# New to the World of Mantises



## BellsBird (Nov 23, 2009)

Hi every one,

I'm new to this site so...Hi,  

Anyway, I'm getting a praying mantis soon (preferably an African Praying mantis but not sure yet,) and I've researched them quite a bit over the net so I know the basics. Feeding, spraying, molting, breeding (not that i intend to) etc etc.

But i need some help with buying the mantis and it's cage. So far i was going to use my brother's old 12 litre fish tank (no, i do NOT intend to fill this with water and throw a mantis in it THANKyou very much  ) but I'm not sure if this will be big enough. I read that rule of thumb for mantis enclosures was usually just that the cage/tank had to be 2x as long and wide, or something like that. But someone told me it had to be like, a 40 litre tank, (which is HUGE!!!  ) So, i'm really not sure.

Also, none of the pet shops local to me have any mantises (but the guy at Berleigh said he MIGHT have some mantises in soon, so I'm calling back in around a fortnight) and i was wondering if I'll have to buy one online (uness one of my friends could help me catch one... :huh: )

And I'm totally clueless about it's habitat/cage thing. Like, what should i fill it with so make it seem like it's home?! Do the plants have to be real? I think i know enough about the diet though...crickets...flies...fruit flies...etc.

Anywho, thanks for reading this and I am so depserate for a hand with this, who knew mantises could be so complicated! luckily i can keep the African Mantis at room temperature, so i don't have to worry about heat mats...

Thanks again!! :lol: 

Bells


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## Katnapper (Nov 23, 2009)

Hi Bells and welcome. You seem to have researched enough to get a basic grasp on mantis keeping, which is good. The more research you do, the better prepared you will be. You don't need to get a huge aquarium cage, especially because most mantids are not communal and will need to be housed separately. If you have many, this could cause a space issue, lol.

Since you are in Australia, you need to consider that you may be limited to indigenous species, as from what I hear there are strict regulations about importing and exporting mantids (and other species) in your country. We have a few Aussies on here who could probably help you in locating and obtaining a mantis or two.


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## Peter Clausen (Nov 23, 2009)

I guess I'm that somebody  

Here in the US most people have a ten gallon tank laying around the house. If my math is right, that equates to a 40 liter (a size I assume you might find pretty standardly down under). What do you call these tanks?

Your 12 litre, 12 liter or 3 gallon tank sounds perfect for an adult mantis, though maybe a bit big for a young nymph. Really, it depends on how many feeders you put in the tank. Mantises don't chase their prey down, but prefer to wait and ambush it. Bigger tanks with small mantises mean more feeders should be placed in. It's kind of a tricky set up to manage without trial and error, so that's why the 3X2 container is usually recommended. A small container leaves little room for prey to hide.

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined because there are lots of experienced keepers here to help and you'll be a pro before long.


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## hibiscusmile (Nov 23, 2009)

Welcome , welcome From OHIO!


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## revmdn (Nov 23, 2009)

Welcome.


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## ismart (Nov 23, 2009)

Welcome to the forum!


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## Rick (Nov 23, 2009)

Welcome


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 23, 2009)

Welcome from Yuma, Arizona!

So you're from Queensland? We have two members here, Superfreak and James, who live in Sydney and sell mantids. First, check out their feedback as dealers: http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=15845

Next, go here: http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?sh...mp;#entry116053, scroll down to post #6 by James Longo, click on his name, scroll down to the bottom of his profile and hit "send a message" or "send an Email"! You can do it faster than I can write it!

Good luck with this!


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## charleyandbecky (Nov 23, 2009)

Welcome from Georgia.

Rebecca


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