Keeping Mantids?

nepenthes

Arachnobaron
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Dec 16, 2006
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Any Suggestions? I know that most of them like high humidity. I plan on putting them in a Terrium with some peat at the bottom (keep some humidity in their), a Screen top, and artificial plants, that would stick to the wall. I was gonna get a Fruit fly culture (I have other uses for fruit flys if they get to be to many) flightless ones though, and then move on to meal worms or some crickets?

Sphodromantis lineola though a Hymenopus coronatus (Malaysian Orchid Mantis) would be cool, but the African Mantis is the species I was looking at. I would probably need to get a heater cause I don't have warm enough house usually 68-70*F and tends to be cooler where I keep them (basement).

any suggestions to what I should do?

Thanks for any information. I would like to be able to breed them, but I don't know what the odds of getting a male and female are from a dealer.
 

padkison

Arachnoangel
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Dec 8, 2005
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The below forum is dedicated to mantids and you will find lots of knowledgable people there.

Mantidforum.com

The African Mantis is a good hardy species to start with. African Budwings are also good and have some nice color to them.
 

james41777

Arachnobaron
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Sep 18, 2006
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oh also, (I don't have much exp. so;;)
covering the enclosure with cloth or piece of paper would be good.
 

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
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Something I do to some terrs to keep the humidity up is wrap most of the top with Reynoldswrap and control the part that's open with a piece of plexiglass. Some I have 90% covered with plastic wrap and just leave it that way. Works pretty well. It sure doesn't take much heat to bring up the humidity when they are covered. I've only added water 3 times in one year to one of them that's about 95% covered. I've had a trop centipede in that one for a year now.
 

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
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But don't they need lots of Airflow?
I'd think so. I've never kept exotic mantids. That's the first thing I should have said. I need to be more careful. Just throwing some ideas out there. Maybe you could just cover it halfway or 3/4ths. Maybe you could rig up a little computer fan. On a couple of cages I have, I just randomly throw little squares of Plexiglas on the screen top and leave several open areas but it still helps keep the humidity up. Maybe those ideas won't apply to the sp you are getting, but...maybe:? . I've kept a few locals that way, but that's all. Just some ideas. Hope you get more specific info.
 

odwan

Arachnopeon
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Apr 25, 2005
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11
Don't cover the enclosure. Ventilation is a lot more important to mantis then humidity. People often think that mantis needs high humidity because they cannot drink from water dish and needed to be sprayed every now and then. For Sphodromantis or parasphendale (budwing), spraying every once or twice a week will do.
 

looseyfur

Arachnofur
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Nov 10, 2002
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There is no sence in covering the enclosure in my experience. I have keep mantids even free-range in the house through the better part of the winter (when I lived in boston) and the baseboard heat tended to make the house a bit dry. I just sprayed the plants they hung out on ( a large ficus benjimina ) once a day and they rocked on. Much to my surprise an un-noticed oothacae was laid on that very same plant and at least 70 nymphs were collected by me housed and fed untill the season rolled around and the survivors were let outdoors. Those were happy times... full of flightless fruitflies and loose mantids all over my house.

With more exotic mantids ( keep in mind these were local wildcaught North American sp. ) my advice may be to really dig untill you find detailed caresheets and do your best to follow the humidity requirements one helpful tool is a decent humidity guage you can more then likely score at home depot. If you find you need to match humidity requirements just try misting more frequently vs covering the enclosures.

hope this information is usefull, but bear in mind the source. ie. I dont know everything just what I have had success with.

rock on-

Loosey:?
 

ShadowBlade

Planeswalker
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Apr 1, 2006
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Hymenopus coronatus could be kinda pricey to start with, but its your choice. I started (for exotic sp.) with some young Hierodula parviceps, and they're awesome. About ready to start breeding. :)
 

Mr. Mordax

Arachnoking
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Oct 22, 2006
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My exotic mantids did fine in my apartment's conditions for the most part (until one died mysteriously, possibly leading up to a molt, and another fell during a molt). I misted and they drank the water, but they never had any problems such as getting stuck in their molts or losing limbs. The one that fell just had some deformed wings and a bent leg. She lived to a ripe old age of 9 months.

I'd give them something to hang from. Unless you're getting a ground-dwelling species, they like to hang upside down most of the time. It's also how they molt.

If you get a laid-back individiual, it may not even need a cage. My Hierodula grandis lived on my palm tree from shortly after her final molt until she died of old age.

One more tip: avoid overfeeding. It's pretty easy with some species.
 

Wade

Arachnoking
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Aug 16, 2002
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Many mantids will drop dead if kept in humid cages with limited airflow. For some reason, adults are even more vulnarable to this. Especially the orchids, they have a reputation for dying in anything other than a fully screened cage!

I recently switched to keeping mantids in homemade cages made from aluminum screen. Longevity has improved dramatically. I mist lightly every couple of days.

Wade
 
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