Need help with killer mantis...?'s on trapping method

[relish]

We have heard clicking from our new TBS rock for about a month or so now. We took out the rock we knew the sound was coming from, but couldn't ever find anything so we thought it must be pretty small. Then not two minutes (literally) before we were leaving to go to the airport to go away last weekend I looked in the tank to find this 2 1/2" to 3" mantis hanging out on a rock as if to say haha you don't have time to catch me now! We got back from our trip and tried to catch him with the bottle trap. (He's now very visible and out quite frequently. I think he's been hungry?!) Unfortunately all we found/caught was a dead peppermint shrimp. I think the mantis crawled in there and attacked the peppermint, ate the bait, and then was long/tall enough to reach the opening and crawl back out. My question is does anyone think a 2 liter bottle would work? It has a bigger circumference so maybe he wouldn't be able to reach the hole and crawl out again? Any other suggestions? It would be hard for me to get him by taking the rocks out as it appears he now has at least 2 exits from every rock and is very fast!! We've also tried poking at the hole he is in with a metal coat hanger to get him angry enough to leave, but he is very stubborn! Any help would be greatly appreciated we really want to get him out before we add anything else to the tank! Thanks.

[traveller7]

They are also very smart.

Don't train him that you are the enemy, they are wary enough.

2 liter bottle should work, BUT you will need to remove it pretty quickly and hence catch him in the act. I have not had great luck with the method, but others have so it is worth a shot.

Good luck.

[surfingelite]

what does it look like? would you be willing to send it to me...i will pay for shipping... if you dont want it

[Aquakeeper]

U can try the DIY or StoreBought Traps but I have found that they are usually to smart for that or it takes days b4 they actually come out to check it out.

If its possible u can take out the rock peice by peice and do a freshwater dip on it and it will fall out of the rock. If u can find its favorite peice or somthing then it will be easier to take that rock and dip it rather then all of the rock.

[relish]

Thanks for the info. After a few attempts we caught him with only the net! Go figure. He was just hanging out on the bottom and I trapped him between the net and the glass. Sorry surfingelite, I had already promised him to someone locally. If I find anymore I will keep you in mind.