# 10"x6"x6" ok for large mantids?



## Morbo (Jan 7, 2011)

I'm thinking about getting some mesh enclosures for the mantids that I'm going to receive. They're 10"x6"x6" in size. The mantids that I'm getting are Sphodromantis lineola, budwings, and chinese.

I've read about the rule of thumb being the height of the enclosure must be 3x the current length of the mantis (for molting purposes) and the width being 2x. I remember there being a significant difference in size between the subadult and adult size with the African mantis I used to have. Do you guys think that these enclosures are too small, cutting it kind of close, or are they ok? If these are too small I'll just get some of the 12"x12"x12" mesh cubes they sell in the butterfly/caterpillar site.

Thanks for any advice!


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## Rick (Jan 7, 2011)

Should be ok. I like the 12" size though. For one single mantis the 12" is a bit more space than needed for a single mantis. I keep most in 32 oz insect cups while small and then move them to larger cages when they outgrow that. If the one you mentioned first is 10" high it should be fine.


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## sporeworld (Jan 7, 2011)

Same here - deli cups (or similar) until L3 or so, then on to mesh or wire cages.

BTW, love the Giant Mantis avatar. The sound of it flying from that old movie still puts me on edge a bit.


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## Morbo (Jan 8, 2011)

Rick said:


> Should be ok. I like the 12" size though. For one single mantis the 12" is a bit more space than needed for a single mantis. I keep most in 32 oz insect cups while small and then move them to larger cages when they outgrow that. If the one you mentioned first is 10" high it should be fine.


Yeah, it would be positioned so that it's 10" tall. The enclosures are in fact fish net breeders. I'm still having a tough time thinking about how to cover the open side with something that's see-through, but that can also open.

http://www.amazon.com/Brand-Fish-Breeder-Breeding-Hatchery/dp/B000N58B4E



Sporeworld said:


> Same here - deli cups (or similar) until L3 or so, then on to mesh or wire cages.
> 
> BTW, love the Giant Mantis avatar. The sound of it flying from that old movie still puts me on edge a bit.


Gotta love the classics (no matter how cheesy they may be!).


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## batsofchaos (Jan 8, 2011)

Morbo said:


> Yeah, it would be positioned so that it's 10" tall. The enclosures are in fact fish net breeders. I'm still having a tough time thinking about how to cover the open side with something that's see-through, but that can also open.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Brand-Fish-Breeder-Breeding-Hatchery/dp/B000N58B4E


A sheet of cheese cloth and a rubber band to hold it in place is probably the easiest and cheapest answer. Not the most see-through, so it might be a good idea to position that side on the back for display purposes. It would be easy enough to remove for cleaning, but feeding might be a chore. I'd suggest cutting a small hole on the top and sticking a sponge in the hole when not in use, but cutting holes in mesh isn't always the best idea.

The best solution would be a clear plastic 'lid' that could fit over the opening and have a feeding hole cut without risking structural damage, but that might be difficult to find.


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## Krissim Klaw (Jan 9, 2011)

I would personally want something a bit bigger for the Chinese. Not so much because of shedding worries but because they are a fairly active species so it would be nice to give them a bit more room to roam around. The mesh cube cages are a good alternative. You can stack them easily to save space and they give even adult mantises a nice bit of space to call their own.


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## Morbo (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. After looking into different things, I think I'm just going to get three 10 gallon tanks that I have stored and divide each in half.

For now, they'll be living in the 32 oz deli cups.


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## Termite48 (Feb 1, 2011)

Morbo said:


> I'm thinking about getting some mesh enclosures for the mantids that I'm going to receive. They're 10"x6"x6" in size. The mantids that I'm getting are Sphodromantis lineola, budwings, and chinese.
> 
> I've read about the rule of thumb being the height of the enclosure must be 3x the current length of the mantis (for molting purposes) and the width being 2x. I remember there being a significant difference in size between the subadult and adult size with the African mantis I used to have. Do you guys think that these enclosures are too small, cutting it kind of close, or are they ok? If these are too small I'll just get some of the 12"x12"x12" mesh cubes they sell in the butterfly/caterpillar site.
> 
> Thanks for any advice!


Morbo: If you can, would you please send me a link to a website where they sell the mesh insect houses? I could not find more than one site and I did not particularly like the size offered.

Thanks,

Rich


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## PhilinYuma (Feb 1, 2011)

This is more a matter of personal taste than anything. If you plan on keeping a number of mantids of the same species for breeding, it's worth remembering that your 10"x6"x6" cages have slightly less than 1/5 the capacity of a 12" cube. Are the smaller enclosures a lot cheaper than the cubes?


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## Termite48 (Feb 1, 2011)

batsofchaos said:


> A sheet of cheese cloth and a rubber band to hold it in place is probably the easiest and cheapest answer. Not the most see-through, so it might be a good idea to position that side on the back for display purposes. It would be easy enough to remove for cleaning, but feeding might be a chore. I'd suggest cutting a small hole on the top and sticking a sponge in the hole when not in use, but cutting holes in mesh isn't always the best idea.
> 
> The best solution would be a clear plastic 'lid' that could fit over the opening and have a feeding hole cut without risking structural damage, but that might be difficult to find.


Perhaps if you could gather the mesh into a round area and and attach that puckered circle of mesh to a plastic PVC fitting with a PVC plug, you could have it (common sizes are 1/2", 3/4", 1". Hot glue could make it all go together. Just another thought using plumbing parts as I suggested last time I posted a "Rich solution" to a feeding whole issue.


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## Morbo (Feb 1, 2011)

Rich S said:


> Morbo: If you can, would you please send me a link to a website where they sell the mesh insect houses? I could not find more than one site and I did not particularly like the size offered.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Rich


If you're asking about the butterfly cages, you can order them here: http://www.livemonarch.com/store_enclosures.php

As for the smaller ones I mentioned, they're fish breeder cages which I was thinking about modifying for keeping mantids. I have a link to it on post #4



PhilinYuma said:


> This is more a matter of personal taste than anything. If you plan on keeping a number of mantids of the same species for breeding, it's worth remembering that your 10"x6"x6" cages have slightly less than 1/5 the capacity of a 12" cube. Are the smaller enclosures a lot cheaper than the cubes?


They're only about a dollar cheaper. They're definitely a more convenient size than the 13" cubes.

I realized that the most cost effective solution for me would be to get some sheets of plexiglass and have them cut to divide a few 10 gallon tanks in half. I suppose 5 gallons of space is more than they need, but all I'd have to buy are the plexiglass sheets since I already have three 10 gallons with screen lids lying around. I also have the iron stands which can hold on tank on top and another on the bottom. So that's my plan.



batsofchaos said:


> A sheet of cheese cloth and a rubber band to hold it in place is probably the easiest and cheapest answer. Not the most see-through, so it might be a good idea to position that side on the back for display purposes. It would be easy enough to remove for cleaning, but feeding might be a chore. I'd suggest cutting a small hole on the top and sticking a sponge in the hole when not in use, but cutting holes in mesh isn't always the best idea.


I was thinking about that too, and realized that plastic screen would be a great material for the open side. The black plastic screen that you can buy at home depot offers decent visibility and won't tear (not nearly as much as fabric will anyway) if I were to cut a hole in it and plug with a foam stopper. What Rich said would work too.


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