Problems with mantis

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
Hello ice got a giant Asian mantis at home and be dosent seem to be doing to well he hasn’t eaten for three days and seems very weak I know this could be because of molt but when I went to feed him today he seemed to freak out and launch himself onto the floor where he fell on his back I flipped him over and put him back in the enclosure I really need some help here i dont know what to do to help him if you have any information it would really help thanks
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
1,007
Hello ice got a giant Asian mantis at home and be dosent seem to be doing to well he hasn’t eaten for three days and seems very weak I know this could be because of molt but when I went to feed him today he seemed to freak out and launch himself onto the floor where he fell on his back I flipped him over and put him back in the enclosure I really need some help here i dont know what to do to help him if you have any information it would really help thanks
Give me a detailed description of care and let me see his enclosure. He may be prepping for a molt, only feed him when he is thin also.
 

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
Give me a detailed description of care and let me see his enclosure. He may be prepping for a molt, only feed him when he is thin also.
He is fed and his enclosure is sprayed every other day he is currently eating small crickets and before that he was on fruit flies I’ll send a photo of enclosure as soon as I can I’m away for the day I’m thinking it may be because of the temperature in my house and maybe it’s to cold for him I’m not sure I’ll attach the latest photo I have of him but it was taken on the 9th
 

Attachments

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
He is fed and his enclosure is sprayed every other day he is currently eating small crickets and before that he was on fruit flies I’ll send a photo of enclosure as soon as I can I’m away for the day I’m thinking it may be because of the temperature in my house and maybe it’s to cold for him I’m not sure I’ll attach the latest photo I have of him but it was taken on the 9th
I also have a small ghost mantis I recently bought but he seems to be completely fine I know there’s not a lot I can do but if it’s something I’m doing wrong I want to correct it
 

basin79

ArachnoGod
Active Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
5,893
He is fed and his enclosure is sprayed every other day he is currently eating small crickets and before that he was on fruit flies I’ll send a photo of enclosure as soon as I can I’m away for the day I’m thinking it may be because of the temperature in my house and maybe it’s to cold for him I’m not sure I’ll attach the latest photo I have of him but it was taken on the 9th
Enclosure looks awful if that's pretty much what it all looks like. No where near enough height of that lip is towards the top. Mantids need 3x their length in height to moult. So a mantis that is 2 inches long would need at least 6 inches in height.

Mantids also need something secure to climb on and moult from. Be it mesh sides/roof or a branch etcetera.

I don't bother with substrate, I use kitchen towel that I dampen. It's very easy to clean the enclosure out that way as mantids are messy.
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
5,275
Do you know what the actual species is for your 'Asian Mantid'?
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
5,275
It’s an H. membranacea
I was assuming it was that Hierodula but I wasn't sure, and didn't want to assume, I don't rarely see it referred to as just Asian Mantis, but rather Giant Asian Mantid. Theres quite a few different Asian mantids lol.

Now that that is out of the way, the enclosure is definitely not suitable, they need more ventilation, spraying every other day in a closed enclosure like that may likely be way too much humidity. IME I kept my Hierodula's not super high humidity, but in mesh walled cages but spraying daily to allow them to drink. That worked for me! and kept a decent amount in without too much. They come from more humid environments then that but with much more ventilation. Kinda like the avic situation. That's my experience though maybe yours is different though, id be interested to hear.

Also @MrGhostMantis its a little blurry to tell exactly but it looks like its a male with 8 segments. What do you think?
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
5,610
He is fed and his enclosure is sprayed every other day he is currently eating small crickets and before that he was on fruit flies I’ll send a photo of enclosure as soon as I can I’m away for the day I’m thinking it may be because of the temperature in my house and maybe it’s to cold for him I’m not sure I’ll attach the latest photo I have of him but it was taken on the 9th
Don't feed it crickets.
 

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
Thanks for all the replies the mantis enclosure is definitely three times the mantis length that picture only shows the corner of the enclosure but I’ll get a mesh one is thats recommend if someone could send me a link to a good one that would be appreciated it is a male from what I can tell and he does get sprayed two times a day
 

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
also if anyone has any good enclosures for ghost mantis would you be able to send a link for that to mines still very small at the moment and is having no issues but I would like to get him a better enclosure as he molts thanks
 

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
A 32 oz deli container will work for them their entire life
That’s pretty much what I’ve got for both my mantis my one for my Asian mantis is just slightly different it’s more of a tub kind of thing but he’s doing a lot better today looks like he’s going to moult soon
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
5,275
That’s pretty much what I’ve got for both my mantis my one for my Asian mantis is just slightly different it’s more of a tub kind of thing but he’s doing a lot better today looks like he’s going to moult soon
does it have any mesh, or scree to molt off of on the lid?? the photo you have provided shows no suitable molting surface.
 

mantisfan101

Arachnoprince
Joined
Dec 26, 2018
Messages
1,755
I think the mesh might be on the lid but in any case you’re probably going to need to rehouse it after the next molt
 

casey3105

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
10
I think the mesh might be on the lid but in any case you’re probably going to need to rehouse it after the next molt
Yes he has a branch in the middle of the enclosure and he will be rehoused after next molt I think the issue I was having was the temperature I think it was to cold but everything seems to be good now and he ate today so all looks good
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
1,007
Yes he has a branch in the middle of the enclosure and he will be rehoused after next molt I think the issue I was having was the temperature I think it was to cold but everything seems to be good now and he ate today so all looks good
Wait is there mesh on the lid or not?
 
Top