# All communal Mantids



## Ricardo (Dec 10, 2010)

Hello. Is it okay if I ask you guys of all the communal mantids you know of? I know ghosts and idolo's are . . . any others?


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## kitkat39 (Dec 10, 2010)

From MY experience:

Deroplatys Lobata, Deroplatys Dessicata, Egyptians, Violins, Heterochaeta Occidentalis, Acanthops Parafalcata, Ghosts. I tried doing the Brunner's Mantis, but mine ate the heck out of each other even when food was running around in front of their face.

There are a lot more that could be kept together, but I'm only speaking from what I've actually had and was able to keep together. =)


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## Ricardo (Dec 10, 2010)

kitkat39 said:


> From MY experience:
> 
> Deroplatys Lobata, Deroplatys Dessicata, Egyptians, Violins, Heterochaeta Occidentalis, Acanthops Parafalcata, Ghosts. I tried doing the Brunner's Mantis, but mine ate the heck out of each other even when food was running around in front of their face.
> 
> There are a lot more that could be kept together, but I'm only speaking from what I've actually had and was able to keep together. =)


What kind of egyptians? I have Miomantis abyssinica.

I keep them both in cricket keeper containers.

I also have a spare 24 gallon tank. Could I use that for a communal community?


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## kitkat39 (Dec 10, 2010)

Ricardo said:


> What kind of egyptians? I have Miomantis abyssinica.
> 
> I keep them both in cricket keeper containers.
> 
> I also have a spare 24 gallon tank. Could I use that for a communal community?


Miomantis Paykullii.

I have a 20 gallon tank with a screen top lid that I originally started to use only for Glow Spot and Domino Roaches. I threw in some Acanthops Parafalcata in there to eat the fruit flies that were flying around from the fruit and that's how I found out that they could be kept together. So simple answer = Yes


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## Ricardo (Dec 10, 2010)

kitkat39 said:


> Miomantis Paykullii.
> 
> I have a 20 gallon tank with a screen top lid that I originally started to use only for Glow Spot and Domino Roaches. I threw in some Acanthops Parafalcata in there to eat the fruit flies that were flying around from the fruit and that's how I found out that they could be kept together. So simple answer = Yes


Umm . . . I think mine are miomantis paykullii.

these are my mantids


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## kitkat39 (Dec 10, 2010)

I think they probably are too most likely


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## Ricardo (Dec 10, 2010)

kitkat39 said:


> I think they probably are too most likely


during a few mingles they have shown zero sign of wanting to eat eachother.

I know they are egyptian mio's.

dunno if I want to risk it though


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## kitkat39 (Dec 10, 2010)

Ricardo said:


> during a few mingles they have shown zero sign of wanting to eat eachother.
> 
> I know they are egyptian mio's.
> 
> dunno if I want to risk it though


Females will be more likely to eat each other than the males will. I've kept these guys in pretty pathetic conditions and they still always bred to continue a new generation for me.


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## Ricardo (Dec 10, 2010)

kitkat39 said:


> Females will be more likely to eat each other than the males will. I've kept these guys in pretty pathetic conditions and they still always bred to continue a new generation for me.


so if I have a female and male , it would be okay to have them in the same enclosure?


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## kitkat39 (Dec 10, 2010)

That's pretty much all I did. You've also mated them already so I don't think need to worry anymore as you will soon be FLOODED with babies. You can do all of the trial and error that you want.


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## Ricardo (Dec 10, 2010)

kitkat39 said:


> That's pretty much all I did. You've also mated them already so I don't think need to worry anymore as you will soon be FLOODED with babies. You can do all of the trial and error that you want.


alright. but I already have a very nice setup for the two , so I won't put them together until I receive some more mantids , or at least put them together once I need room for the others  

what has been your favorite communal species so far?


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## sporeworld (Dec 10, 2010)

Yeah - what KitKat said.

I had issues with the Dead Leafs (Deroplatys Lobata) picking off the smaller boys - not sure if it was lack of interest in the food that was being offered at the time, or just a preference for man-meat!

Gongys (of course) and I've had good results with smaller species in WITH the much bigger Gongys (with my Idols at obne time, too). I've had Orchids and most of the flower mantids in together, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I posted recently that I had sub(sub) adult Heterochaetas in with my Gongy's (and pretty crowded at that).

I've had Ghosts crammed together in silly numbers, and a small grouping of boxers (but they had a LOT of space to wander, so "results may vary").

I also had a few Texas Unicorns in with something... maybe Gongy's. I can't remember. Oh, and the Macrops, but I epic-failed with them. No clue what went wrong.

Hope that helps.


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## kitkat39 (Dec 10, 2010)

Ricardo said:


> alright. but I already have a very nice setup for the two , so I won't put them together until I receive some more mantids , or at least put them together once I need room for the others
> 
> what has been your favorite communal species so far?


For me, it was probably the Deroplatys Lobata and the Heterochaeta. Both look very cool to me, get a lot of OoooooOOoo's and AhHHhhHhh's when folks see them, and were pretty easy to care for. Food wasn't really a problem except for this one time when I threw in I threw in a few crickets and didn't know it was shedding time for a couple of them... ahhhh!!!!

Sporeworld is correct about the female Lobata picking off the smaller males. I did not mention this, but I took out most of the males from the communal setting into individual 32 oz containers. My intent was to slow down the growth of the males more than to keep them from getting eaten, which I kinda think really helped me in the mating process for them. Ohhhhhhhh Yeah! How u like 'dem apples??? lol!


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## sporeworld (Dec 10, 2010)

Ni-ice!


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## dgerndt (Dec 11, 2010)

I heard that Gambian Spotted-Eye Flower mantids are communal.


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## PhilinYuma (Dec 11, 2010)

Mantids generally eat smaller insects.

Males are generally smaller than females.

Folks like who keep potential breeders together in a cage tend to segregate even ghosts into male and female colonies.

If you are not breeding or have a preponderance of males, a few becoming dinner before they can mate may not be a problem, but if you plan on breeding and want to maximize your chances. segregation is the way to go.


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## Rick (Dec 11, 2010)

Mio's are ok but the females will eat the males. No mantids are truly 100% communal. There is always a risk.


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## Ricardo (Dec 11, 2010)

Rick said:


> Mio's are ok but the females will eat the males. No mantids are truly 100% communal. There is always a risk.


so males + females = cannibalism

If I am to have a communal set up , I should just make it a "male community " ?

what about females and females together?


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## sporeworld (Dec 11, 2010)

The guys are right - there's always risks. But risk assessment can be applied - like they suggested - if you have enough males, go for it.

I suggest that if you've got 30 or 40 ghosts in a large encloure with plenty of food, you can manage those risks. Maybe STILL take the adult females out to BETTER manage that risk.

Also, keep in mind that "plenty of room" when they are L1 is NOT the same as "plenty of room" when they're adults. It seems obvious, but I continue to be surprised how big some species can get and how much space they can need.

I've also tried to avoid plants in the enclose that create ambush areas. So, thinner branches and very small leaves.


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## dgerndt (Dec 11, 2010)

Rick said:


> Mio's are ok but the females will eat the males. No mantids are truly 100% communal. There is always a risk.


Well I guess my two little mios won't be living together when they grow up. I have a male and a female.


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## Ricardo (Dec 11, 2010)

Sporeworld said:


> The guys are right - there's always risks. But risk assessment can be applied - like they suggested - if you have enough males, go for it.
> 
> I suggest that if you've got 30 or 40 ghosts in a large encloure with plenty of food, you can manage those risks. Maybe STILL take the adult females out to BETTER manage that risk.
> 
> ...


Would a 24 gallon tank be big enough for 5 or 6 ghosts?


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