Praying mantis care sheet

[Cosmicbug]

Originally Posted by Blackmelo

yes ozgi spraying tap water that has been standing for a day is fine to use.

I thought I would add a couple of things to mantis care too.

I place a small water bowl in my mantis enclosure instead of spraying. Is alot easier looking after lots of mantis and they can take a sip of water whenever they feel like it.

I would also advise against using a plastic container with a mesh screen. On a mantis final shed it will decide to moult on the mesh at the top, emerge and try and hold on to the sides of the container which will be too smooth to grip and the mantis will most likely fall.
It is not an ideal way of housing a mantis. It works for the first few sheds, but most often not for the final one.
A good container imo is for example a sweet jar, lid staying on with a few airing holes drilled into the container and lid and either branches or a polystyrene cup in the middle of the container for the mantis to shed on.

If a mesh screen is provided on a sweet jar, again there is the risk of the mantis shedding on the mesh at the top and the final moult ending badly unless the sweet jar is placed on it's side, that works also.

Hate to say this but alot of that is bad advise.

Mesh is one of the most ideal moulting surfaces, and if keeping in a sweet jar I would always recommend having mesh on the lid.

Sweet Jars are one of the most ideal mantid enclosures, All Mesh cages being the best.

Also turning a sweet jar on it's side for it's final shed is very foolish, don't know were you got that idea. It' needs the height to moult successfully, especially for the final moult.

Out of 100's of mantids I've raised I can count the mismoults I've had on one hand.

[Ozgi]

How often do you recommend feeding them? I have been doing it every other day or so, but they seem to be ravenous whenever I feed them so should I do it every day?>

[macro junkie]

Originally Posted by Ozgi

How often do you recommend feeding them? I have been doing it every other day or so, but they seem to be ravenous whenever I feed them so should I do it every day?>

like chameleons..feed em as much as they will eat until they hit adult.

[summershow]

Originally Posted by Blackmelo

I thought I would add a couple of things to mantis care too.

i cant be bothered to say it all again so i will just link to the previous discussion:

BUG NATION • View topic - how i keep my mantis

[vixid]

i bought a chinese mantis yesterday, i had of course read this sheet first, but when i asked him if he had been misting the praying mantis he told me he does a light mist for him to drink and that was it?

[tarantulamatt]

Originally Posted by vixid

i bought a chinese mantis yesterday, i had of course read this sheet first, but when i asked him if he had been misting the praying mantis he told me he does a light mist for him to drink and that was it?

yeah i dont think they drink from a water bowl

[vixid]

what kinda apetites should my indian and chinese have?

[Ozgi]

Originally Posted by vixid

what kinda apetites should my indian and chinese have?

Chuck a couple of flies in with them every day, they tend to eat a lot until they are adult. Once adult the females will continue to eat loads and the males will eat hardly anything.

Once they are full they will stop eating. You can judge when they need feeding by how plump their abdomen is.

[vicsf]

help i have just had a young mantis delivered it was very dry so i have sprayed water in its box it is also part way through shedding and struggling what can i do vic

[Ozgi]

There's nothing you can do really apart from spraying the enclosure. What is it shedding on? Is it hanging from something?