# Communal Mantids



## Quake (Jun 21, 2010)

I would like to start an enclosure of communal mantids and was wondering which types were compatible?

I know that ghosts and africans have a good chance to tolerate each other, but those are the only instances I have heard without any casualties.

A few losses if food is low or they are starting to grow is fine with me because I plan to start with an ooth, I just want to know which species won't play cannibalistic king of the hill.

And are budwings or Europeans in any way communal?


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## massaman (Jun 21, 2010)

europeans are iffy I recently captured 10 nymphs from the outside and housed them together and seeing how they fair and trying to swap them for another species and noticed the multicolor mantis tolerates each other somewhat as do acromantis and shields up to l3 or so before they go after each other!


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## Quake (Jun 21, 2010)

massaman said:


> europeans are iffy I recently captured 10 nymphs from the outside and housed them together and seeing how they fair and trying to swap them for another species and noticed the multicolor mantis tolerates each other somewhat as do acromantis and shields up to l3 or so before they go after each other!


Thanks.


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## Rick (Jun 22, 2010)

If by African you mean Sphodromantis that would not be true for those. Neither for shield mantids. In my experience adult Brunners mantis, Violin mantis, Idolomantis, Ghost mantis, etc do ok together.


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## ismart (Jun 22, 2010)

massaman said:


> europeans are iffy


Europeans are highly cannibalistic! Not iffy! Just wait till L3. :gun_bandana: :2guns:


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## Precarious (Jul 27, 2010)

I've now raised both ghost and violin mantises communally with no serious problems. I lost one ghost nymph to cannibalism early on, maybe L2. And one violin is missing a leg I believe was chewed off when a fly landed on it.

Seems as long as you give them enough food and space they are fine. The ghosts like to box every now and then, and I now make sure the violins are not too close to each other before introducing flies. Sometimes if too close they try to grab food out of each others claws which can lead to a fight.

I've heard Heterochaeta can be kept together. Does anyone know for sure? I have L2 nymphs together right now with no problems so far.


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