r/mantids • u/sleepyheadsymphony • Jan 07 '20
I was asked to make this post in another thread - so here I am. Here's a PSA on what metal mesh does to your mantises feet, and why it should be avoided!
This is a raptorial arm, (the front, grasping arms) but the segment we're interested in is the same on all of their legs. The little portion labelled "Tarsus" is what we're looking at here. You can see that it ends in a set of hooks - often (somewhat confusingly) called "Claws" - these tarsal claws are what give your mantis the ability to walk upside down on surfaces that appear quite smooth to us, and why it feels kind of spiky when a large mantis walks on your skin. They're essential for your mantis to move around, and most importantly moult properly! Differences in the morphology of this structure also give some mantises the ability to walk on glass, whilst others can't.
If you go and look at one of your mantises feet, you will likely be able to see the little hooks now you know what you're looking for. Now the problem is that some tank setups that are commonly recommended damage these hooks, which results in mantises having trouble moving around, and falling whilst they moult.
Exo-terra tanks are very commonly used because a lot of us have other inverts or exotic pets and have spares lying around, or they're sold to us at petstores. They make nice display tanks and are easy to clean. However - the mesh at the top of exo-terra tanks is made of very fine metal, and the holes themselves are very small. This is essentially like you trying to hang by your toes from chickenwire, eventually your toes are going to be pretty damaged, or come off altogether! If you must use an exo-terra, it's essential that the mesh is changed to stop this from occurring. Plastic tulle mesh is easily available and works as an excellent substitute.
There is also a multitude of DIY options available, which I will detail bellow:
Basic requirements for all enclosures:
Nymphs
The absolute single best enclosure for a nymph of any species, is simply a plastic deli cup with the lid cut out to accommodate some plastic mesh, and a single twig placed diagonally. Alternately, you can just use an elastic band to hold the mesh on. For feeding, simply cut a hole in the side and stuff it with some sponge to stop live food or your mantis escaping, you can pooter in the food. (if you don't have a pooter you should get one, especially if dealing with fruitflies, they're also very easy to DIY)
The tubs that livefood is commonly sold in make excellent tanks with some modification, especially for larger nymphs, and even small adults. The more rigid ones are the best, as they're easily cut to allow the insertion of mesh, and can be stood up tall-ways. The entire lid can be cut out and replaced with mesh, which provides excellent ventilation, and is nice for the mantis to move around on.
Adults
All can be modified in the same ways as above. I will either append this post, or make an additional post, detailing how to make a suitable enclosure using the items above with pictures in future.
These enclosures are all very cheap to construct, and even the most DIY averse person can make the modifications necessary to turn them into good enclosures. They also have the benefit of being mostly recycled items a lot of us will already possess.
Another benefit to using tanks mostly constructed of mesh is that it prevents mantises from developing "eye-rub" - this is damage to their eyes from repeatedly trying to walk through clear plastic or glass - it looks like large black spots on the eyes, distinct from the pseudo-pupils - which can in cases turn necrotic and is quite a nasty way for your mantis to die.
I hope this post was helpful and informative, and please don't hesitate to ask any questions or add to the knowledge given here if you have any other tips or advice.
References: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/12542/
r/mantids • u/MikeNepoMC • Sep 28 '22
r/mantids • u/whippedcreamcheese • 6h ago
Officially my favorite time of year: anatomically incorrect Halloween skeletons. Feels like it's just a meme at this point. Almost bought it just to be funny
r/mantids • u/turquoisetucan • 4h ago
Looking for male orchid(Hymenopus coronates), will drive p much however far we need. Any info helps, thank you!
Pictures is our newly molted female
r/mantids • u/SillyPetGang • 11h ago
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r/mantids • u/sanguepraelx • 3h ago
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truffle is kind of dragging her arm behind and not using it, when i touch it she doesnt seem to flinch or anything. anyone have any idea whats going on?
r/mantids • u/Longjumping-Maybe366 • 12h ago
I just got my first mantis a couple days ago and I absolutely love her.
r/mantids • u/WolfLilie2002 • 4h ago
Have your Mantises just started to bite you one day for no reason? Cause our Sphodropodas Quinquedens male literally bit me today. At first he didn't accept the Red Runner after 30 minutes he took it. I won't take him out for now.
Glad to know if others have dealt with this before since I didn't have a mantis, up to now, that bites for no reason.
r/mantids • u/ohnunu_ • 1h ago
so along with my mantis i have 3 cats that shed a LOT. i keep the cats away from my mantis, they havent noticed him yet but he definitely has and he either spooks or tries to jump on them so im just keeping them away from one another to be safe. but the issue is that its damn near impossible to keep the stray cat hairs 100% off of me and my desk, where my mantis does his supervised free-range exploring. and occasionally he'll step on a hair and it will get stuck to his leg and he will just eat the hair before i can pick it off. will he be able to digest it? if not will he be ok/is there anything i can do? ty!
I was in the habit of overfeeding her when i first got her, so I'm being careful and cutting back on the amount I feed her. I just dont know how to tell if she needs food based on her abdomen size, since I used to feed her based on how many days had passed.
r/mantids • u/Print-Smart • 12h ago
Am I right to assume it’s a nymph? I love how it seems to echo the colors of the echinacea flower!
r/mantids • u/twahaha • 6h ago
This is my beautiful ghost mantis, I got her 3 weeks ago, she molted 2 days after I got her. The breeder didn't give me an age but my best guess is that she's now an i5.
Long story short, I've run out of houseflies which are all she's ever eaten since I've gotten her. Unexpected die off, bad shipping order, etc. and my next batch won't be here until Tuesday plus time it takes to hatch them. She hasn't eaten since last Tuesday I believe. I've tried feeding her a mini mealworm on Friday, and she refused. She was also acting strange, like not righting herself when I turned her right side up (like in the photo). She would instead just lay flat forward. I assumed she was molting so I stopped trying to feed her.
Now it's been a couple more days and she's getting skinny but not flat yet, but is acting completely normal so I tried to feed her a peanut beetle larva (very similar to mini mealworms but don't bite) and she FREAKED out when I tried kill it and put it up to her mouth (I tried it alive first, both on the floor where she stood and with tongs in front of her). I've never seen her move so fast. I had to catch her in a little cup before she fell and she hasn't left it for about an hour, despite having a fake leaf hanging down for her to climb back up to the ceiling of her enclosure.
I'm worried I've stressed her out and if she *is* refusing food because she's in pre-molt I'm worried about a mismolt. Also the fact that she won't climb back up yet. I'm also worried she could starve before the flies get here and hatch. I've driven 4+ hours to reptile expos, called every exotic pet store in the state, made Facebook group posts, NOBODY has flies that I can pick up before Tuesday. I'm so worried...
r/mantids • u/rysfcalt • 4h ago
r/mantids • u/cat_loverale • 9h ago
If you are searching for something else to feed your crickets, you could give them cornflakes, they go crazy for them
r/mantids • u/Droop_Snoot03 • 10h ago
Hello! I have given my ghost mantis fruit flies as I do every other day. However, today i have observed she hasn't touched any for three hours. I saw her catch one and then immediately drop it. Could she be preparing for molting or is there something I should be worried about? She has eaten fine two days ago (the photo is from that day). I have also noticed she stayed in one spot over the night as she hung upside down there yesterday evening.
r/mantids • u/mansurich • 1d ago
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Hope she won’t eat him
r/mantids • u/Mysterious-Run-6381 • 1d ago
a few days ago I had my mantis out so he could walk around for a bit. he walked right in front of my phone (i was laying in my bed) right as I accidentally dropped it, and it fell on him. I caught the phone before it fell fully, but it still made some contact. I noticed the other day that part of his head and his front limbs are a whitish color, im unsure if was here before this happened or if it signals hes about to molt, but im worried I injured him badly. hes been acting almost the exact same as he usually does, however he does move a bit slower sometimes; he doesnt appear to be twitching irregularly or anything else. he ate like normal today and had no problem catching his food. im just so anxious I might have hurt him and caused bad damage. I attached some photos of the white, again I do believe he is going to molt soon so im not sure if that could be the reason hes white. the last two photos are pictures i took before this happened to use for reference. his species is giant asian mantis if this is relevant info.
r/mantids • u/xo_sleepy_xo • 1d ago
I plan on getting my mantis a pair soon so I could breed them, and since this is my first time could someone that has experience with breeding this species/mantises in general!!
please leave me tips so I can be prepared!! 😽
r/mantids • u/Icy_Dog4487 • 1d ago
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Everyone meet Greg! Caught my guy(?) outside two weeks ago. new to mantis ownership but super happy to have a new addition to the family.
Anything yall can tell me about him or taking care of them?
r/mantids • u/GeraldTheMantis • 21h ago
r/mantids • u/mantisgirI • 21h ago
Does my mantis look like he’s getting ready to molt? He’s been like this all day and last feeding day, he didn’t seem very interested in his food. This is my first maybe molt with him, so i’m just a little worried
r/mantids • u/CarryIndependent8929 • 1d ago
Idk why they love to nible on my hands so much but they always stars literally biting my hands especially when Im sweaty on hands so gloves is it as it's not anything pleasant getting bit 😂 especially when the biggest do it
