend that mantids are endagered or that they are protected under any laws for any reason.

cricket54 said:
Yeah it is disappointing that they are related.

Sharon
Why? Roaches are awesome animals, and I prefer to think of Mantids as sleek, predatory roaches.
 

MsDemeanor

Arachnosquire
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Mar 4, 2005
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100
I picked up an ootheca at our local flower show here in Boston and it's inthe fridge waiting for April 1. Hopefully around 30 days ish after that I will have a bunch of mantids for the garden and for my collection :D


 

Peter_Parker

Arachnobaron
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Sep 5, 2005
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lucanidae said:
ootheca is the name of the egg sac, just like a cockroach. Cockroaches and Manti are very very closley related orders, kinda dissapointing huh?
Aren't mantids and roaches both in the order Dictyoptera? Suborders mantodea and blattodea?
 

lucanidae

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Jan 15, 2006
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1,081
Nope, Mantids are order Mantodea and Roaches are order Blattodea, definetly not suborders anymore, although at one point they were.
 
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