Finished building my mantis' terrarium - how'd I do?

[Qwiggalo]

Some notes:

Todo:

Raise the temperature to 80°

The setup:

This is a 12"x12"x12" glass terrarium, with golden pothos ivy.

There is a layer of gravel at the bottom, with a layer of moss on top of that and a layer of perlite+coco coir+pinch of lime.

There's a webcam (Logitech C920) aimed at the side. I'm running a program called iSpy that begins recording 1080p@30FPS footage when the slightest motion is detected.

It is covered in black paper to reduce reflections.

There is a ZooMed 12" hood above with a 5.0 UVB CFL.

How'd I do? Does anyone know if the perlite is dangerous to the mantis?

 

[Rick]

What is on the underside of the lid? Most mantids will go to the lid. If it were me I would put in more plants, branches, etc. Also, you will get all the mantids you can handle from just one of those ooths. I really like the webcam idea.

 

[Qwiggalo]

What is on the underside of the lid? Most mantids will go to the lid. If it were me I would put in more plants, branches, etc. Also, you will get all the mantids you can handle from just one of those ooths. I really like the webcam idea.

It has a wire mesh lid. I have a feeling the ooths are damaged though, for about 2 weeks it hadn't been given much humidity.

 

[Rick]

It has a wire mesh lid. I have a feeling the ooths are damaged though, for about 2 weeks it hadn't been given much humidity.

They are much more resilient than you think. If they are fertile I bet they hatch. The perlite should be ok.

 

[sally]

What do you use now for humidity? Do you just spray or use a reptile humidifier on a timer? The wire mesh needs to be real small or the mantids and the fruit flys will get out . Nice setup. Love the camera .

 

[Qwiggalo]

What do you use now for humidity? Do you just spray or use a reptile humidifier on a timer? The wire mesh needs to be real small or the mantids and the fruit flys will get out . Nice setup. Love the camera .

The mesh is very small, the fruit flies can't get out of it.

I spray with a bottle. Everyday or two times a day. I try to keep the humidity 60-70.