Just recieved my first peacock....

[BuddhaKiss]

...and what a beauty! I'm still in awe of her colors. WOW! Just figured I'd share some pics. She does have some damage and was wondering if its something I should worry about?

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j165/BuddhaKiss/DSC02419.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j165/BuddhaKiss/DSC02417.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j165/BuddhaKiss/DSC02426.jpg

This is the damaged area I mentioned...looks like she was speared. Is it a big deal? Or would it be fine when she molts.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j165/BuddhaKiss/DSC02429.jpg

I would also like to thank the members of this forum for my new pet. After plenty of reading and viewing some great pics, it made me want to get one of my own.

[T-T-Trigger]

very nice mantis, congratulations :beer:

[Sk8r]

molt should solve it, imho.

[TrappedMetal]

how big is the mantis?
i wouldnt be worried unless this is a large animal that may not moult for six months or so, then id start to worry about infection etc and shell disease. If it is a large animal i would not put it under high lighting. Hopefully roy will see this thread.
James

[BuddhaKiss]

Thanx, she's about 5 inches. I've got some iodine supplements, but a bit leary about dosing it to help induce molting...

[Gonodactylus]

It seems that every month or so someone suggests iodine for inducing molting in stomatopods. There is absolutely no evidence that it helps stomatopods molt and some that it hurts. Normal sea water and a varied diet is all that is necessary for nutritional iodine.

Roy

[BuddhaKiss]

Dont worry, I'm not planning to dose iodine (esp since I don't test for it.) I guess I'll just wait and see how she does.

On another note, I'm very surprised at their level of intelligence. I dropped a zebra hermit crab in and she began to attack it with a flurry of smashes. She didn't do much damage to the shell, so she sat back and waited. Everytime the crab poked out, she would attack it, then pull back and wait. This occurred over and over until the crab lost a claw and about two legs. Later I saw her bury it...figured she was just building a burrow. Later today I saw her dig it up and began whacking at it again. My first guess is she buried it in attempts to smother and kill it, then dig it up for an easier meal...or at least thats what I think. Do peacocks normally display this level of intelligence? Or am I just overplaying it....:D

[VacavilleFC3S]

stomatopods are very smart

[Dunkpv]

let us know if it heals with a molt.