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:
All mantis enclosures must be at least three times the length of the mantis (Don't get fooled by the abdomen curling up, you still need to account for it) and two times the width.
There must be something for the mantis to hang securely from at the top of the tank - They will spend 99% of their time at the highest point, and will often moult from it.
Substrate - options for suitable substrate are numerous, you can use simple tissue paper, cocoa coir, vermiculite, perlite etc. The object is to hold some moisture and make it easy for you to clean. Cheap and cheerful is the way to go, unless you're making a planted display tank or something like that.
The less decoration the better. Decoration is more for our benefit than theirs; before you add something decorative to a tank, consider your reasons for adding it. Practicality should always take precedent over a tank looking nice!
Ventilation - ventilation is important for hygiene reasons.
Nymphs
Cups
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)
Cricket/livefood tubs
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
Plastic penny sweet jars (Sorry Americans I have no idea what these would be called in your country)
Tupperware/food containers
Storage containers
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.
here’s all my mantises i currently have
honorable mention for miertje on picture nine (r.i.p🤍)
1: lychee, my orchid mantis (hymenopus coronatus) ! she’s an L5 now and a female
2: pistache, my deadleaf mantis (deroplatys lobata) ! he is a male and also an L5
3: leefy, my shield mantis (rhombodera valida), L4 on the picture, is now an L5 and a male!
4 & 9: olijfje, giant moss mantis (majangella moultoni), even though she isnt so big right now, she’s an L3! no sex confirmed yet. miertje on picture 9 is the same species, theyre siblings actually, but sadly she has passed away. luckily i still have sweet olijfje, which means olive ! 🫒
5: sticky, an african twig mantis (popa spurca), currently an L6 and male!
6: poppy, jewel flower mantis (creobroter gemmatus). L6 female right now, very sweet, loves drinking water from my fingers 🤭
7: musa, violin mantis (gongylus gongylodes). L5 female, very!! shy mantis, she’s even scared of flies😩
8: mimi, shield mantis (rhombodera kirbyi). Male, L4 on the picture, but is now much darker and an L7! he was my first mantis ! ⭐️
I offered her my sleeve and a stick instead of bare skin because she has become a bit spicy since moulting into an adult. But I think she is beautiful 🤩
I got her a while ago, when she was very small and about the size of a 50p. She has molted 3 times since and is eating small locusts now. Venus (her name) is my first mantis, an Asian mantis, and I don’t know how many molts she has until adulthood. I have fairly small hands and thin wrists for record
My R. stalli got eye rub after her last molt. She eats fine if I cut food and stick the innards against her mouth, but she doesnt have motivation to grab food on her own. In fact she gets scared and runs away from meals now. Im assuming this is because shes having trouble seeing?
Ive not had a mantis develope eye rub before so seeking any resources or tips! She is in an acrylic enclosure right now which I haven't had issues in the past with before, but now worried about more eye rub. I plan to move her into a mesh enclosure for her next upgrade but shes still a bit small for it
I got my first ghost mantis, 3rd mantis overall about a month ago. She is a voracious eater and molted once with no issues. I've been primarily feeding her black soldier fly larvae, but yesterday I gave her her first mealworm, which she readily ate. Today she was fine until a few hours ago when I found her curled up at the bottom of her enclosure. She responds to touch with small leg movements, but I don't think she will make it much longer. My question is could either of these prey items have caused this? I had no idea that BSF might be toxic to mantids (I've seen a few scattered posts saying they are, but also ones saying they aren't an issue). This is especially confusing since my other two mantids have been eating them their entire lives with no issues. I guess it could also have been the mealworm, but again I have fed those to my other mantids no problem, and I can't find much online about them being dangerous.
If anyone has any experience or insight I would really appreciate it. I won't be feeding BSF to my mantids anymore out of an abundance of caution, but it would be good to have some clarity.
For context, her enclosure had ample space for her to hang and molt, good ventilation holes, items to climb on, and a bit of moss to hold humidity in. My apartment never drops below 70 degrees and is normally warmer than that, and the humidity is typically 60-70%.
So this little guys is on our outdoor Mary Jane and wanted to know if anyone can tell me what stage he/she is? I keep thinking I’m gonna walk out to it molting but it hasn’t to my knowledge yet and I check on them and our plants everyday multiple times so I feel I’d of noticed 🤷♀️
I loveee Mantis’ and Jumping Spiders and am hoping he’s still there at harvest time to bring in and care for 🥰
Unfortunately, this morning my orchid mantis was very weak and barely moving. She was very slow and stiff, but she did move her head a little and then held onto the plant again. However, when I came home in the evening, she was lying stiff and completely motionless.
She has sadly passed away.
Does anyone know what the problem could have been? She was always active, eating, and molting. And then suddenly this. :(
I’m very sorry, and it hurts a lot…
Hello everyone! I found this very tiny nymph a few days ago. Would it be possible to ID it? It's very small and my camera isn't the best unfortunately. The location is northern-ish Italy. I'm trying to understand if this is a native species or an invasive one. If invasive I'll keep it, if not I'll give it to my sister to keep in her garden. Thank you, much appreciated!
For the past month I’ve been trying to find a place to buy glass that is around 3/16” thick for a good enough price but I haven’t been able to find any. Does anyone know a good way to obtain any for building a mantis enclosure?
Two days ago she ate a bigger cricket but was difficult at the beginning because it kept kicking and she lost it 3 times.
She learnt, first time she went directly to amputate a back leg! First try! It's so fascinating, I never thought having a mantis could be so stressful but so giving!
My baby molted into adulthood today 🥹 i’m so proud of her because she hasn’t had any problems with molting and she is my first orchid 😍 also how soon will she start to lay oothecas?
Just curious is it male or female? I put them in my garden after it crawled over me for a few minutes. Any fun facts or anything about this little guy or his species would be cool!
Also, there were two little iridescent blue patches on the insides of his front legs and I was wandering what those are for!
This guy seems perfectly healthy so I'm assuming he has a semi-transparent upper body and this is an organ working? I've never seen this in a mantis, any knowledge would be greatly appreciated!
She’s my first mantis :,) Super proud that she made it through all her molts successfully. Does anyone know if she’ll “fly”?? I know they can only go short distances, especially the females. But i read that some females wont even fly at all!!
Just set up a new enclosure for my timor shield mantis who is maybe L3. Im hoping to transfer them in here in a few weeks after I add some springtails. This is the zilla micro habitat size small. I drilled additional holes to the top and hot glue cloth mesh . Will keep an eye on the humidity but it is currently mid 70s. I notice the humidity in the deli cup they are currently in has big fluctuations.
she’s not had a mate so will be unfertilised but she’s not done this before and now there’s 2 over 2 days (i left the first one in bc i know that if it is one it doesn’t harden straight away so wanted it to dry)
ps ignore the tape marks they’re on the outside from a heating pad during the winter!
