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shadeone

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Hello all!

Just joined over the weekend because I am interested in getting my first mantis as the GF has turned down ever allowing me to keep scorpions in the apartment lol! We live in a studio apartment so whatever is kept will be seen from pretty much anywhere else in the apartment. Plus she pays the majority of the rent and Im already taking up a huge amount of our entry hallway with my Moon Jellyfish tank that is under construction :) . The only way I was able to convince her to get a Mantis is because she can help design the enclosure with all sorts of pretty flowers etc and I showed her many videos of people handling mantids etc.

First off, a little about me. My name is Jamie and I live in Minnetonka, MN. Currently working as a mortgage banker. I have been interested in mantids for a long time but they really sparked my curiosity this past summer when my GF was the bridesmaid in a wedding and her little thing of flowers that she had to hold had a very tiny mantis nymph on it that I promptly rescued and held on to through the ceremony. We released it outside later because I had no idea at the time of what would be involved in keeping it. Im assuming this was probably in the flower nursery that shipped the flowers. I live in MN and there are no species of mantis that are native to here that I know of.

Anyways, Ive been doing a lot of internet research this past week and looking into getting my first one soon but I do have some general questions that Im sure you guys can answer in a heartbeat.... I would have posted these in the appropriate subforums but I thought it would be nicer to introduce myself first!

1. In trying to decide on a first species to get, Ive narrowed it down to either the Giant African or the Giant Asian. Is there a difference in terms of behavior in these two? I am looking for the most calm species that will be able to sit on my hand from time to time and not do its defense display and lash out at my fingers.

2. Are these species known to fly at all? I have read that the females tend not to since they are heavier/bigger. Do the regular sites that are selling l3-l4 nymphs provide certain sexes or is it just whatever they feel like sending out?

3. Our apartment is kept strictly between 73-76F year round with no humidity except for a slight bit that comes in during the summer. Will this be ok for the species listed above?

4. In terms of feeding it, I would love to be able to feed it flying insects of some sort but once again, the studio apartment issue comes into play and I dont really have anywhere to raise a culture of anything other than our heated garage storage unit. I say "heated" but this is Minnesota and the temperatures in the garage in the winter get down to about 45F. My question here is about those reptile tank heating pads... There IS a socket plugin in the storage unit that I could plug a heating pad into. I just cant use a lamp of any sort that would draw attention to a power sucker that is constantly on. Would this work for heating a glass mason jar full of dubia/lobster roaches or crickets to the appropriate temp and allowing them to survive for a while down there during the winter?

Thats all I got for now but Im sure more will pop up soon! I look forward to taking on this new pet and also meeting the kind folks of this forum!

Thanks in advance!

Jamie

 
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welcome Jamie!

1) any mantis can be kept on your hand as far as I know without them freaking out all the time. Just be gentile with it. Both those species are good eaters the giant asian might have a bit of a preference for flying prey but you can probably feed it the dubias and crickets with tongs.

2) males of most species fly, females can glide or just don't fly. Both males of those species fly.

3) the giant african mantis likes temps of 80-90F dropping to around 75F at night with around 50 to 60% humidity. the giant asian mantis likes around 77 to 85F temps with around 60% humidity. The giant asian is probably easier for you to keep given your in home temperatures. you sure you have no humidity in your house? 0% sounds a bit extreme for any house really. My appartement is usually not humid because of the AC blasting but there's still an average humidity of around 30-40%

4) why use mason jars for dubias? I know they like small spaces but wow that's tiny. I would get a rubbermaid bin appropriately sized for the amount of roaches you have and put a heat pad on one side of it, or use heat cord, and leave them in your storage, checking on them for food and moisture and to remove moldy food. with the heat pad you can get them to survive and breed just fine even if it's cold down there. if you are trying to take the breeding route, I wouldn't recommend crickets. they will attract attention with their chirping, and breeding them takes multiple bins and substrate containers for them to lay their eggs in.

 
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Welcome

1. Both of those species are a fine choice. Both have similar care and disposition. They are also pretty tough and forgiving of beginner mistakes.

2. Adult males can fly. You can request a certain sex, but it is up to the seller. With many species sexing can be difficult with small nymphs.

3. Those temps should be fine. You will need a simple spray bottle to mist the enclosure once a day or so.

4. The two species you mention need large prey when they get older. Crickets or roaches are going to be a must. It would take a lot of flies to feed them as adults. You could try to keep some feeders in your garage, but they will need more space than a jar will provide. A small rubber maid tub would work better. A heat lamp woudl work better than a pad.

 
petoly said:
welcome Jamie!

1) any mantis can be kept on your hand as far as I know without them freaking out all the time. Just be gentile with it. Both those species are good eaters the giant asian might have a bit of a preference for flying prey but you can probably feed it the dubias and crickets with tongs.

2) males of most species fly, females can glide or just don't fly. Both males of those species fly.

3) the giant african mantis likes temps of 80-90F dropping to around 75F at night with around 50 to 60% humidity. the giant asian mantis likes around 77 to 85F temps with around 60% humidity. The giant asian is probably easier for you to keep given your in home temperatures. you sure you have no humidity in your house? 0% sounds a bit extreme for any house really. My appartement is usually not humid because of the AC blasting but there's still an average humidity of around 30-40%

4) why use mason jars for dubias? I know they like small spaces but wow that's tiny. I would get a rubbermaid bin appropriately sized for the amount of roaches you have and put a heat pad on one side of it, or use heat cord, and leave them in your storage, checking on them for food and moisture and to remove moldy food. with the heat pad you can get them to survive and breed just fine even if it's cold down there. if you are trying to take the breeding route, I wouldn't recommend crickets. they will attract attention with their chirping, and breeding them takes multiple bins and substrate containers for them to lay their eggs in.
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Those temps and humidity requirements are much more specific than what is actually needed. I have kept both of the species in question extensively. They both do fine under the same conditions and those conditions are not very specific. Of course any mantis species will do best under warmer conditions but it is not absolutely necessary for this situation.

Where do you get that the Giant Asian prefers flying food? They will eat pretty much anything. No tong feeding would be necessary.

 
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but they aren't wrong...I'm not trying to start anything here Rick. I just told him what my experience was with them.

and I can go on and on about keeping mantids native to certain environments under temps and humidity that aren't the same as where they come from. I just think it's wrong for the mantis.

had a few and they didn't really go for roaches or crickets when I threw them in there.

 
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petoly said:
I had a few and they didn't really go for roaches or crickets when I threw them in there.
Click to expand...
Then you must have had a different species. Giant Asians (Hierodula) will eat pretty much anything they can grab.

 
Welcome,

I have not kept either species but will say both of the above posted comments are from folks I would trust for advise.

good luck keeping just one...they are addicting.

if you have a pet or reptile store near your home you can just pick some feeders up weekly...I have a reptile store right on the way home that sells crickets of all sizes as well as a couple varieties of roaches. they are inexpensive enough to feed one mantis...I have a negative opinion of petco crickets and fruit-flies so if you can find a reptile store, in my experience, the feeders are healthier and better fed/cared for.

above all enjoy...you are in the right place her on the forum!!

-Dennis

 
thanks guys!

in regards to the "no humidity"... im sure there is some, i just mean our place is friggin DRY... to the point where we are probably the sole people keeping Static-Guard in business :D

I mentioned the mason jar thing because I can get roaches at the local reptile store, I just though getting a weeks worth on my way home and storing them in the storage unit with a heat pad under a jar would be a lot easier and less maintenance then starting a culture and breeding etc. Ill look into the culture thing now that I know they will survive with a heat pad and all that though! :)

 
Hi Jamie! I think your questions have been addressed. So, I'll just say...welcome from another Minnesota member. I have raised several species of mantids the past two years. And yes, it is dry here in Minnesota in the winter. My house has a humidifier connected to the furnace, but most species still require misting.

Enjoy and hope you're around for a long time!

 
Hey Where in MN are you? Ever have any nymphs for sale? I would love to pick up locally! :)

 
Jamie, I live in Lake Elmo (near Stillwater). I do breed and currently am breeding four species. It looks like you are interested in larger species, and I only have one large species right now. Since we cannot collect wild insects to use as feeders six months out of the year in MN, I try to limit the number of large species that I have at one time...especially over the winter. I'm actually packing a couple of orders right now and will pm you later.

There are many great breeders in the US here. So, be sure to check out the classifieds and the breeder feedback.

 
Hello. Looks like your set with everything else told you ;) A lot of people here have large species for sale. Besides the giant asian, the giant australian mantis (same family) is also similar and is also colorful. I believe i saw someone selling nymphs for 5 bucks + shipping a few days. ;)

 
Welcome!

Roaches are very easy to keep in a small Sterilite (or similar brand) tub, with a small heat pad. I just see purchasing roaches every week as getting expensive, especially with dubias.

Something to consider.

 

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