A new face in my collection

[Allthingswithscales]

What's up guys? It's been a little while since I've been here and I figured it would be great to introduce all of you to the newest member of my collection. I went to a local reptile expo today and was specifically looking for one of two types of lizards I've been trying to find for quite a while and while unfortunately I didn't find either of them, it was really fun to see all of the different types of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates people were selling (you should have seen the really tiny pacman frogs they were incredibly cute) and as a plus I was able to come home with something else I've wanted for over a year. This is my new hierodula membranacea or giant Asian mantis! Insects generally don't live very long at all but this one can potentially live up to 16 months I was told. I've done a fair amount of research but still don't know too much about caring for them yet and will have to get more experience. They do seem pretty easy though and I'm very excited. She's still quite small at probably under 2 inches but could potentially reach over 5 inches and really thicken up. They can also change color from time to time and be green, yellow or even brownish so it will be fun to witness that. I'm guessing she's female because her wing length ends before her abdomen while on a male it would extend beyond it though she's small so it's hard to tell yet. There's a few really tiny red runner roach nymphs in there already for her to eat but since she actually just molted I'm going to wait a couple days to personally give her any more food since in tarantulas at least which of course are also arthropods, it's smart to give them a few days before eating following a molt. I'm sure she'll be an amazing predator and mantids act so much like dinosaurs when they eat. They even sort of look it the way they stand! There's also wet paper towel in the bottom for her to get her moisture from but I'm considering also giving her water gel cubes like crickets get. Soon I'm going to put in some twigs, leaves and other decorations for her. I forgot to mention that I specifically chose her among the others because for one thing I liked how bright green she was and secondly since she molted that means she's already on her way to getting bigger. I'm really looking forward to seeing how she progresses and grows!