# Lee's Pet Kricket Keepers?



## Falconerguy (Aug 17, 2013)

http://www.petco.com/product/12060/Lees-Pet-Kricket-Keepers.aspx?CoreCat=MM_ReptileSupplies_LiveCricketsWormsFruitFlies

Would something like this with a piece of cheese net snapped in with the lid work for housing mantids (Particularly a single ghost mantis)? (And with the black retrieval tubes removed of course.) I've kept similar insects in these before and I wanted to know your opinion.


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## Mime454 (Aug 17, 2013)

I keep one of my Mendicas in something like that, so it should work. I keep the ghosts that I have communally in one of those giant cheeseball containers.


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## OctoberRainne (Aug 17, 2013)

I use these all of the time,for some species i glue in sticks and then take a sheet of fabric mesh and lay it over the container and then put the lid on it,they also come really large for bigger species,keep most of the adults of normal species in these just fine


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## Falconerguy (Aug 17, 2013)

Awesome! I have used these before with great success, but I was not sure about mantids.


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## Rick (Aug 17, 2013)

Poor choice to be honest. The mantis will often sit under the lid and with the lid design the mantis will be hard to see. The good old 32 oz insect cup is a superior choice even if it isn't attractive. Some vendors sell larger enclosures that look good but work better than those.


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## OctoberRainne (Aug 17, 2013)

You can't keep all species in deli cups once adult though,with larger mantids with sticky toes and sticks ect. in them I don't see any problem,if you keep non sticky pads in them they are always visible as they sit on the sticks ect. you put in them and not the lid. I've lamped and raise plenty of species in them including mendica which can't climb plastic,and only start most species off in small or in deli cups,so I don't think people should be put off about these,beats those cheese and pretzel containers,you can even put backgrounds around them like for the fish,I customize critter keepers all of the time,thats what I like about them,and much cheaper than paying 30+ for one of the nicer plexi type set ups and much easier to deal with,so why people often discourage these is beyond me,the small ones max out at 5$ and the one foot + at 10$,I set them all up so they can be washed and reused,a little extra care like gluing in sticks,probably makes all the difference,then they choose those locations over the lid.


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## Krissim Klaw (Aug 17, 2013)

Might as well get the standard critter keeper if you don't want the tubes. I wonder if they ever fixed the blaring escape route for crickets in the tube modles. &lt;__&lt;

Personally I am a bigger fan of the net cubs. More room for the mantis, and easier grip surface for the majority of species. http://www.livemonarch.com/store_enclosures.php


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## twolfe (Aug 17, 2013)

I use a variety of enclosures for my mantids...depending on the species and the number of mantids in the enclosure. I currently have 46 enclosures...down from almost 100 in the spring. Like Krissim Klaw, I prefer net enclosures for many species. I have 16 net enclosures in use at the moment. I also have two custom built net enclosures from Bug Trader. He designed these so that the mantids have an even better gripping surface than the standard net enclosures. I use some Kritter keepers (large) and some Exo terra breeder boxes, but I only use them for adult mantids and I glue things to the top to make it easier for them to hang from the top. But I place large sticks in the enclosures, and many of the adults choose to use them for perches and lay their ooths on the sticks. The nice thing about the breeder boxes is that they are stackable and I can open a door to drop in flies and mist them. But they wouldn't work for mantids that are still eating ff, and I think houseflies may be able to escape from these enclosures. Other mantids are housed in glass terrariums and plastic 80 ounce deli cups. There are lots of options, and if you do a search, you'll find photos/ideas for making your own.


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## dlemmings (Aug 19, 2013)

My first mantids were Ghosts (L5) and I used the critter keeper (pet smat sells them without the tubes.

Do glue some sticks to the top and and a couple to allow them to climb up to the top where they spend 99% of the time. be aware that smaller flies can sometimes escape from the holes where the "handle" enters the lid. if you get Blue Bottle flies they dont fit so no problem.

once you start keeping more mantids you will prefer the 32oz deli-cup. cleanup and upkeep is so much easier.

last be aware that misting with tap water will leave hard water spots and the acrylic looks like crud and hard to clean when that happens. use distilled water or DeIonized water to keep them looking presentable. Dollar tree has silk flowers that make a nice touch too.

when you end up with a colony like I did time to spend a little more for a screen enclosure so they have alot of room...keep well fed and they are quite communal. dont feed them enough and you end up with some fat females and no or few males...lol


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## twolfe (Aug 20, 2013)

mantiscurious said:


> Dollar tree has silk flowers that make a nice touch too.


Mantiscurious, did you ever try any of the red silk flowers from Dollar Tree? I usually buy my silk flowers from Michaels. But once when I was waiting for a pizza, I went in the Dollar Tree store and bought a few things including some red silk flowers. The dye came off, and I was concerened about using them.

I use tap water all the time. I do get the spots on the plastic and glass. Every now and then I clean them with a mix of vinegar and water, and that removes the spots.


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## Alikaren (Aug 24, 2013)

Tammy Wolfe said:


> I use a variety of enclosures for my mantids...depending on the species and the number of mantids in the enclosure. I currently have 46 enclosures...down from almost 100 in the spring. Like Krissim Klaw, I prefer net enclosures for many species. I have 16 net enclosures in use at the moment. I also have two custom built net enclosures from Bug Trader. He designed these so that the mantids have an even better gripping surface than the standard net enclosures. I use some Kritter keepers (large) and some Exo terra breeder boxes, but I only use them for adult mantids and I glue things to the top to make it easier for them to hang from the top. But I place large sticks in the enclosures, and many of the adults choose to use them for perches and lay their ooths on the sticks. The nice thing about the breeder boxes is that they are stackable and I can open a door to drop in flies and mist them. But they wouldn't work for mantids that are still eating ff, and I think houseflies may be able to escape from these enclosures. Other mantids are housed in glass terrariums and plastic 80 ounce deli cups. There are lots of options, and if you do a search, you'll find photos/ideas for making your own.


EXcuse me, I'm new  but who is Bug trader? I love mesh cages.

EDIT: Nevermind, I asked that question before even looking it up  

But I still cant find the page where he sells the cages.


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## twolfe (Aug 24, 2013)

Is this the link you found? http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=29026

I'm not sure if he's making cages at the moment.

The majority of mine came from Livemonarch.com. http://www.livemonarch.com/store_enclosures.php

Mantisplace.com and other vendors also sell them.

The net enclosures work well for many species, but my Rhombodera adult females poked holes in the net.


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