Exo-Terra screen terrariums

[dgerndt]

I have a nice 30% off coupon for Petco that expires today, and I was thinking about treating myself to a nice Exo-terra screen terrarium. Here's a link to the site so you can see an example of what I mean. Basically, it's a tall screen tank that has screen doors that open up in the front. My other option is to get a plain five-gallon tank with a screen lid.

Obviously, the plain glass tank would be a lot cheaper, and it still gets the job done. The biggest reason that makes me think the Exo-terra terrarium is a good idea is because I have that 30% off coupon, and those things are EXPENSIVE. (At least for a poor college student.)

So what do you guys think? Exo-terra or plain glass tank?

 

[psyconiko]

The ExoTerra you are talking about is the one with metal screen?If so avoid it,it may hurt your mantids legs.I bought one thinking it was perfect but it is not.I only tried to put medium to large phasmids in it and although it is ok you will end with some broken legs and injuries .Sreen mesh terrarium or glass terrarium work better(to me).

But I guess that may be fine for small species.

 

[dgerndt]

Well then how about the glass ones? I was planning on either using it for an adult Chinese or an adult Gongy. I've never had problems with metal screen before. But, then again, most of my mantids are still rather small.

 

[sporeworld]

I have mixed reviews and feelings on the mesh enclosures. They're my heavy-duty, all purpose enclosures (moths, mantids, whatever). Terrible at holding humidity, and bad for the tarsus on big adults of some species. Also, if ALL mesh, viewing is compromised a bit.

No significant problems with even adult Gongy's, and they LIKE IT dry, so metal mush might be the winning choice.

Also, screen lids on tanks are kind of a pain for communals (someone's always sneaking out or almost getting squished. And EVERY fly gets out when you open it, verses some of the small, concealed side doors on some Exo Terra models.

Check Craig's list, too. Some real deals out there on cages and aquariums.

 

[kamakiri]

I have a glass mini/tall 12x12x18 and I like it so far for my adult dead leaf, but they are capable of climbing glass. Species that can't climb glass would need to have something attached to the walls to climb. I live in a dry area, so I need containers that trap humidity. Mine is an older design with a single swinging door, the new ones look like two doors on the same size now.

I like the quality of the unit and I think it's generally worth it for a more 'presentable' display. Well, at least compared to deli tubs! :lol:

Good luck deciding!

 

[nursemelody]

I have 3 of these... The one you showed in the picture, the 12/12/18 and the nano.. I have kept my grass mantid in the nano with no trouble... and it comes with a nice background... I think I would actually prefer (if we are only talking about mantids... to buy several nanos...

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&pq=nano&xhr=t&q=nano+exo+terra&cp=8&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=NVb&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&channel=s&biw=1081&bih=752&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=2449071053841376819&sa=X&ei=3pq9TeqLHJShtwfaysS3BQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCgQ8gIwAg#

The front access makes it very easy to deal with when feeding, cleaning or misting, and they make beautiful displays.

 

[sporeworld]

Pretty good price on that, too.

 

[Rick]

They're nice but way too expensive, especially at Petco. Check out LiveMonarch for their inexpensive net cages. I love them and they are a great choice for mantids.

 

[dgerndt]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I decided to just get a 5.5 gallon tank and a heat resistant screen lid. The tank was about $15 and the lid was about $8. I just couldn't justify spending $75 on a tank, even if it DOES look fancy. <_< Besides, Petco didn't even have the screen ones in stock. I looked at this enclosure for a while, but still couldn't bring myself to spend $50 on a tank. The poor Petco associate had to bring out a huge ladder and climb up to the top shelf to bring it down to me, and then he had to put it back. He was pretty cool, though. He ended up giving me about 50 crickets for the price of 30. Bonus! :lol:

 

[snowflake]

you could get a 8x8x8 nano terrarium at joshsfrogs for $32 they work great too worth the money heres mine

https://picasaweb.google.com/107825475989744036498/GhostMantisSetup#

 

[dgerndt]

The nano looks pretty cool, but I wanted something big enough for an adult female Chinese, or an adult female Gongy. The nano is a little bit too small for them. I might look into the 12x12x18 version, though. That seems like a more suitable size.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Only thing I would add is when it comes to tanks and Chinese mantises, well they are darn right clunky clumsy species when it comes to glass as adults. The extra weight the females get on them doesn't help any so lots of slipping, sliding, and clinging to the ceiling. They also like to move around. A lot of mantis owners seem to feel hanging upside down from the lid all day is perfectly natural hanging spot for a mantis but I sort of disagree. I find when given a square cube of easy to cling to screen, my mantises hands down prefer the sides to the ceiling both for hanging and shedding. This doesn't mean they don't hang out on the ceiling too, but they spend more of their time hanging upside down from the side than the top. They only seem to spend all their time on the ceiling if stuck in a cage that has slick sides thus narrowing down their options.

You can of course add sticks for other hanging areas, but Chinese are notoriously bad at snubbing all cage decorations. I swear beautiful setups are wasted on them, not when there is easy to cling to screen to be found. They aren't a shy mantis and don't seem to feel the need to hide or blend in. Not all species have the same habits though so can't speak for how a Gongy will fair. They look like they might be far more graceful to say the least. XD

 

[dgerndt]

Yes, I noticed that it's hard for adult Chinese to climb around in a glass cage when I had my first mantis. That's a big reason why I looked into getting a screen cage.

 

[alicenwnderlnd]

The nano looks pretty cool, but I wanted something big enough for an adult female Chinese, or an adult female Gongy. The nano is a little bit too small for them. I might look into the 12x12x18 version, though. That seems like a more suitable size.

i have a 12X12X18 size and i love it! i have raised a female chinese from ooth till adult in it, it would be fine for an adult gongy.... i have 5 nymphs in it now, that are moving out of it this weekend because the surface area on the top is not large enough and i have bickering nymphs... but one adult, is perfect! i keep it planted with live plants and it sits on my desk. its almost my "mantis of the week" tank :lol:

 

[sporeworld]

I found this pic somewhere that gave a good comparrison of the ExoTerras...

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Yes, I noticed that it's hard for adult Chinese to climb around in a glass cage when I had my first mantis. That's a big reason why I looked into getting a screen cage.

Exo Terra does does make some lovely cages both glass and screen. I got one of their medium sized Explorarium net cages. Lovely cage to hang for space saving. That being said, I still think I prefer the Live Monarch net cages hands down for mantises. Some people prefer the black netting better for visibility but honestly I find seeing stuff way easier in the light white screen cages.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Exo Terra does does make some lovely cages both glass and screen. I got one of their medium sized Explorarium net cages. Lovely cage to hang for space saving. That being said, I still think I prefer the Live Monarch net cages hands down for mantises. Some people prefer the black netting better for visibility but honestly I find seeing stuff way easier in the light white screen cages.

Yes, I agree, though I think that this might be a minority view. In many ways, I am the opposite of you, KK, I do not keep mantis pets and am mostly interested in breeding. On the other hand, though a net cage cannot support all of the beautiful decorations of a rigid Exoterra or similar cage, you can pick up a 12" net cage and sit with it in your favorite chair, and with the right lighting, you can "visit with" the mantids in a way not possible with an immobile cage. I have just hatched a number of one of my favorites, B. mendica, and spent an hour with the cage on my lap, watching the newborn nymphs take in information about their world. Not a bad experience!

 

[sporeworld]

Facinating image. I've never thought to sit back and watch like that. I always go over to THEM. Might need to do a re-think.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Yes, I agree, though I think that this might be a minority view. In many ways, I am the opposite of you, KK, I do not keep mantis pets and am mostly interested in breeding. On the other hand, though a net cage cannot support all of the beautiful decorations of a rigid Exoterra or similar cage, you can pick up a 12" net cage and sit with it in your favorite chair, and with the right lighting, you can "visit with" the mantids in a way not possible with an immobile cage. I have just hatched a number of one of my favorites, B. mendica, and spent an hour with the cage on my lap, watching the newborn nymphs take in information about their world. Not a bad experience!

Yep, you can't beat the ease of moving, cleaning, stacking and tending to those net cages. A batch of freshly hatched nymphs is always fun to observe. Next time you get a high yield hatching and want a special treat take a moment to give the cage a couple quick puffs with you mouth. Nothing like watching a hundred scurrying nymphs instantly all freeze in place and everything go absolutely still for a few seconds. Mantis version of red light green light? =p I also enjoy the first misting with a cage full of nymphs since more often than not that is one time when everyone is eager to bend down for a drink at once. Another thing I really enjoy is getting to watch new nymphs on their first hunt. Slightly clumsy, eager yet often tentative about their first couple of strikes. You can see them fine tuning things, especially in the strike and how much force and depth they need to use to actually pick up the prey. It is the same the first time you give them something with a lot of wing like a moth. Little minds busy at work trying to figure out how on earth to position their new meal and find something of value to eat. Often a lot of extra wing chewing the first go.

When I mention I handle mantises I think a lot of people have images of me spending a lot of time actually holding my bugs. In truth however a lot of the time I spend with them out is simply observing. I have a lovely Exo Terra plant that sits on my desk. My mantises will often spend hours if not sometimes even days contently perched hanging from the plant and I enjoy being able to easily observe them while I go about my day. Even after all this time I still love watching how they observe their surroundings. The way they sway softly in place or reach back to pull a leg forward so they can clean their foot. It is the simple things that keep me coming back.