hi! im new to mantid keeping and ive been gobbling up the plenty of information on this forum (especially on nymphs and feeding, so if you have any fav threads, feel free to share!) but i figured i should actually ask some good questions and stop lurking so much. 
i have a small exo terra on a lovely stand set up in my bedroom, near the door so the airflow is at its best. I simply LOVE decorating tanks so of course ive been mulling over the decoration a lot, and i landed on an excellent aesthetic that would sate my love of animals as well as taxidermy! Bones! Deer bones to be precise, as they are beyond plentiful here and sold for cheap at the market.
... however, im unsure if this idea would sate my desire to have a safe, mantis friendly enclosure. Everything relies on safety, so i would love your input before i go out and do anything.
the substrate will be coconut husk since its what we have on hand, im unsure on the thickness but it'll be sloped to the front so any ground-crawling buggies can be easily seen, this way any dropped food can be spotted easily and removed.
Smack dab in the middle of the tank i want to put a properly processed deer skull (boiled, stripped, inert!) or simply some shed antlers, if the skull proves too big. On them some I'll wind and hotglue faux flowers to create additional perches and give a more natural look. The eye sockets, i think, would be useful for retaining drinking water and humidity. If it gathers too much of a puddle, i could adjust the skull's angle so it doesn't collect as much or stuff them with flowers, or substrate.
If I am lucky enough get jawbones or other bones like ribs, they'll be sticking out of the substrate to create more vertical space! er, save for the bigger bones, though, i wouldn't add hips or scapula due to their size and irregular shape.
of course, this is but a small addition to an actual enclosure, filled more traditional sticks, flowers and twigs. the bone is just a nice looking centrepiece. if there is a skull in the tank, it would likely be half-buried to avoid feeders from hiding.
my main questions:
what kind of grip can a mantis get from bone?
would it harm the tarsae in any way?
if there is not enough grit to the bone, would an older specimen (more worn, cracked, chipped) be useful?
if degradation is an issue, would a marine epoxy/silicone dip help? if not, opinions on dipping it in paint?
would the calcium/phosphorus content of the bones be an issue for leaching, or misting? i dont know how phos affects mantises.
my main concern is that bones typically go to the forest floor to rot... but i wont have any macro decompositors to do so. is it still a problem? i heard coco husk is a good antifungal, though i wouldnt be too miffed if a change is substrate is in order to make it work.
a potential bonus would be a little extra calcium here and there, if the mantis drinks mist from on top of the bones. ^_^
https://www.google.ca/search?q=exo+terra+mantis&client=ms-android-samsung&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifgemj5f7KAhUT2GMKHQTiDMgQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=559&dpr=4#imgrc=6jUkUsnToGSm0M%3A
^ the tank! sans all decorations, bg, and heat lamp. ^
i have a small exo terra on a lovely stand set up in my bedroom, near the door so the airflow is at its best. I simply LOVE decorating tanks so of course ive been mulling over the decoration a lot, and i landed on an excellent aesthetic that would sate my love of animals as well as taxidermy! Bones! Deer bones to be precise, as they are beyond plentiful here and sold for cheap at the market.
... however, im unsure if this idea would sate my desire to have a safe, mantis friendly enclosure. Everything relies on safety, so i would love your input before i go out and do anything.
the substrate will be coconut husk since its what we have on hand, im unsure on the thickness but it'll be sloped to the front so any ground-crawling buggies can be easily seen, this way any dropped food can be spotted easily and removed.
Smack dab in the middle of the tank i want to put a properly processed deer skull (boiled, stripped, inert!) or simply some shed antlers, if the skull proves too big. On them some I'll wind and hotglue faux flowers to create additional perches and give a more natural look. The eye sockets, i think, would be useful for retaining drinking water and humidity. If it gathers too much of a puddle, i could adjust the skull's angle so it doesn't collect as much or stuff them with flowers, or substrate.
If I am lucky enough get jawbones or other bones like ribs, they'll be sticking out of the substrate to create more vertical space! er, save for the bigger bones, though, i wouldn't add hips or scapula due to their size and irregular shape.
of course, this is but a small addition to an actual enclosure, filled more traditional sticks, flowers and twigs. the bone is just a nice looking centrepiece. if there is a skull in the tank, it would likely be half-buried to avoid feeders from hiding.
my main questions:
what kind of grip can a mantis get from bone?
would it harm the tarsae in any way?
if there is not enough grit to the bone, would an older specimen (more worn, cracked, chipped) be useful?
if degradation is an issue, would a marine epoxy/silicone dip help? if not, opinions on dipping it in paint?
would the calcium/phosphorus content of the bones be an issue for leaching, or misting? i dont know how phos affects mantises.
my main concern is that bones typically go to the forest floor to rot... but i wont have any macro decompositors to do so. is it still a problem? i heard coco husk is a good antifungal, though i wouldnt be too miffed if a change is substrate is in order to make it work.
a potential bonus would be a little extra calcium here and there, if the mantis drinks mist from on top of the bones. ^_^
https://www.google.ca/search?q=exo+terra+mantis&client=ms-android-samsung&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwifgemj5f7KAhUT2GMKHQTiDMgQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=559&dpr=4#imgrc=6jUkUsnToGSm0M%3A
^ the tank! sans all decorations, bg, and heat lamp. ^
