# First homemade



## sueb4653 (Jul 7, 2012)

My first homemade enclosure


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## happy1892 (Jul 7, 2012)

Looks good.


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## patrickfraser (Jul 7, 2012)

lol, cheese balls or pretzels? I have quite a few of those. It is easier to cut out the label and screen it than try to remove all that sticky, right? Also better for ventilation.


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## sueb4653 (Jul 7, 2012)

lol cheese balls and yes I cut out the label for ventilation and also did some ventilation in the lid


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## patrickfraser (Jul 7, 2012)

Good job! :clap: You'll be a pro in no time. No better teacher than practical experience.


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## sueb4653 (Jul 7, 2012)

Now if I can just keep the darn flies in container so hubby dont get mad


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## Sneaky123 (Jul 12, 2012)

If you use the kind of mesh I use u might want to double layer. Melanogasters can get out &gt;


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 13, 2012)

I cant se the pic


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## Mvalenz (Jul 13, 2012)

hibiscusmile said:


> I cant se the pic


Me either.


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## sueb4653 (Jul 13, 2012)

there you go


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## Mvalenz (Jul 13, 2012)

Now I see. Very nice.


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## sueb4653 (Jul 13, 2012)

Thanks


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## MandellaMandy123 (Jul 14, 2012)

Wow, not bad! I'll have to try that right away!


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## SilentDeviL (Jul 16, 2012)

Nice where you get the container ?


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## sueb4653 (Jul 17, 2012)

Its a cheese ball barrel some walmarts carry it or sams club does can also buy online

Utz cheese balls


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## Crazy4mantis (Jul 17, 2012)

Cheese balls have endless uses.


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## eyes (Jul 17, 2012)

That's the same containers I used. I took the label off without leaving any residue. You just have to go slow and steady with even pressure and it pulls right off cleanly. I also made a large cut-out on the side like that except mine is a door that I can open and close. I find the side access door is much more convenient for putting active prey in because they tend to go up. Plus I can get in there for cleanup, misting, and whatnot without disturbing the mantis (unless the mantis is on the door of course but then I can open the top) or letting the prey out.

I used air conditioning filter material instead of normal screen because it provides good air flow but fruit flies can't easily get out of it (crickets sometimes eat the material though).

I made a little latch out of the extra plastic, bent it into shape and hot glued to the side. The door is just the filter foam tied to a coat hanger which is bent to the shape of the container. All my foam pieces are just held on by wire which makes it easy to replace if needed.









Edit:

I also lightly sand the top clear part of the container (hard to see in picture) just to rough it up a bit so the smaller mantises can grip better on that top corner where it curves over since prey tends to hang out there.


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## sueb4653 (Jul 17, 2012)

OH very good

I'm having a hard time finding more containers right now Walmart ran out


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## patrickfraser (Jul 17, 2012)

OH NO! NOT A CHEESE BALL SHORTAGE! :lol:


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## sueb4653 (Jul 17, 2012)

Its a disaster whats a girl to do :donatello:


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## patrickfraser (Jul 17, 2012)

sueb4653 said:


> Its a disaster whats a girl to do :donatello:


Place a personal ad. Guaranteed to find some cheese balls. :lol:


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## sueb4653 (Jul 19, 2012)

haha found going tomorrow to get :clown: 

if anyone looking Sams club carries


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Jul 20, 2012)

For the really small nymphs, the peanut butter containers work great  

Just to add to the whole home ideas, i found this cool thing for my cannibalistic mantis, helps to save space too!

It's made for fish, the thing in the middle is a divider  







Bad quality but those are pre sub Hierodulas. You can't see this part, but i have two layers of twigs and branches (kind of like a checkered pattern) glued to the top.

There is now a vertical twig that extends from the floor to the roof. The purpose of this is because some mantises fall when flipping after a molt, so i like to let them grab the stick and climb to the top, where they will dry ( i find that this technique generates fewer crumpled wings).


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## sueb4653 (Jul 20, 2012)

Thats very good


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Jul 20, 2012)

Thanks  

I dont seem to have the craftsmanship required to make what you do :blush: 

So i have to buy pre-made


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## sueb4653 (Jul 20, 2012)

ROFL please......


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