A simple glass fish bowl with mesh on the top.

[king_frog]

I'm just wondering if a african green mantis, in a glass fish bowl (it's quite small), with mesh over the top, would be good.

Would it be good for it?

 

[Malnra]

I am trying to remember the rule of thumb .. 3x the length in height and 2x in width ... if I am incorrect I am sure someone will point it out.

 

[king_frog]

Ok, if it the right size, is it the kind of thing i should keep my mantis in?

 

[Malnra]

Ok, if it the right size, is it the kind of thing i should keep my mantis in?

I dont see why not. Most any container will work to keep them in and a fishbowl is as good as any in my mind.

 

[Rick]

If the mantis has room to molt then it should be fine.

 

[Guest_macro junkie_*]

rember it needs s branch in there to shead

 

[Andrew]

If there's mesh on the top it doesn't necessarily need a stick.

 

[king_frog]

If there's mesh on the top it doesn't necessarily need a stick.

I think I am going to have a "stick", is a piece of bamboo placed diagonally from the top of the bowl to the bottom be good enough? or should i have a horizontal twig?

 

[Mantida]

If there is mesh on the lid, the mantid won't be spending much time on the stick. The only reason for a stick in there is for decoration or faster access to prey since the mantis can climb down the stick to get it. But, if you have a rather active mantis, the stick isn't needed since the mantis may crawl down the side of the fish bowl.

 

[king_frog]

I'm going to have a stick anyway. Wanna make my mantids home sexy

 

[Malnra]

I'm going to have a stick anyway. Wanna make my mantids home sexy

I know that feeling KF. I want a nice looking display also. The mantis may not care, but I have to look at it and until such time (maybe never) that I breed them the display needs to be pleasing to my eye.

 

[joossa]

I use a fish bowl as an enclosure for one of my females. As stated, make sure it has enough room to molt successfully. I use some sphagnum moss at the bottom and a couple of sticks for the mantis to climb up to the screen. My screen "lid" is held on with a simple rubber band. Easy.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Yea, I agree, it needs to look good, how can you make your friends jealous if you don't have it neat looking :lol: :lol: . Plus it is supposed to be a relaxing experience. Not like the time my hubby got me a 10 gallon fish tank for Christmas, I was just like a kid asking him and asking him for one. I loved it, I put it on my desk and spent hours looking at my 1st koi. I decorated the inside and had bubbles and everything. We brought I think 2 or 3 fish, don't remember now, though it was just a couple years ago. The one died and the other I loved for a long time, it got to be about 6 or 8 inches and really fat. It was multicolored and it had ick when I got it home. I knew nothing about it or how to keep it. Spent hours on the net searching for info. I used to catch it in the fish net, it was only about 2 inches or so and hold it against the glass, then I would take the tweezers and catch the worms that were sticking out of its skin and pull them off shuddering the whole time. I had a little plastic cup of alcohol to dip them in, cause I did not know what they were, just knew they did not belong on him. He did not really mind what I did, I did it every day till I got rid of them and them went to fish store and got some copper sulfate for the water. That helped. He used to look at me from behind his rock. Now that I think of it at the time I felt sorry for him thinking he was lonely and waiting for me, Ha he was hiding :lol: . He used to look at me with one eye, because the other was on the other side of his face. ha ha ha of course where else would it be. ha ha ha, No I am not drunk, I said all that to say this, the hobby should be relaxing, having a fish in a tank exhausted me no end. From him I went to orandas, I will post pick of "Pebbles later" She had all white and orange tail, fins eye liner and her lips were orange. ha ha ha She made me smile every time I looked at her, They all grew quite big, and fat, but Pebbles died, the stupid tank cleaner people never had a warning not to lay the hose down in the tank and run get something. when I came back her Orange head thing a ma jig was being sucked down the hose. I had to take and cut her head off real fast to prevent her from suffering, I am gonna cry now. So as I was trying to say, MAKE IT RELAXING. PETS are supposed to calm us down. Doesn't happen in my case :angry: . Sorry I digress

Here are the three, the one all the way to the right is the first one that had the Ick. The middle orange one is Pebbles, If you look real close you will see her orange lips! And the other was her friend. The white one almost got to 9"! Pebbles was always fat and small, like a goose egg when she died. I ever tell you the one about the geese?...Ok next time!

 

[Rick]

A stick is not needed. It could actually interfere by getting in the way of a molting mantis.