How's the Orchid Mantid for a complete novice?

[Raptorial]

Hello!

I've recently discovered a passion for these animals and hope to learn a lot here! Strongly considering purchasing one as a reward for myself after I've successfully reached an income savings goal. Originally I had it down to: 

Wandering Violin

Ghost

Spiny Flower

Orchid

The girlfriend and brother both like the Orchid the most, and I'm quite taken by the predominantly pink morphs. My question is would this species be suitable for a beginner? I have had a Leopard Gecko for over two years and he is thriving, so I have a little experience with maintaining optimal temperatures, feeder insects, proper habitat, etc. How different is raising a Mantid from a reptile? Where do you acquire live flying insects? Is a "spray" just one spray from a bottle, or is it a general spray? These are examples of my incompetence! 

Thanks for reading, looking forward to learning more and more. 

 

[CosbyArt]

@Raptorial The Orchid (Hymenopus coronatus) has a intermediate care level/experience needed, and as such is not recommended for beginners - see the caresheet here. The Wandering Violin (Gongylus gongylodes) requires advanced to expert care/experience and even then it does not always go well (caresheet here) - personally I avoid them (high cost for high risk isn't worth it to me).

The Spiny flower mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii), caresheet here, are another intermediate care/experience level species. The only one the Ghost (Phyllocrania paradoxa), is a beginners species, and one kept by any keeper experience level as they are great (caresheet here).

For any such questions the best way to find out their care for the experience/husbandry skill needed, is to search the dedicated caresheets section, or online with Google as there are some other great sites with care sheets.

Spraying (better known as misting) is providing water in a fine mist to keep up the required humidity. How much to spray depends on the species humidity requirements, but as a general rule of thumb you want to provide enough water that it will evaporate in under 30 minutes.

Your other questions (feeders can be bought the at the links below as well) you can find reading my default beginners speech I have refined as time as gone on the last few years, and here it is...

Where to buy

To start with you can buy mantids from the classified section (see the feedback section about the sellers too). Of course there are many great sites to buy mantids and related goods from online such as BugsInCyberspace, MantisPlace, and MantisPets the most common and recommended for mantis themselves.

Beginner mantis species

Ghosts (Phyllocrania paradoxa) are great and tame easily, and have a very exotic look but are a very hardy species - recommended for beginners too. Chinese mantids (Tenodera sinensis) are a great option as they are a naturalized species so can be captured in the wild - I can collect over a hundred locally in a few weeks here. The Chinese mantids also grow large at about 4", which means they also are hungry pigs.

One of my favorites has to be Carolina mantids (Stagmomantis carolina) as they are a native species, and extra nymphs from a ooth can be released (again this is another species that can be found wild locally). They seem to have individual attitudes/traits, take to handling and various feeders well, etc. Likely though I have a soft spot for them as I got started in the hobby rescuing my first mantid from a winter freeze while at work. They do require a bit more care, but if you can mange humidity and feeding properly, I doubt you'll have problems with the species as it was my first.

Some great beginner mantid species though are Flower mantis (Creobroter sp.), Giant shield.hooded mantis (Rhombodera sp.), African mantis (Sphodromantis lineola), Budwing mantis (Parasphendale affinis or Parasphendale argrionina), Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis), Double shield mantids (Pnigomantis medioconstricta), Ghost mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa), Giant Asian mantis (Hierodula membranacea), and Griffin mantis (Polyspilota griffinii). Although some are not necessary listed as typical beginner species, they are all hardy, and seem to do fine even with beginners.

Have fun searching and getting started.

 

[Raptorial]

Thank you so much for all the great info! Apologies for not searching around for caresheets before posting. I have seen caresheets for each species on other sites but none have really elaborated on which are good for beginners. I will further investigate the Ghost Mantis as that would be awesome and perhaps after that I can graduate up to Orchid. Thanks again! 

 

[Crod]

Great information here that I will use!

 

[CosbyArt]

Thank you so much for all the great info! Apologies for not searching around for caresheets before posting. I have seen caresheets for each species on other sites but none have really elaborated on which are good for beginners. I will further investigate the Ghost Mantis as that would be awesome and perhaps after that I can graduate up to Orchid. Thanks again! 

Your welcome. No problem, we all start somewhere, and if I was worried about it I would not have bothered writing it all out (just a link to the caresheet section). Speaking of which welcome to the forum, and feel free to say hello in the introduction section.

Ghosts are great, and the most exotic looking mantid rated for a beginner. If your wanting a large mantid though, one of the best is the Giant shield/hooded mantis (Rhombodera sp.) - as they are one of the longest, are build like a tank (more than average girth), and are a very hardy species. Some keepers highly recommend them over any species, it is one though I haven't had yet.

Great information here that I will use!

Thanks, glad it has helped you as well. Also welcome to the forum, and feel free to say hello in the introduction section too.

 

[MajorManny]

My second mantis was an orchid and I had her for about ten months. Obviously I'm not an expert yet, but if you're getting the hang of your beginner species, are very dedicated/willing to learn, and are really drawn to the orchid species, I'd consider it. I had almost no issues with her (even though I used care sheets and this website like my gospel) until the end of her life where I couldn't get her to lay. Again, I had her for a pretty good amount of time for an insect, but that's something that I never really heard about until it was too late. Orchid mantids becoming 'egg bound' is something that's difficult for new mantis owners to know how to deal with, so I'd try to prepare for that. 

 

[MantisRCool]

Orchids are not that difficult to bring to adulthood. But after that, they can drop dead if u look at them wrong. And as mentioned before, females can often get ooth bound and die  I just bred mine and hoping it won't happen. But they are amazing indeed! 

Gongylus are just pain in the lol, I don't think I'll be getting them again. 

And ghosts some love, some don't - like myself, they are kinda boring and don't wanna eat much for long periods of time.

I'd say get an orchid plus some easy mantis along with it like mentioned Rhombodera or Sphodromantis, in case orchid doesn't go well, you will still have another mantis friend and don't get put off mantis keeping altogether because of possible misfortune with the difficult one.