# Housing for Chinese Mantids



## jxh11215 (Aug 2, 2009)

First let me thank you all for the posts/comments that have helped me get this far. Thru trial and error (and the advice on this board), only one of the 5 I set out to keep has died--still not sure why. So---thanks again.

My question is whether or not there are reasons not to use kritter keeper housing. So far, my chinese mantids seem fine; they've gone thru 3 molts in them, and I can upsize as needed. Cricket feeding works fine thru the panel on top that opens. I realize that I may need something taller as they get larger, but for now, everybody seems happy. Also, if my mating venture goes well, I already have the housing equipment at the house.

Kritter Keepers - http://www.petmountain.com/product/small-p...-rectangle.html


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## hibiscusmile (Aug 2, 2009)

No reason not to use it, it is fine.


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## Rick (Aug 2, 2009)

It will work however I won't use em. For smaller nymphs the fruit flies will get out through the vents. Also, since most mantids hang from the lid it is difficult to see them due to the lid design on these. But they will work if you want to use em.


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## jxh11215 (Aug 2, 2009)

Rick said:


> It will work however I won't use em. For smaller nymphs the fruit flies will get out through the vents. Also, since most mantids hang from the lid it is difficult to see them due to the lid design on these. But they will work if you want to use em.


My guys are a few inches long now. I kept all of them in a net cage until they moved up to cricket feeding. Since the above post, I've discovered that I may have made a newbie error. Looks like I have 4 females and one possible male. It's up under a leaf and hanging the wrong way, so I'm not positive, but I may not get any ooths after all.

**walking away kicking myself in the ***


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## Matticus (Aug 6, 2009)

I'm going out tomorrow and I'll try to find a few extra Chinese males for the people on the forum who need mates (my male needs a female pretty desperately himself). I found three hatched Chinese oothecae this afternoon at the edge of a field (in the five spare minutes I had), so I'm hoping the field will turn out a good few mantids. I'll post here if I find any.


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## jxh11215 (Aug 6, 2009)

Matticus said:


> I'm going out tomorrow and I'll try to find a few extra Chinese males for the people on the forum who need mates (my male needs a female pretty desperately himself). I found three hatched Chinese oothecae this afternoon at the edge of a field (in the five spare minutes I had), so I'm hoping the field will turn out a good few mantids. I'll post here if I find any.


Nice--The only thing I can catch outside are some of the _hundreds_ of crickets in my neighborhood.


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## charleyandbecky (Aug 6, 2009)

I have a few of my mantids in the critter keepers. The only thing I did (and I did this on advice from this forum and it was worked beautifully) was go to the craft department and buy a yard of tulle, which I glued using a hot glue gun to the lid of the container. Then, I used an exact-o knife to cut around the little part of the lid that opens. I used a good bit of glue and it hardens leaving no sticky residue at all. As they got older and needed more space for molting, I wanted to make sure they had something good to grip on and this tulle material is great for me.

Before this, I had one mantid fall while molting from the plastic lid. Thankfully I saw him and picked him up and he ended up okay, but that scared me and that's when I started using the tulle. I have moved my very largest mantids into other containers now but those worked great for quite some time.

For the smaller mantids still eating fruit flies, this won't work though...those flies even manage to get through the tulle and I have no idea how!  

Rebecca


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## Katnapper (Aug 6, 2009)

charleyandbecky said:


> I have a few of my mantids in the critter keepers. The only thing I did (and I did this on advice from this forum and it was worked beautifully) was go to the craft department and buy a yard of tulle, which I glued using a hot glue gun to the lid of the container. Then, I used an exact-o knife to cut around the little part of the lid that opens. I used a good bit of glue and it hardens leaving no sticky residue at all. As they got older and needed more space for molting, I wanted to make sure they had something good to grip on and this tulle material is great for me.Before this, I had one mantid fall while molting from the plastic lid. Thankfully I saw him and picked him up and he ended up okay, but that scared me and that's when I started using the tulle. I have moved my very largest mantids into other containers now but those worked great for quite some time.
> 
> For the smaller mantids still eating fruit flies, this won't work though...those flies even manage to get through the tulle and I have no idea how!
> 
> Rebecca


I have some Critter Keepers that I did the exact same thing with, Rebecca... except instead of tulle, I used white organza. It's so sheer it provides good ventilation, but won't let _melanogasters_ through (and of course_ D. hydei_ also). It glues pretty darn good too. The edges tend to fray a little after you cut it, if you stretch or jostle the fabric around and don't use it right away. But the hot glue works great to seal them right up for a clean edge.

One caveat: Don't use spray glue to attach the fabric to the lids. I tried this, got some overspray beyond the edges of the fabric on the lid. And I lost about 30 mantids one time after using it for an ooth hatching container. I kept wondering why they were all congregating up in the corner of the lid together... and not running all around like newborn nymphs usually do. I finally discovered they were all stuck there. It was a big bummer.


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## jxh11215 (Aug 6, 2009)

I will use both of your suggestions, thanks!


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 6, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> My guys are a few inches long now. I kept all of them in a net cage until they moved up to cricket feeding. Since the above post, I've discovered that I may have made a newbie error. Looks like I have 4 females and one possible male. It's up under a leaf and hanging the wrong way, so I'm not positive, but I may not get any ooths after all.**walking away kicking myself in the ***


That is not only painful, it is undeserved. Everyone has this problem sooner or later, and if you have one male and some friendly or at least tolerant females, you might get a lot of ooths.


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## kmsgameboy (Aug 9, 2009)

Jesslyn said:


> First let me thank you all for the posts/comments that have helped me get this far. Thru trial and error (and the advice on this board), only one of the 5 I set out to keep has died--still not sure why. So---thanks again.My question is whether or not there are reasons not to use kritter keeper housing. So far, my chinese mantids seem fine; they've gone thru 3 molts in them, and I can upsize as needed. Cricket feeding works fine thru the panel on top that opens. I realize that I may need something taller as they get larger, but for now, everybody seems happy. Also, if my mating venture goes well, I already have the housing equipment at the house.
> 
> Kritter Keepers - http://www.petmountain.com/product/small-p...-rectangle.html


Most people dont use them simply because they are a bit on the short side. I use plastic storage containers (the ones for food and non-foods) that I modify by adding a screened window and feeding hole. This are super cheap and work great!!!


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