Might get some mantids...

[Joe1507]

Hi all, might get a few Praying mantises, always fancied some, never got round to getting any....

I quite like the look of Hierodula membranacea But what other species do you reccomend for a begginer, also could you reccomend some small nice looking tank type of things that are relativly cheap to keep them in, as keeping them in jam jar things isnt too ideal IMO.

thanks...oh one more thing, my room temperature is about 60 - 70F Ive heard they require 70 - 85F, but on numerous websites it says its been known for them to thrive at lower than 70? so am i ok?

[Graz]

Hierodula membranacea or Tenodera sinensis are both ideal starter species.
All mantid's i have previously kept ihave just left ontop of a warm vivarium and they have thrived well.

[Javeo]

I keep my membranecea, 3 of them, on houseplants and they have all done well. All three have now shed to adult and mayhap I will breed them. They are in a warm reptile room now, but did fine when they were just at normal room temps.

[macro junkie]

a min of 70f is needed really.

[Joe1507]

well my room is actually dead on 70F in the winter, this is without heating on, also t night it drops to 65 ish

im sure its slightly warmer n the summer...

[Joe1507]

Another thing ive read is that they can tolerate alot of climate change heat wise which is what i found strange as I thought alot of inverts where quite sensitive to things like this...

[selina20]

I strongly Polyspilota Aeruginosa they grow to a good size and the colour change when mature is incredible. I keep mine in a jungle jar with a square of net curtain over the top. She has vermiculite as subs and a branch to climb. I spray her twice a week and feed her every 4 days. Shes kept at room temp, the same as all my Ts and iv never had a problem with her at all.

[Joe1507]

yeah but whats ur room temp?

[shep1979]

ur room temp will be fine , if u after some mantids i have lots for sale

[selina20]

Originally Posted by Joe1507

yeah but whats ur room temp?

I generally say as long as im comfortable walking around my room in a t-shirt then thats fine. If it gets colder i generally dont bother if its for a short period as they are used to day/night fluctuations. My therm no longer works so i cant give u an accurate reading. I only have mats on my snakes lols.