# Glass vs. Plastic



## QiGongGuy

:? I'm new at this and I'm buying two orchid mantises from Yen (yen_saw). He's very helpful but I want to get opinions from as many people as possible.Should I get glass or plastic cages for them? How big should the cages be? Will I need heaters? Should I put my orchid plants inside?PLEASE HELP!!!


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## OGIGA

I say plastic because it's disposable and won't break and hurt you.


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## QiGongGuy

That makes sense, but should I add orchids and/or a heater?


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

Plastic is best, cheaper and easier to clean and wont break so easily..if you get a heater use a good 'ol heatmat, ive got a 6"x11" one, you can get them in 6"x6" too, they can be use to heat a few tanks, or loads of cups/pots..

Good luck with your orchids!


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## randyardvark

and no you dont need an orchid, just something for them to hang from to moult, some people add them to look nice mind, sweet jars and deli cups are rather handy  and cheap


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## Rick

I use plastic deli cups until they outgrow them then they go into a divided 2 1/2 gallon glass tank. What you house them in is up to you. Unless you keep the room cold you don';t need a heat mat. I keep my mine at normal room temperatures and they do fine.


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## Ben.M

All of my tanks are plastic, so much easier


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## Nick Barta

You will find plastic has some advantages, read on.

Be sure to leave enough unobstructed vertical room for molting. A bad molt is the most common reason for loss. Orchids do best on flying food as they wait for the prey to approach, rather than stalk their dinner, so flies are the best inexpensive food source, and easiest to feed. Have a seperate feeding hole with a foam stopper so it is easy to feed without taking the lid off, so you minimize escaping flies, and crushing mantis. Unless you cut glass, plastic is the way to go!!

You can see several plastic containers at my website, www.mantisplace.com


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## hibiscusmile

QiGongGuy, since you asked and are taking a poll and this is the main business I have been in with hubby for 20 years I feel I need to give what info I can about the different materials here without being to technical.

The different in materials are as follows:

A) Acrylic which is labeled to the general public as (plexiglass) &amp; thicknesses you can buy retail is .100, cracks, breaks, stains easier, warps in direct sunlight, yellows &amp; scratches easily. Is the 2nd least expensive material. Available from hardware stores in .100 of an inch, &amp; sold thru Glass shops in 1/8" increments. So 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 . This is cut with an acrylic knife.

B) Polycarbonate sheet does not break, stands up much better to cleaning &amp; is U.V. Coated to stop yellowing &amp; heat retension which minimizes warpage. This is the most expensive material, but stands up and will outlast longer than all other materials. This is sold only thru a Glass shop such as ours. It is cut with a circular saw. It comes in colors and thickness 1/8" and so on.

C.) Float Glass in 1/8" standard window glass, is naturally breakable, but does not warp, yellow or scratch. It is cut with a glass cutter. (don't ask me to cut it, I still can't  ) This is least expensive material to use.

D). Tempered 1/8" Glass is 8 Xs stronger than standard glass, does not scratch, stain, warp, yellow... virtually no maintaince. This is the 3rd most expensive of the four, but in my opinion is the best bang for the buck to use if you are building your own cages. Also the edges are not sharp so you do not have to worry about getting cut. This has to be ordered to size because you cannot cut it. Tempered glass is cut at the factory and then tempered in an oven.

So if you are building your own Mantis house these are some of the usual materials you can use. Just remember to use a silicon or glue appropiate for living things. Our silicone is used for aquariums and has no mold inhibitor in it. Mold inhibitor is toxic to animals. Check the food and drug website http://www.fda.gov/ for glues suitable for the material you choose to use.

Email me if you need any more info on the above or for pricing on any of the material. I know the silicone is very expensive for a tube on the web. See "others for sale" on what I sell it &amp; the cutters for!


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

wow  and I just thought it was cheap alternative to glass..


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## Rick

I use containers made of both. I think the only big difference between the two that will affect mantids owners is price.


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## xenuwantsyou

Plastic. I generally find it easier for a mantis to climb on. It's cheaper too.


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## QiGongGuy

:lol: Such a big contest!!! :lol:


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## randyardvark

polystyrene cups i find are very good for nymphs as they allow very good grip and allow livefood to walk up the sides, thats another one for the plasic team


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

Surely polystyrene means they dont get much light, and you cannot see them? :?


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## captainmerkin

I have several different set ups that all seem ok.

Wooden framed cages with 3 mesh sides and 2 wood and 1 perspex.

perspex tank with roof and one end made from mesh.

30cm x 30cm x 45cm ext terra teranium with glass sides and polystyerene backing.

120cm x 50cm x 50cm aquarium with mesh lid for ghosts.. they seem fine going up and down the glass in this as well for some reason.

the glass teraniums are cheaper than making your own tanks out of perspex as I discovered.


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## OGIGA

> polystyrene cups i find are very good for nymphs as they allow very good grip and allow livefood to walk up the sides, thats another one for the plasic team


I don't know what kind of material my glass aquarium tank is made out of, but things can grip it pretty darn well.


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## hibiscusmile

U r funny, if u have a glass aquarium, i'ld say it is probably glass. :wink:


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## OGIGA

> U r funny, if u have a glass aquarium, i'ld say it is probably glass. :wink:


I mean I don't know what kind of glass it is... plexiglass, polycarbonate, silicon, floatglass, etc....


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## Engraver30

I am fairly new to the mantid scene, but I perfer to us acrylic. I have a wide variety of bugs and other critters and I find that acrylic is easy to clean up. Another nice thing about acrylic is that if you drop it, it won't shatter into a million pieces that can cut you or your kids. I have three little ones running around my house and I feel safer using acrylic rather than glass.


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## athicks

I use both  

I like plastic because it is light and you don't have to worry about it breaking. But I personally think that the glass terrariums look so much better


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## Asa

The reason I voted for glass was also for the looks. Appears I'm heavily outnumbered.


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## randyardvark

its because most of us are cheap skates with loads of mantids  glass looks nicer but isnt nearly as cheap or practical


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## Asa

I don't keep a whole lot. No more than 6-8 species at a time. Usually only about 5-10 of each species. Most of them are nymphs too. I get all my glass from meatball containers.


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## jfmantis

I don't know if any of you guys have had this problem: After I mist my glass cages, some of the mantids have trouble climbing up the sides of the cage  . I'm gradually moving them all into plastic though.


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## OGIGA

> I don't know if any of you guys have had this problem: After I mist my glass cages, some of the mantids have trouble climbing up the sides of the cage  . I'm gradually moving them all into plastic though.


Really? Mine are perfectly fine except when they glass is wet.


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## Asa

> I don't know if any of you guys have had this problem: After I mist my glass cages, some of the mantids have trouble climbing up the sides of the cage  . I'm gradually moving them all into plastic though.
> 
> 
> 
> Really? Mine are perfectly fine except when they glass is wet.
Click to expand...

That's what he just said. When he mists them. It doesn't really matter, as long as it doesn't stay wet forever.


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## randyardvark

polystryne cups are nice ven crix can climb the side so your mantis can eat them


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## Asa

That should have been in the poll.


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## randyardvark

its a type of plastic


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## OGIGA

> I don't know if any of you guys have had this problem: After I mist my glass cages, some of the mantids have trouble climbing up the sides of the cage  . I'm gradually moving them all into plastic though.
> 
> 
> 
> Really? Mine are perfectly fine except when they glass is wet.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> That's what he just said. When he mists them. It doesn't really matter, as long as it doesn't stay wet forever.
Click to expand...

How do you know that he meant that they can't climb only when the glass is wet? Sounds possible that he could have meant that they have trouble climbing after he misted, even after it dried.


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## Asa

But a special type. Specifics :wink:


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## skinzfan72

Me being a newby I have one plastic critter keeper and one 5 gal glass aquarium. The big thing I am noticing is humidity issues. As i type my plastic one is at 50ish and the glass one is around 30. Same room same temps I am guessing plastic just keeps humidity easier.


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## thebugwife

I like 12oz - 24oz cold beverage cups for the Nymphs, they are cheaper than deli cups and taller. The lids have straw holes, so when they are small I just fill up a condiment squeeze bottle with fruit flies and squeeze them in fast and easy!

Food Grade Plastic containers from the $1 store are great if you want a large cage for cheap, if you check out a couple your bound to find a few different sizes, shapes and translucencies, I cut out a side with a hot knife and glue on a screen for ventilation and easy misting, and if you get textured plastic its easy for them to climb. I made about 25 of them last year so there is always one handy....

But I'm with Asa, I still like glass better! Most of what we have is stock and not pets so they only live in it for a short time for that plastic is easier.

My pets all have glass!

Oh yeah and the extra poisons things get tight sealing plastic, who wants broken glass and a scorpion on the loose!


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## Djoul

cheaper and easier to clean, Plastic for me  

But sometimes I like to do a terrarium in glass on my desk with a mantis just for design


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## Krissim Klaw

I use fine mesh cages for babies and screened ones for adults. I find the mantises seem to have a much easier time climbing around than slippery glass or plastic cages. My Chinese don't even bother with sticks because they enjoy hanging on to the screened sides and ceiling so much.


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## Dave_B

> I just fill up a condiment squeeze bottle with fruit flies and squeeze them in fast and easy!


Could you say more about this? How do you get the flies into the condiment bottle and then out again through the hole in the top...by tapping them?


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## tnienhaus

I'm still fairly new to this but my suggestion would be plastic...its usually easier to work with and its readily available...I am using a plastic container that's approx. 3 gallons and I was able to cut and screen it to my liking...

However...from everything I've read...regardless of what you use...make sure your mantids have plenty of things to hang on...they seem to get really stressed out when they have to climb plastic or glass so I attach lots of mesh-like things to the sides....it allows them to relax a little more when climbing and makes it easier to catch their food...


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## muleyyy

i'm going to vote for plastic too, i have an exo terra tank but i find its a bit heavy to move about, plus you've got the worry of it getting broken, the other thing is, i live in a hard water area, and i get a gradual build up of limescale on the sides of the tank from when i mist it, i filter my water but you still get some (i wont buy bottled water, it just aint ethical)

with a glass tank its a big hassle to take all the substrate out and scrub the sides, but with a plastic one when it comes to cleaning everything out its quick n' easy, plus plastic containers are easier to store, most will stack nicely


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## Rick

Get whichever you want. I use both.


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## harryallard

is there a uk website to get deli cups?


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## idolomantis

plastic.. when using clear plastic its the same as glass.


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