3 terrariums... now to put which, where..?

[lacier]

I have decided on-

Giant Asian (Hierodula Membracea)

Giant African Lined (Sphodromantis Lineola)

Marbled Shield (Rhombodera Megaera)

I have these 3 terrariums-

12Lx12Wx12H exo terra (glass)
12Lx18Wx20H unknown brand (Screen)
16Lx16Wx30T ZooMed  (Screen)

Which would benefit from which terrarium? They all seem to be roughly the same size so I am struggling. I do plan to upgrade all to roughly around the 16x16x30 size but I will probably end up with L2-3 to start.

 

[Connor]

If you're talking inches, these tanks might be a little too big for feeding a L-2/L-3 nymph. I would recommend taking them out of their enclosure for feeding when they are that small, or keep them in a deli cup till they grow. As far as which mantis where, I'm not expert but I'd say whatever you like since they grow about the same size. Btw love all of those mantis, good choice!

 

[SpaceWolf]

Same thought, they are likely too big for L2/L3. If you put em in a cage that big, they should at least be able to eat bottleflies, so I'm thinking more L5/L6. I made the same mistake the first time I bought mantids, put L4's in a way too big terrarium and some of them died because they didn't find their food.

 

[lacier]

So would the large deli cups be a good area to feed outside of the cage? I was thinking the largest cage would be way too big to feed in but I wasn't sure about my other 2. Thanks so much, I am getting super excited as I get their cages set up!

 

[Connor]

So would the large deli cups be a good area to feed outside of the cage? I was thinking the largest cage would be way too big to feed in but I wasn't sure about my other 2. Thanks so much, I am getting super excited as I get their cages set up!

Glad you're getting excited! Yeah a deli cup would work perfect. I normally just let them sit on the lid in the open and I'll put a fly right in their faces. 

 

[steeve]

I'm really excited for you, those are some awesome species to start with!

Large deli cups may still be too big. Depending on how 'tame' your mantises are you can even take them out and sit them on a table to feed (if you have the patience to toss them fruit flies). I did that with my flower mantises because watching them was so much fun. Small deli cups should be good, you can always count the bugs to make sure your mantises are eating them. I used a small tupperware container with some mesh gently laid on the top to feed my more flighty guys in a smaller area.

You can also buy some small plain plastic cups for a dollar and use them as well if the deli cups are still too large. I can't track down the tutorial I used, but it was something along the lines of cutting the rim off cup 1 and gluing the mesh onto it. Then inserting it into the intact cup 2 to make an easy to lift out lid. Very handy for not disturbing mantises! 

 

[Connor]

I'm really excited for you, those are some awesome species to start with!

Large deli cups may still be too big. Depending on how 'tame' your mantises are you can even take them out and sit them on a table to feed (if you have the patience to toss them fruit flies). I did that with my flower mantises because watching them was so much fun. Small deli cups should be good, you can always count the bugs to make sure your mantises are eating them. I used a small tupperware container with some mesh gently laid on the top to feed my more flighty guys in a smaller area.

You can also buy some small plain plastic cups for a dollar and use them as well if the deli cups are still too large. I can't track down the tutorial I used, but it was something along the lines of cutting the rim off cup 1 and gluing the mesh onto it. Then inserting it into the intact cup 2 to make an easy to lift out lid. Very handy for not disturbing mantises! 

Yeah I completely agree, I feed mine out in the open since most of my mantis don't seem to want to run away... and it's easier to see how much food my mantis are getting when. And also super cool to watch. But yeah if you're not gonna risk escape, use a small deli cup to ensure the mantis get their food.

 

[Ocelotbren]

I don't know how common it is, but I have heard that if you hand feed a lot, the mantis may stop hunting and rely solely on hand feeding.  Just something to keep in mind if you go the hand feeding route when they're small and don't necessarily want to hand feed forever.  Someone with more experience could possibly confirm or deny this...I just recall reading it somewhere.  I did a mix of hand feeding and hunting for my Chinese and he's done fine with both.  Good luck!