Traveling with mantids?

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Dana

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We're going out of town for a few days and I'll have only been a mantis owner for a little over a week.  I'm a little nervous to leave her home by herself. ;)   I'm guessing since we'll only be gone for three days that the best thing to do would be to feed her before we go and just leave her home, but...I still want to ask, do you take your mantids on vacation with you?  We'll be in a hotel room, so humidity and temperatures won't be ideal for her, but asking anyway.  And if you do travel with them, how do they take to being in their container in a moving vehicle?  Is that too stressful?  

I also will likely be taking her (a Carolina) to a classroom that's about an hour away in a couple of months, provided she's up for it.  I wouldn't plan on taking her out of the container in the classroom (I'm guessing too many active students might freak her out and make her move too much), but I wouldn't mind knowing if this is something anyone has done before and how the mantids have handled the experience.

Lots of questions!  I'm loving the experience so far.  I feel like I have a baby to take care of.  

 
I wouldn't worry about being in a moving vehicle. Remember we all routinely mail mantises across countries and they come out aok most times. They are tough little insects. The only worry I could think of in a car is heat. Hopefully you have AC (I don't cause my car is OLD), but remember not to leave your mantis in the hot car at any point or you might bake the poor thing.

As for taking it with you, that's up to you. Mantises can go for quite a while without food so as long as you fatten them up before you leave they should be fine. If you are feeding crickets however don't leave any extra in the cage for while you are gone. If the mantis decides to molt while there are active crickets they could take him/her out when they are molting. Flies/Moths should be fine as they pose little threat so long as they don't accidentally bodyslam a molting mantis. 

On the other hand I have taken mine to my parents an hour or so away a couple times with no ill effects. Since you are raising a native and hearty species you should be fine to take them with you as well. If you were raising exotics I would say its too risky just because of their specific environmental needs.

 
thank you!  One more question.  If the temperature of the inside of wherever we'll be (even if it's for just a day trip somewhere, etc) is kept below 80 degrees, will that be harmful to the mantis?  I guess I'm just thinking about if I take it to a classroom and it's chilly in there, etc., how will the mantis hold up?  I appreciate all of your input.  I think I've settled on not taking it on this trip only because we may have to get out of the car somewhere where I can't take her in with me.  Someone needs to invent a cool traveling case for mantids.  You know, dogs have purses. ;)   Mantid purse?

 
With Chinese and I assume Carolina as well temperatures below optimal (80) will at worse mildly stunt your mantis's growth/molting schedule. With some species breeders actually purposefully use this fact to hold back the shorter lived males so they will come to maturity when the females are ready and not die before getting a shot at matting.

I have one of my Chinese mantises at work as my desk buddy currently and the only negative effect the lower temperature in here seems to have is that he molts a bit behind the rest of the brood at home in the temperature controlled bug room. He is otherwise healthy, active, happy, and fat.
Similarly a friend of mine who had one of my first hatch of mantises had her female molt WAY behind (like over a month) all of mine as her house is colder. That female is still alive and about to lay her first ooth.

So long as you are not throwing them outside in the winter (I once almost lost a mantis to a 10 minute ride in a car I did not heat up first) you should be fine.

 
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That information is super helpful!!!  Thank you so much!!  I'm excited to know that I can bring her in from time to time. I wish I had something that I could conveniently take her places with me in. I'll have to think that through. How about heat?  Do they handle outside temps well if not in the direct sunlight and getting heated up in their enclosure?

 
That one I don't know. My mantises lead a sheltered life either in my bug room or at work. I have no experience with how they handle higher temperatures besides one of my friends frying theirs after forgetting the poor thing in the window for just a bit too long. Leave it to the Canadian to know ALL about cold but not about heat eh? :p

 
With Chinese and I assume Carolina as well temperatures below optimal (80) will at worse mildly stunt your mantis's growth/molting schedule.

...
Room temperature (72-75 F - 22-24 C) is preferred for those two species, and is more optimal for them (spring season weather). See the caresheet on general care, Chinese mantis here, also here, and Carolina mantis to name just a few.

If you are keeping them at warmer temps of 80F (27 C) or higher they obviously do molt faster due to a increased metabolism from the extra heat, which shortens their lifespan. They do survive in nature in higher temperatures too during the summer; however the night's cool off period (and seasonal weather changes) provides a balance, and is not that warm for their entire life (unlike captive kept).

I'd suggest you to stop using heaters with those species. I know though everyone tends to find a care "groove" and sticks with it. :)

We're going out of town for a few days and I'll have only been a mantis owner for a little over a week.  I'm a little nervous to leave her home by herself. ;)   I'm guessing since we'll only be gone for three days that the best thing to do would be to feed her before we go and just leave her home, but...I still want to ask, do you take your mantids on vacation with you?  We'll be in a hotel room, so humidity and temperatures won't be ideal for her, but asking anyway.  And if you do travel with them, how do they take to being in their container in a moving vehicle?  Is that too stressful?  
Yes, at a week without feeding they can develop a lethargic condition that can shorten mantids lifespans or lead directly to their death (Praying Mantis Ultimate Care Guide, book page 89 so no link). I've had it happen myself for various reasons my few mantids went without food for a week and there were three types of outcome - dead, skinny and did not recover, and a few that were fine. It seems males fared better, such as a similar event even if offered feeders daily can go a few weeks without food just fine (as adults ready for mating).

Ideally you would have a friend or neighbor care and feed for your mantids during your vacation or absence.

While mantids can survive being shipped in the mail which is said to be one of the worse things for it, it also provides a better result as the box and insulation often protects it from sudden temperature changes. If you are taking a mantid from a cold/hot car or house to another environment it does stress the mantid and can lead to health issues, the bigger the temperature change is, the bigger chance for a bad outcome.

I will just warn you to keep your mantids out of direct sunlight in a container.

I found out first hand collecting some wild mantids and placing them in individual containers in the shade. After more were collected the sun moved and caused a few to be exposed to direct sunlight for not even five minutes and all of them were dead when I returned with another mantid.

I also will likely be taking her (a Carolina) to a classroom that's about an hour away in a couple of months, provided she's up for it.  I wouldn't plan on taking her out of the container in the classroom (I'm guessing too many active students might freak her out and make her move too much), but I wouldn't mind knowing if this is something anyone has done before and how the mantids have handled the experience.
No problem there I've traveled further with mantids I captured to return home. I would only suggest arriving early so the mantids have at least 15-30 minutes to return to a less stressful state from the trip before the classroom event. Otherwise if you planned any hands on activities or such you may encounter issues with aggression from the stress.

How about heat?  Do they handle outside temps well if not in the direct sunlight and getting heated up in their enclosure?
Covered in the information above. If it is a gradual temperature change the mantid will be fine; however, sudden temperature changes of more than 20 degrees F can lead to health problems or it's death.

They however handle outside temps fine, as they are a native species. ;) Wild mantids though are raised in that environment and the temperatures raise/fall gradually with the mantid expose to it the whole time, so it will not experience sudden temperature changes like a captive mantid pet will being introduce to the outdoor temperatures.

 
Wonderfully helpful information!  Thank you. I plan to read the information you linked to and educate myself as much as possible. The internet has limited information, I think, and I think I saw a book recommended somewhere that I'll be looking into. I actually brought her inside for the evening because she really looks like she may molt and I'd love a chance to see it happen. 

Again, thanks for taking the time to educate me. I'll do my part in educating myself as well, but these fast answers are surely helping me have a better experience as a beginner!

 
I've traveled many times with mantises without issues. I find them very easy travel companions. Personally I prefer net cages for travel because then I don't have to worry about the sun coming through a car window managing to bake them. I also like the net cages for more active species because the vibrations and movements in travel can cause them to become active and try to head butt out of their cage. Gentle netting drastically reduces the risk of developing eye spots in this scenario. The only time I've ever gotten eye spots on mantises was the two times I traveled with cages that had a harder plastic mesh.

My general rule when it comes to temperatures when traveling is to ask myself if I find the temperature comfortable. If it is cold enough I want a jacket or hot enough I don't want to stand in the sun more than five seconds, then I assume my mantises will be about the same. You need to keep in mind with more extreme temperature this means you can't leave them in the car unsupervised so if you stop at a pit stop you will either need to bring the mantis in or have someone in the car with them. If you are dealing with extreme cold outside I would suggest getting an insulated container like a cooler to place the cages when you are transferring them outside. Keep in mind the feeder insects you will be bringing will need the same care.

Outside of that the only thing I would warn about is the hotel rooms. A lot of hotels spray bug poison and bomb their rooms. When I travel I always like to ask about any recent pesticide spraying and mention I have bad allergies to sprays like pesticides to minimize the chance they are going to stick me in a room that has just been recently doused in something. Even then I suggest making sure if you handle your mantis in the room to wash your hands well before touching them and not let them crawl on any of the hotel stuff.

 
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Funny you should ask this question as I recently received 3 ghost nymphs that are currently L3 and I am on vacation. Our car trip was 4 hours. I knew we would be leaving so I kept the cardboard box they were shipped in because it is lined with styrofoam. I placed them in their deli cups along with their fruit flies with newspaper around them to prevent slippage in the box. 

They did fantastic. We didn't make any extended stops though and the weather was mild. They had great appetites the following day. Hope this helps. 

Denise 

 
Thanks for that correction, I always muck up the F to C conversions! Me and numbers/math are not the best of friends.
No problem, I know all too well myself and after several math classes I had to pass at my university - I still hate math. ;)

I just wanted to point it out as the 5 to 10 degrees (or more) doesn't sound like much, but due to the increased metabolism when done over their entire life can shorten their lifespan about a month. It can also make them more "irritated" in handling response and breeding as they are over active.

... and I think I saw a book recommended somewhere that I'll be looking into.
There are a few that can be had online, but the most recommended ones are from member Orin his Keeping Aliens mantid book, and his much larger Keeping the Praying Mantis book. :)

I've traveled many times with mantises without issues.

...

Outside of that the only thing I would warn about is the hotel rooms. A lot of hotels spray bug poison and bomb their rooms. When I travel I always like to ask about any recent pesticide spraying and mention I have bad allergies to sprays like pesticides to minimize the chance they are going to stick me in a room that has just been recently doused in something. Even then I suggest making sure if you handle your mantis in the room to wash your hands well before touching them and not let them crawl on any of the hotel stuff.
Many thanks for the write-up from your experience. Some great tips and information, and the hotel warning/trick is amazing. :D If you find the time I'd really like to see if you could put together a mantid traveling guide, it would be useful to so many keepers (and get stickied for all to see). :tt1:

 
Wow!  The hotel tip definitely is valuable. And that will carry into other public environments, for instance, the school I may visit, it could be that they spray in the room. I don't know if they do but like you said, it might be a good idea to ask questions beforehand to be sure, and take precautions with the mantis once in the location. All great advice. 

I looked into both of the books this evening before bed and am planning my budget around them. ? I have been to that site before and it has actually been one of the most beneficial that pop up through Google. 

I have decided, however, to leave Jade home. It's only three days, so she should be just fine, and likely will be better off staying in her normal environment than me trying to keep things comfortable for her. This has all been great information though because she likely will be making some small trips with us in the future, plus I'm sure others have thought about a traveling companion. ?

 
Many thanks for the write-up from your experience. Some great tips and information, and the hotel warning/trick is amazing. :D If you find the time I'd really like to see if you could put together a mantid traveling guide, it would be useful to so many keepers (and get stickied for all to see). :tt1:
Hahaha glad you found that tip helpful. I could always try and write up a guide if you like although, I'm not sure if I have that much more in way of special advice. For the most part mantises are just ridiculously easy to travel with, which is why I often take them. Whenever I stay at a hotel for more than one night I usually flat out mention I have pet mantises with me and verify it won't be a problem and that the hotel cleaning staff will leave them alone. I've never once been turned down regardless of the fact I am often not staying in pet friendly hotels. I just mention I have a tiny, odorless bug that lives in a small cage, doesn't make any noise, is harmless, and even considered a "beneficial insect" (the type of bug that would happily eat most of those annoying pest bugs hotels don't won't) and my mantises always seem to be welcome places with open arms. It is a lot like if you were traveling with a small fish or something. Not the sort of animal that is going to bother places enough to actually ask you to leave even though they technically have no animals allowed policies.

Just about the only hardship with traveling with mantises is when planes are involved. Airlines don't allow bugs period. Admittedly I'm not sure how many people would want to shell out $75-$150 dollars to have the honor of traveling in cabin with their pet mantises even if airlines allowed us to take them on like other pets.

 
@Krissim Klaw Sure, that sounds fine. Just write what you want about traveling with mantids. The costs to fly a mantid in a airplane cabin would be crazy, but it would be a unique experience for sure. :D

 
Awesome information!  I'm still on the fence about bringing her in this two night trip. I usually set the room to not have the maids come in and clean at the hotel anyway since it's such a short stay. If you think 70 degrees F wouldn't be bad for her, I'd consider bringing her because I hate to leave her unattended at home. That sounds silly. But totally true nonetheless!!  I considered one of those tiny critter keepers to carry her in, though I'm not sure the top of it is the best material for her feet. I actually really like the cup I made for her. I wish it were easier to carry. At any rate, I'm still trying to invent a trendy carrying case for mantids in my head. Lol

 
The critter cage might work well if you lined the top with plastic screening or material like tolle. Very soft on the pads. Made several trips between Oklahoma and Maryland with gallons of tropical fish. Lol Mantis are so much easier to travel with.

 
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