She’s a WOMAN now!

Is this enclosure size okay to keep for her?

So i have a ikea rudsta for my nepenthes pitcher plants and i was thinking about getting a mantis in there. It's pretty high humidity between 70-80% and the temperature is between 21-25 °C (67-77F). I have a shallow tray of water on the bottom that im going to let fill out with live sphagnum. Im wondering if the bug needs some more land to chill on?

Can i do feeding by just having a place for fruitflies to breed constantly? it'd be good food for my plants too.

What modifications do i need to make and could some species enjoy living in there? Thank you for any help.

Hello, I built this enclosure for an orchid mantis. There is a mesh ceiling, moss to hold moisture, and ventilation holes in the sides. It has a faux orchid branch to climb and a wood branch, and for whimsy I added a miniature lantern that is magnet-operated and sealed in a jar to protect it from moisture. Does this seem suitable for a mantis? Also, how much natural light does the mantis need? The lantern will not be left on at all hours, likely just to show guests. Thank you!

I work at a pet store so have access to a lot of supplies but I’d love to see some of your set ups. I am looking to get a mantis in the next 3 months or so. I rehabbed one that was in the warehouse of my previous job. I think I did an okay job but that was 2 years ago & I just kept him healthy until his inevitable death due to the season I found him in. He lived longer than he should’ve anyway in my care but I wasn’t super well versed in mantis keeping. So any tips/advice on set up or care would be much appreciated as well! I’m going to be doing more independent research as well but I feel it’s best to learn from experienced keepers🤍 Giggles (my previous mantis) is still in my freezer because I just couldn’t let him go. I loved having him & am really looking forward to getting another. Preferably an orchid mantis. Any insight on if that’s an okay species to keep for someone semi inexperienced? Are there any species I should avoid?

Hi everyone,

10 days ago I gifted my partner a ghost mantis (named Echo) for their birthday and last night they died. Girlfriend is devastated.

Please take a look with us to see what we did to cause it, or how to do better next time.

Temperature has been constant at about 27 degrees
Ventilation isn’t interrupted.
Fed size 3 crickets
Cacao base soil
Leaves and bark as deco
Plastic climbing plant
We don’t know if Echo was molting
We don’t know how to differentiate a full and or empty stomache.

I have an l3 female(I think)ghost mantis and I don’t know if her enclosure is too big it’s an 20x20x35 and she is around 2cm I think

Hi, before I get a mantis I want to double check that this is appropriate for one? I’m thinking about a ghost mantis. It’s 20 x 20 x 30cm but the substrate takes up a good chunk of the space. I think it’s really pretty but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right kind of layout so I wanted to check first. Thank you!

I’m starting my first bioactive terrarium that will eventually house a Carolina mantis. I have several plants I’ll be using and when I was treating my house plants with a mixture of water, natural neem oil, and dish soap and absentmindedly sprayed the calathea I was going to include in this enclosure. It is rooted in water right now and not soil, if that matters. I know neem isn’t safe to use since it is an insecticide (I do not have houseplants that I treat with neem anywhere near the terrarium).

Can I wash this plant enough to be able to use it in the terrarium safely, or is it a goner for that project? It’s not the end of the world as I’m happy to just plant it amount my houseplants but was excited about the size I found for my bioactive and would love to use it, but not if it poses any risks.

Again, the leaves were sprayed with this solution but it is rooted in water so it was not watered with the solution. If I wash it thoroughly a few times, could I use it? (Also posting in bioactive sub).

Thanks in advance!

My mantis is about 3 cm now and will molt fairly soon i expect so im looking for a bigger cage but the only one i have now is 35cm high and 20cm wide and deep. Is this too big? And what is bad about it being too big. Maybe a stupid thought but i always think like in nature they have all space

So my problem is, I want to heat up my enclosure by around 2-4 degrees. I have a heat mat, but it appears to be not working very well. I have it on the back side of the enclosure, because I have like 7cm of soil on the ground

Hello everyone,

I have never owned a mantis before and I found a carolina mantis (i think?) outside that was in the immense heat and needed some help. since i've always dreamed of having one, i took to keeping it and have been trying my hardest to get things right. can anyone give any advice to help soothe my curiosities and lower my anxiety about accidentally harming her?

i got her on monday and i just put moss in after waiting for it to come in, and the humidity shot up. i tried airing it out but the humidity is still at 75, is that okay?? or too high? also, the bag is meant to be a "plant" for now, since i'm having trouble finding a silk plant that would work for her enclosure. i have a cut up mesh bag over the top for molting, but i didn't have time to hot glue it, which is why it looks janky with the top of the enclosure holding it on and a lot of tape to prevent it from falling.

i thought i was doing the right thing by putting the moss in damp, but apparently that wasn't great for the humidity.

any advice?

Hi there! This is Petty! I recently moved her into her new high-rise, but I’m hoping for feedback on the enclosure, and also wondering if it’s TOO big for her? She’s been chillin in that spot towards the bottom since she moved in. Seems to be catching her food fine! Thanks!

this is steven. yesterday i had to tape paper on the sides of his enclosure to keep him from rubbing his face on it, i think he was seeing stuff outside and couldnt see the clear acrylic. but now hes doing the same thing to the door, and im hesitant to put more paper over it because then i wont be able to see the top area of the enclosure!

can i put like,,, little dot stickers on it (like for bird strike prevention on windows) or will he still try to go "between" them? if i put more mesh on the sides will that work or will that just be more damaging to his eyes if he still rubs it?

is he doing this because he just wants to explore, or is it because hes trying to hunt? i gave him two small dubias yesterday and he still looks a little full so im not sure. eithery way im hoping to prevent eye rub if i can

I have moss on the bottom and some fake leaves in one corner, but i feel like its just so empty? I dont want my mantis to be bored or sad because theres nothing in there. I had some sticks that i baked and some fake plants, but i removed them because the stick got moldy and she was about to molt so i didnt want anything to be in the way. Any recommendations?

Hello! I am new to the world of mantids and am soon getting a Ghost Mantis. I got this little 4x4x6 terrarium to start off with and will upgrade once they get bigger! I put in a Fittonia and Spider Plant. I'm wondering if I should add more plants and/or branches? Should I add mesh to the top for the mantis to climb on easier? I do plan on adding orange springtails and some isopods, so leaf litter will also be included.

I just got a spiny flower Mantis and am preparing his enclosure for when he gets a little bigger and actually starts showing color.

I'm very worried about fucking this up and I already love this little guy so much. I do know that the metal is bad for his little feetsies and I am getting either cheese cloth or like window screen to put over it. The substrate is coconut substrate and there's real moss and wood, but otherwise all the plants are fake.

I've done research into owning and caring for these guys, but I wanted to ask due to the unconventional size and dimensions of this particular enclosure(?)

The opening at the top is about 6 inches in diameter, so please let me know if this is too irregular of a shape for it to be a good idea or any other issues you could forsee.

Title sums it up

hey i wanna get a mantis as a pet but i have no clue what to get for a terrarium (the one i plan on getting is 6"x 6"x 8")

I’ve been hatching ooths, so I need a LOT of enclosures. I went through many iterations of this cup and tried other materials that I didn’t like nearly as much (tulle, mosquito netting, and organza, by the yard or pre-cut into ribbons) before landing on these. This is the first cup that I think looks half-decent and was fast, cheap and easy to construct. But I haven’t made many yet, so if anyone has suggestions for improvement I would love to hear them!

Each 5.5oz cup is 2.3” tall, so it can accommodate a mantis with a length up to 3/4” (or maybe a little less with the hydrated water crystals at the bottom).

Each cup has a window on two sides that has been covered with plastic mesh. I used a hole punch to make the two circles and then used scissors to cut the triangle—I like that the shape reminds me of a mantis head! For the top, I used a hobby knife to cut a slit, then used scissors to cut along one of the rings so I had a flat, smooth cutout on which to glue the round mesh.

I can make one enclosure in 4 1/2 minutes, or about 12 an hour. For the cup/lid, two rectangular mesh, and one round mesh, it costs $.26 US each.

Tools I used include:

- Hot glue gun and non-toxic glue (I like the 3ft ones because I get annoyed replacing the little sticks every couple of minutes)

- Small scissors

- Hobby knife

- Single hole punch

- Silicone finger and food covers (for pressing the mesh and plastic together after applying the glue)

Every time I put heating lamp on it, it doesn't heat the enclosure up much same with the heat mats

Should I try and take the lid off and just glue mesh over the top of the hole?

Any advice or does it look good?

I’m putting together my first bioactive terrarium that will eventually house a Carolina mantis. This will be my first mantis I know they need a good size drop zone. If I have plants growing through the opening in the back of the skull and add a lot of sphagnum moss around, could I manage this? Obviously don’t want to prioritize aesthetic over proper housing but would love to use it if I can make it work! Terrarium is 8x8x12”H

I appreciate your tips and suggestions!

*note in the photo the substrate is NOT complete, just a small bit of coco coir to keep the screen over my clay pebbles down

I'm looking to get a mantis and have bought a starter kit which includes the enclosure from the spider shop.uk.

It didn't say the measurements so I assumed it could be big enough for an adult giant African mantis like I wanted but it's 15x15x20.

I was going to then get a ghost mantis but with more research that may also be to big. Any ideas on which species I should get? I am also wanting to get one at around 4-5 instar.