# Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula membranacea) Enclosure; Help?



## TheArtisticArachnid (Aug 26, 2013)

I purchased this girl at a reptile show a little while ago, she seems happy and healthy, I'm just worried about her enclosure. All the websites I looked at said it must be three times the width of the praying mantis, and two times the length/height. Does this look appropriate?







The tank itself is 30 x 30 x 30.






Aaaand the little lady, who didn't want to get off my hand. This is my first time owning praying mantises, I'm doing research as we speak but I'd love some tips or pointers from you guys. Should I add more stuff to her tank? Get a smaller one? She looks to be a full grown adult, anyway.


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## sally (Aug 26, 2013)

She is an adult. It looks great. You can put some climbing sticks in if you want. I put mine in the microwave for a few minutes. I use paper towels one the bottom for easy cleanup


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## Jinx (Aug 27, 2013)

That's almost the same enclosure I use for my Hierodula and she loves it. Mine is a bit taller, but it really didn't need to be. I've learned my lesson about using that much substrate at the bottom. It becomes a pain in the butt to clean, and _really_ isn't needed. It looks nice, but I will be using much less next time around or using a different substrate all-together. I agree with Sally, she will probably be happier with more sticks to climb.

Pretty mantis!


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## Toxic (Aug 27, 2013)

3 times height and 2 times length is the minimum for nymphs as they need the space to moult. But don't go too big as they won't find as much food. As yours is adult any size alowing some moving space will work. Your tank is good for your girl. As said add some nice sticks for her to climb up. You could use less substrate but if you only have a couple mantids its all about making the tank look pretty. Once you have a few 100 nymphs you'll be best off using kitchen roll where you can.


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## Rick (Aug 27, 2013)

Toxic said:


> 3 times height and 2 times length is the minimum for nymphs as they need the space to moult. But don't go too big as they won't find as much food. As yours is adult any size alowing some moving space will work. Your tank is good for your girl. As said add some nice sticks for her to climb up. You could use less substrate but if you only have a couple mantids its all about making the tank look pretty. Once you have a few 100 nymphs you'll be best off using kitchen roll where you can.


Yep. While space is nice if you can spare it she doesn't need quite so much since she is done molting. I raised those in those 2.5 gal mini aquariums divided into halves or thirds and they did fine.


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## TheArtisticArachnid (Aug 28, 2013)

Alrighty. I'll keep the tank she's in since she seems to like it a lot, she's exploring it as I type this. I'll add some more sticks in once I get back from work, give them a rinse and throw them in the microwave for a minute or two. So far finding food hasn't been a problem, and she really likes snatching crickets from my tongs. Thanks for your advice! I'll try the substrate for a little while, and if that doesn't work out I'll switch to paper towel. By the way, how often should I aim to clean her tank?


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 8, 2013)

I use paper towels as well. If you want to display her, substrate is pretty, but a huge mess to clean. Also in those Exo Terra's and Zoomeds I feel like moisture can become an issue and so mold can become an issue. :-/ Yucky for you and your mantis. Go with the paper towels and you will not be sorry later!


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