# heating mantid enclosures?



## Yeehaw (Jan 11, 2021)

I’ve been hoping to get an orchid mantis for a while now, but I’ve limited myself to species that don’t require extra heating because I have no clue how to heat the cage and I’ve had serious trouble finding any info about it. Does anyone have orchid enclosure tips? I tend to keep my mantids in deli cups if they’re small or glass jars/fish bowls (with two flat sides and lots of branches, I know the curved sides can be difficult for them to climb) with cheesecloth over the top. I don’t think a lamp would work with cloth, and I worry about a metal mesh getting too hot with a lamp, and I’ve heard mixed results about heat mats because they’re not how heat works in the wild. This doesn’t have to be orchid specific, just general advice on how to make a safely heated enclosure would be much appreciated.


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## MrGhostMantis (Jan 11, 2021)

Fish tanks are not good enclosures, not enough cross ventilation. What species have you kept?


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## hibiscusmile (Jan 12, 2021)

Have you tried thrift stores? They are great for finding things that can be used for containers.


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## Yeehaw (Jan 18, 2021)

I have! That’s where I got the enclosure one of my mantids is in. I’m mainly worried about heating.


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## Yeehaw (Jan 18, 2021)

MrGhostMantis said:


> Fish tanks are not good enclosures, not enough cross ventilation. What species have you kept?


I currently have two ghosts, a creobroter gemmatus, and a miomantis caffra. I use cheesecloth on the top which is pretty thin, so I think ventilation is okay.


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## Yeehaw (Jan 18, 2021)

hibiscusmile said:


> Have you tried thrift stores? They are great for finding things that can be used for containers.


I posted that other one wrong- but yes!! I have, Im mostly worried about heating.


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## TheWrongCrowd (Jan 25, 2021)

Usually a lamp is better than a heat pad because its more intuitive for a mantis to go up closer to the sun when its cold, and down when its hot. Low wattage 15-25 should work, but its good to have a thermometer (along with a hydrometer) at near the top of the enclosure where the mantis is most to keep an eye on the conditions and play around with it until it works to your mantid's species.


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## TheWrongCrowd (Jan 25, 2021)

hibiscusmile said:


> Have you tried thrift stores? They are great for finding things that can be used for containers.


Best containers I've bought are the ones from shrift stores


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