Completely new, have a few questions.

Hello, I'm really happy that I finally found an active community about mantids.

I have always been fascinated by mantids and I decided that I would like to keep one of them so I have a few questions:

1) Does it make sense to only buy one mantis and not do breeding and all that stuff ? I don't have a lot of room as i live in a small studio with my gf and she wouldnt like to have thousands of small mantids in the same room as us. One mantid would be ok for her though.

2) I would buy an exoterra nano (20x20x30), which type of mantid would fit in that ?

3) I've looked up and only found one guy selling them in switzerland, he only have sphodromantis lineola. And he is selling them young, so i guess i wouldnt know if i have a male or female, i would rather get a female as it's supposed to live longer...

4) Do you know anyone selling another type of mantid in Switzerland ?

5) Is it fine to make a realistic terrarium ? I would love to have some live plants etc... If you answer to me, show me where your mantids are living.

Thanks everyone for the answers !

For the first question Yes its totally worth it getting just one you will get to enjoy it the most  and Lineolas are perfect for beginners.

MantisRCool said:

For the first question Yes its totally worth it getting just one you will get to enjoy it the most  and Lineolas are perfect for beginners.

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Thanks. do you know if it needs a heatmat or a lamp to heat it  or is it ok to keep it at like 20C

As said above they're fine with room temperature, but my room temperature is like 25  So maybe if it's like under 20 at your place often, I would get a bit of heat source, nothing strong. 

Hi Coyote and welcome to the forums. I'm new to mantids myself and they're completely fascinating creatures to keep.

I have a sphodromantis lineola (Maude) who's now at L5 and will be going into a Exo-Terra Nano Tall next molt. She's currently in a 15cm wide x 20cm tall clear plastic tub at the moment. This species is an active hunter, so once they're around 4cm, they're fine in the Nano.

I also have an adult Pseudempusa pinnapavonis (peacock mantis) in a Nano and he gets on in there without a problem. There is a school of thought that an enclosure can be too big for a mantis and that they'll have issues catching their prey. This may be true for some of the less active mantids although both of mine have no issues. You also have the option of putting the mantis in a smaller enclusre for feeding.

As for breeding, I'd say cut your teeth an a couple of mantids first, get used to their behaviour and gain confidence in handling them before deciding to mate any.

Hey yo i have another questions i asked the guy selling them and he said that they are l3-l5 and that he can not sex them... should i still buy it and risk it to be a male who will die faster ?

At l5 they can be sexed, perhaps the person selling them doesn't know how until much later. A male Sphodromantis will still live quite a while. Females simply live an age after becoming adult xD you can still have him up to four months as an adult ? Both reach roughly the same size, but females are incredibly bulky.

mantisman 230 said:

At l5 they can be sexed, perhaps the person selling them doesn't know how until much later. A male Sphodromantis will still live quite a while. Females simply live an age after becoming adult xD you can still have him up to four months as an adult ? Both reach roughly the same size, but females are incredibly bulky.

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He said from l3 to l5 so i guess i will take an L3 and pray for it to be a female. So what should i give it to eat ? and is exoterra nano ok if i feed the mantis in a separate tank ?

Yeah I mean, if they can't sex it I would order one and just hope for it to be a female. As for the exoterra, it looks like an L3 Sphodromantis is quite small. You might want to keep him/her in a smaller cage as they grow and transfer them to their new home once they have molted into an adult. The cages I have for mine are very small and they do fine in them.  You can put them in any small plastic container with a top as long as you do some modifications to it to make sure they breathe well. I understand you're looking for a prettier set up though but I'm afraid your little baby will get lost in such a big terrarium at first. If you look up L3 Sphodromantis they are very small, fit on the tip of a finger. It wouldn't be good if you couldn't find your mantis and it was time to give them food or water. I just know that these small containers have worked very well for me and knowing how good my experience has been, I would want you to get to have a good one too.

Thanks for the advice, i didnt figured out it was so small at l3, im a complete beginner. So how do you give them water in such a small cup ? and what should i feed them with ? I do have a lot of fruit flies in my house recently but i dont know how to catch them and i think its too small maybe...

if i decide to still buy and host it in a exoterra nanotall, would there be any danger ? i would ofc take her out and feed her in a small plastic box to make sure she is finding the food. about molting, i dont get how it works and i saw people speaking of specific molting enclosures. What exactly does it mean ? would it still be able to molt in a small cup with sticks and a lid like yours ? and in an exoterra will it be able to molt ?

Thanks for advices, very helpful

Spray them with a fine mist spray bottle.  Distilled water is best. The nano would be rather large at first, it would be best to keep it in something smaller until around l5. Molting enclosures are referring to species that often have difficulty molting at a larger size. Sphodros don't need anything special for their care ?

So at L3 they are very small but not too small to drink water. When you take him/her out of their enclosure they may put their little face down on your hand as if they are trying to eat, it means they are thirsty. What I do for my ghost who is also small, is drip small drops of water on my hand until she notices and she will drink. Being so small you might need to aid your mantis is getting it's face to pull away from the water tension, if you notice they are struggling, you can use a bamboo skewer to pull them away from the water. Also use distilled water, it's better for them and it helps keep them bacteria free.

As for the fruit flies, building a habitat/trap for them is very easy. Just take a small glass jar and put a piece of banana, along with a cone of paper in like this.



You might want to catch some and transfer it outside quickly or you will have A BUNCH of flies in your house. They will breed in here and new flies will be born and morph into adults in about a week. You do not need the tape as you will want to remove the cone and fit your feeding container over the top with your little mantis inside in order to feed it. Find a small plastic container with a lid to keep the flies trapped inside. Here's what I use, the container she came in.



An L3 will be the right size for fruitflies. One of my two that eats them is now an L4 ghost and they are still the right size for her but they are getting a little small for her to eat. She has to eat about 5 or 6 to be full now. It depends on the size of the fruitfly but an L3 should be a fine size.

As for molting, when mantises molt, they will hang upside down in their enclosure from the top of it. Just make sure the top of their enclosure has a surface they can grip well. It is important not to disturb a mantis when it is molting because if it falls while it's exoskeleton is soft there is little chance it will live.

Most importantly, you need to trust your mantis. They know what they are doing. Make sure you spray their enclosure with water. Frequency depends on type of mantis. Make sure they are fed and when you take them out, if they are looking for water, give them some. They are very easy pets. Everyone is nervous when they first get one and that's normal. But you come to find out that mantises know what they're doing. They just eat and drink, poop, and molt. That's it really.

Edit: Oh and P.S. One more thing they do that they're the best at is act super cute and look beautiful and adorable. That's their greatest talent if you ask me.

 A third instar Sphodromantis will gladly go after houseflies. You can also order flightless fruit flies, which are far easier to work with. The main indication of the pre molt phase (the few hours to a couple weeks when older before molting) is when your mantis will stop eating. Making sure your mantis has enough to drink is more important than external humidity for molting, but maintaining a level around 65% can ensure a healthy mantis. 

mantisman 230 said:

 The main indication of the pre molt phase (the few hours to a couple weeks when older before molting) is when your mantis will stop eating.

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Well, Maude is an exception to that rule! She was scoffing flies right up to both her molts. Manny on the other hand stopped eating 3 days before his final.

TheTranquilEye said:

Well, Maude is an exception to that rule! She was scoffing flies right up to both her molts. Manny on the other hand stopped eating 3 days before his final.

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Rowena ate right up to her L8 too but she wouldn't eat before or after her L9, had to wait for the next day.

thanks for all your advice you are awesome. Seems like the owner managed to see that it was a female, i will get it on friday, i can not wait to get it. My exoterra will arrive on monday and until then i will keep it in a tupperware. If i think that she is big enough to go in the exoterra i will put it in.

Regarding water, would it be a problem to give it tap water ? In Switzerland we have very pure water... And should i mist only or should i put some water in something ? I read that misting is sufficient but i wanna make sure. About fruit flies i will start catching some tomorrow. Then to feed her i will put her in the cup where i keep the flies right ? the guy told me he is feeding them with crickets, so i will provide both and see what she prefers. I really hope that it will be fine. Thanks a lot for advices and if it doesnt bother you keep an eye on the forum, i might post pictures or ask for help when i get it.

About molting, is the net from the top of the exoterra good to molt ? if i keep it in a cup what should i put ? a stick ?

In summer I let some of my mantids live in my garden! They love it and I find thier colors are much stronger and brighter.

Coyote said:

About molting, is the net from the top of the exoterra good to molt ? if i keep it in a cup what should i put ? a stick ?

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So mesh, like from a craft store, would be best. Just hot glue it or somehow fasten it to the top of whatever container you keep your mantis in. It should give them lots of good area to cling to when they want to take a little mantis nap or molt.

 Something with small holes they can cling to easily.