Just ordered my first Mantis and have some questions about handling and feeding.

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Sauromayne

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Hello,

I just ordered my first Mantis (Giant Golden Hierodula) and just have a few general questions.

First of all, do mantids like to he handled? Like should I go out of my way to hold my mantis because they enjoy it or do they not care for it? I've seen a few videos where the mantis is feeling threatened by their owner and attacking their finger and am curious what I should do if I'm in this situation. How can I convince my mantis that I'm not a threat and not trying to hurt it?

In regards to feeding, I'm just curious how you get the feeder insect from point A to point B. I have never had a pet that required live feed before so never had to deal with feeder insects. Do I just stick my hand in the culture and grab a fruit fly (I don't know how small these things are as I've never seen them lol), do I need tweasers, do I just dump them, etc?

I know these are probably silly questions but I'm very inexperienced with this and want to make sure I'm doing things right.

Thank you! 

Edit: the fruit fly's that I ordered are the wingless ones that bugsincyberspace.com has.

 
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Hi and welcome!  

The people in the videos are usually trying to get their mantis to do a threat pose (it's pretty). 

Put your hand out flat in front, usually they will just walk on.  You can gently push from behind too.  

As for the flightless fruitflies...they are tiny, but man can they jump and climb!  From what I saw and how I do it is tap the bottom of the ff enclosure on the table to knock them off the top so you can open the enclosure.  I have another cup ready (like a solo cup) to put them in (it is also recommended to put a thin film of vaseline or olive oil around the top of the inside so they cant climb up and out).  Then tap a few of the ff into your mantis enclosure and put back the unused ones.  

Depending on your chosen enclosure, you may want a dedicated feeding cup so that you know your mantis ate and can keep your enclosure cleaner longer.

 
Hi and welcome!  

The people in the videos are usually trying to get their mantis to do a threat pose (it's pretty). 

Put your hand out flat in front, usually they will just walk on.  You can gently push from behind too.  

As for the flightless fruitflies...they are tiny, but man can they jump and climb!  From what I saw and how I do it is tap the bottom of the ff enclosure on the table to knock them off the top so you can open the enclosure.  I have another cup ready (like a solo cup) to put them in (it is also recommended to put a thin film of vaseline or olive oil around the top of the inside so they cant climb up and out).  Then tap a few of the ff into your mantis enclosure and put back the unused ones.  

Depending on your chosen enclosure, you may want a dedicated feeding cup so that you know your mantis ate and can keep your enclosure cleaner longer.
It looks like she has you all figured out!  I don't usually have problems handling my mantids. Good luck with the new mantis!

- MantisGirl13

 
Hi and welcome!  

The people in the videos are usually trying to get their mantis to do a threat pose (it's pretty). 

Put your hand out flat in front, usually they will just walk on.  You can gently push from behind too.  

As for the flightless fruitflies...they are tiny, but man can they jump and climb!  From what I saw and how I do it is tap the bottom of the ff enclosure on the table to knock them off the top so you can open the enclosure.  I have another cup ready (like a solo cup) to put them in (it is also recommended to put a thin film of vaseline or olive oil around the top of the inside so they cant climb up and out).  Then tap a few of the ff into your mantis enclosure and put back the unused ones.  

Depending on your chosen enclosure, you may want a dedicated feeding cup so that you know your mantis ate and can keep your enclosure cleaner longer.
Awesome thanks for the info that is very helpful! Do mantids enjoy being handled or do they not care either way?

If I do get a separate feeding cup should I put anything in it? Like a few sticks and leaves or something?

 
Awesome thanks for the info that is very helpful! Do mantids enjoy being handled or do they not care either way?

If I do get a separate feeding cup should I put anything in it? Like a few sticks and leaves or something?
Most mantids love to be taken out and handled. It all depends on the temperament of the mantis though! If you notice that she has trouble moving around in the feeding cup, then yes, add some extra things to climb on, but it is not necessary.

- MantisGirl13

 
Most mantids love to be taken out and handled. It all depends on the temperament of the mantis though! If you notice that she has trouble moving around in the feeding cup, then yes, add some extra things to climb on, but it is not necessary.

- MantisGirl13
Awesome that sums up the questions I had thank you!

 
The more you handle your mantises the more they will trust you. They get used to you and even recognize you as a safe person over other people. 

Fruit flies are extremely tiny, you won't be able to pick them up with fingers or even tweezers. Besides tapping the container to keep knocking them down you can also put the entire ff cup in the fridge for a few minutes to slow them down. Then you just shake however many you need into a separate container. You can tap that container to keep them from crawling out and add them to your mantis's enclosure or you can put your mantis in the second container with the flies. Depending on the size of your new mantis it may eat only a couple flies or many but don't overdo it. Too many flies in the container at once can stress out the mantis, you can always add more later if he eats them all. Since you are getting a Hierodula java it will likely have a big appetite. It will quickly outgrow the fruit flies so I'd recommend looking into buying some housefly pupae or similar sized prey for the very near future. 

Adding twigs to a dedicated feeding container is fine but not completely necessary, mantises spend the vast majority of time hanging from the ceiling of whatever they are in. 

 
The more you handle your mantises the more they will trust you. They get used to you and even recognize you as a safe person over other people. 

Fruit flies are extremely tiny, you won't be able to pick them up with fingers or even tweezers. Besides tapping the container to keep knocking them down you can also put the entire ff cup in the fridge for a few minutes to slow them down. Then you just shake however many you need into a separate container. You can tap that container to keep them from crawling out and add them to your mantis's enclosure or you can put your mantis in the second container with the flies. Depending on the size of your new mantis it may eat only a couple flies or many but don't overdo it. Too many flies in the container at once can stress out the mantis, you can always add more later if he eats them all. Since you are getting a Hierodula java it will likely have a big appetite. It will quickly outgrow the fruit flies so I'd recommend looking into buying some housefly pupae or similar sized prey for the very near future. 

Adding twigs to a dedicated feeding container is fine but not completely necessary, mantises spend the vast majority of time hanging from the ceiling of whatever they are in. 
Good to know you can put them in the fridge for a little to make them easier to deal with.

Would small crickets be a good step up from the ff's or should I try the housefly pupae before crickets?

The habitat I'm starting with is this one https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Mantis-Habitat-Kit-bic861.htm

Since mantids spend most their time hanging from the ceiling is it okay to take the lid off while the mantis is hanging from the ceiling? If I take the lid off and put my hand underneath it will it crawl onto my hand? (As long as it's not molting) I'm probably being overly cautious but I've never had an insect as a pet before and I am assuming they are fragile so I just don't want to do anything I shouldn't be doing.

Also, do you have any suggestions for a bigger habitat I should get once this one is outgrown? Would something like this be good? https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Small-White-Cube-with-Sleeve-bic868b.htm

 
welcome :)

Those cups will do fine for the first coupls of molts of your hierodula. You have time to find him/her a bigger home.

Buy some tweezers to handle your feeders when you give it to your mantis. They can better bite in there than your hand. You will love to see your mantis eat.

About handling? Do it a lot, so they learn you are no danger and you will get used to have a bug in your hand. I handle mine every day.  At the moment of writing this, my mantis is sitting in my hand. I am typing this post with 1 finger?

 
Would small crickets be a good step up from the ff's or should I try the housefly pupae before crickets?
Small crickets are okay but be sure to remove any your mantis doesn't eat after a few hours. Crickets have been known to nibble on a newly molted mantis and you can't always predict when a mantis will molt. Houseflies would also work as the next step or you can buy both to alternate between them. You buy houseflies as pupae then let them hatch into adult flies as needed while keeping the remaining pupae in the fridge. The hatch rate diminishes after 7 to 10 days in the fridge so don't order too many at once, it'll end up being a waste. You can hatch a larger amount of pupae towards the end of their viability and the flies will live a few weeks longer if you give them food and water. 

The habitat I'm starting with is this one https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Mantis-Habitat-Kit-bic861.htm

Since mantids spend most their time hanging from the ceiling is it okay to take the lid off while the mantis is hanging from the ceiling? If I take the lid off and put my hand underneath it will it crawl onto my hand? (As long as it's not molting) I'm probably being overly cautious but I've never had an insect as a pet before and I am assuming they are fragile so I just don't want to do anything I shouldn't be doing.

Also, do you have any suggestions for a bigger habitat I should get once this one is outgrown? Would something like this be good? https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Small-White-Cube-with-Sleeve-bic868b.htm
The cup habitat is great to start when your mantis is a nymph. Yes, you can take the lid off when the mantis is hanging onto it, just be careful because mantises can jump. They are not super fragile as long as you aren't rough and don't squish them or anything, you can handle them in the manner you are asking. They will usually crawl onto whatever you put in front of them. If they don't want to move you can encourage them by gently touching their back or butt.

The cube habitat you showed is going to be way too small for an adult Hierodula, that species gets quite large. I have a Hierodula membranacea in a 12x12x18" Exo Terra terrarium. This pic is when she was L4 and still quite small, she's 3.75 inches in length now.

View attachment 10484

I like Exo Terra terrariums because they look nice and have doors in the front and that makes it very easy to access. The absolute minimum size a Hierodula would be ok in is the 8x8x12" terrarium. You don't want to go any smaller. Height is very important for a mantis to molt properly so make sure the final enclosure will be at least 3 times their body length in size and twice as long across. The only issue with these is the metal screen lid, mantises can get their feet caught in the overlapping wires so I hot glued fiberglass window screen to the bottom and secured with wooden dowel rods as you can see in the pic. There is a variety of other materials you can use besides fiberglass window screen to protect their feet, see this thread that explains how to make an enclosure. 




 
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Buy some tweezers to handle your feeders when you give it to your mantis. They can better bite in there than your hand. You will love to see your mantis eat
Yes, getting some metal feeding tongs or 5 to 7 inch long jewelry tweezers will help a LOT for handling feeders and for hand feeding mantises. I got a 16 cm pair of dental tweezers off eBay like these 
s-l1600.jpg


You don't want to offer your mantis a feeder insect using your fingers, a mantis's raptoral arms are quite strong and can accidentally give you a pinch when they grab the insect. It doesn't really hurt but it can be difficult getting them to let go.

 
The only issue with these is the metal screen lid, mantises can get their feet caught in the overlapping wires so I hot glued fiberglass window screen to the bottom and secured with wooden dowel rods as you can see in the pic.
I like the Exo Terras too because of the doors. I need to buy another one for my H.masjuscula when she outgrows her cup.

About the screen lid I have solved to sow a piece of cloth against the lid.  (don't know how this material is called in english)

image.png

 
Thanks. Google translate wasn't nice to me to translate from Dutch to English. It didnt gave me the english word for it.

 
:)  I have never used Exo Terras because they are too expensive for me. Making your own cages is a neat idea! I use leftover containers with toole on the lid. It works great!

- MantisGirl13

 
the Exo Terra is indeed very expensive, that is why I have one for Cochise. I think Neyteri will be the same size as Cochise or bigger. Then my self made box won't work. It isn't high enough. Not enough space to molt.

 
Thank you again everyone for your help!

The cube habitat you showed is going to be way too small for an adult Hierodula, that species gets quite large. I have a Hierodula membranacea in a 12x12x18" Exo Terra terrarium. This pic is when she was L4 and still quite small, she's 3.75 inches in length now. 
What about something like this 13.5 x 13.5 x 24?  Or is that too big of an upgrade from the cup? I think I'm going to just be using a separate feeder cup so I wont have to worry about knowing if hes eaten or not.

That Exo Terra cage looks really nice though and something that I may get later on down the line.

 
What about something like this 13.5 x 13.5 x 24?  Or is that too big of an upgrade from the cup? I think I'm going to just be using a separate feeder cup so I wont have to worry about knowing if hes eaten or not.

That Exo Terra cage looks really nice though and something that I may get later on down the line.
Either of the net cages will work. I misread the dimensions of the first one you posted, lol. For some reason I thought it was being measured in centimeters rather than inches ?

A Hierodula can be housed in a 12x12x12 INCH cube just fine or you can go with the taller one. You'd be surprised how far a Hierodula nymph will go to chase after prey. I fed mine in the 12x12x18" terrarium from when she was L4 and she always found her food but you can feed in a separate smaller container if you prefer.

:)  I have never used Exo Terras because they are too expensive for me. Making your own cages is a neat idea! I use leftover containers with toole on the lid. It works great!

- MantisGirl13
I wait until they go on sale to buy Exo Terra terrariums. Petco has really good deals from time to time with free shipping. Most recently I got a 12x12x18 for $49 during their Christmas sale and when they had a Mother's day sale I got three 8x8x12 for $26.50 each. Father's day is coming up so they'll probably have another sale.

 
Ya, well even 26$ is kinda expensive for me, since I am only 13. Thanks anyway!

- MantisGirl13

 
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