Looking for species suggestions

[Ryan.M]

Hi there!

I am currently gathering some information on which mantid species to start off with. I'm not a complete beginner however, I've kept scorpions, lizards and snakes before. Thus I have experience controlling humidity levels and temperature required for proper molting; especially in scorpions who require a high level of humidity at times. I just wanted to mention this so people don't suggest species based on thier difficulty in keeping conditions. =)

Anyways, I'm interested in a species that is rather large (at least 3 inches at adult size), and easy to acquire (be it through a forum member who is willing to ship or through a website or petstore). Also, an orchid-mimicking species is very appealing to me right now.

To be quite honest, there are only a few species that are actually legal to keep in Alberta. This include the Chinese Mantis, European Mantis, and the Ground Mantis (which is legal to keep in Alberta, but not harvest from the wild as they are a protected species in British Columbia). This being said, I have no interest in breeding any of the illegal mantids I intend to keep, nor letting them free in the wild (even so they will undoubtably die due to the bitterly cold winter should a miraculous escape take place =P), so I am quite confident that I can keep whichever species you suggest without any problems.

Thanks!

Ryan

 

[GreenOasis]

Welcome! There are many easy & large species out there to think about. A few of my faves are Shields, Multispina, H. parviceps, Creobroters (small flower mantids). Of course, these are all ones that I have in stock right now (completely self-serving, I know!)...just figured I'd mention that before some one else pointed out the obvious.

Most mantid species aren't anywhere near as difficult as scorpions or tarantulas...there are just a few that are finicky about heat & humidity,and those are, of course, the pricier ones. If I were you, I would start with something easy, accessible & inexpensive (such as mentioned above). You don't want to pay $50 for a tiny rare-species nymph just to have it die on you for no apparent reason (or worse, in shipping!). That's the ultimate newbie put-off.

You can check out my site for more insight & information on the different species: www.mantispets.weebly.com, as well as Yen's: www.usamantis.com, or Rebecca's: www.mantisplace.com We will all have different views on different species, so it might be wise to check out all three once you find a species you like...to compare notes!

Good luck!

 

[Ryan.M]

Thanks for the reply! I will definatly check those species out! I agree 50 dollars for a species that may die on me is certainly not wanted on my end!

I also can't thank you enough for the links! But I was just wondering, how often do you ship to Canada... ALberta specifically? I am only about 3 hours from the US border, but I'm still a little concerned about how strict the import officers are when they recieve the package at the border.

Thanks again,

Ryan

 

[kitkat39]

I think the only one that you should NOT be messing with at the moment is the Idolomantis Diabolica since even the seasoned pros have had trouble with those. Other than that, I think you should be able to handle most all other big species currently available since I've heard many folks who started out for the first time do well with the majority of species other than Idolomantis Diabolica.

 

[Ricardo]

The Chinese are a pleasure. I would recommend them . I'd also recommend ghosts or gongys because of the communal options involved. ( But I'm not sure if they're legal. I have them anyways though )

Honestly though if you're only getting the " legal species " There isn't much to choose from.

Eventually you'll order some exotics

Once you get hooked on chinese or european you'll crave some other cool species

I personally only order ooths if the species is exotic

 

[Ryan.M]

I think the only one that you should NOT be messing with at the moment is the Idolomantis Diabolica since even the seasoned pros have had trouble with those. Other than that, I think you should be able to handle most all other big species currently available since I've heard many folks who started out for the first time do well with the majority of species other than Idolomantis Diabolica.

Yes kitkat, I have heard from others as well that Idolomantis diabolica isn't a good species at all to start off with (as drop-dead gorgeous as it is), and that's one of the species I wouldn't consider, at least not now. =)

And yes Ricardo, the legal species selection isn't much at all! Which is why I've decided that I'll most likely go exotic. What would you recommend for an exotic starter, that is still a decent size?

And when you say you only order ooths if the species is exotic, is that because of border concerns? Or do the nymphs not travel well over some distances? I'm just a little weary of ordering full ooths because I simply don't want that many nymphs running around. I also don't want to only keep 3 or 4 nymphs out of the entire ooth and essentially waste the rest.

Thanks again for the input guys, I appreciate it!

 

[Rocksitter]

Dont sleep on the Tenodera sinensis-Chinese Mantis they have a nice disposition and are local so you can let them run around the house or your yard if you like with no worries at all about them one of my favorite mantis hands down....

 

[PhilinYuma]

Well, you have a lot of good advice, there. Are you set up for raising mantids? Do you have 32oz deli cups or a net cage? Some experienced breeders are using aquariums and Exoterra vivariums, but they are not designed for insects and need a lot of modification. Probably, if you only want a few nymphs, deli cups with cloth lids are the way to go. How about food? Don't even think about getting mantids unless you have a regular supply of crickets, roaches or flies on hand, and in Frozen AB, how about heat. ? You should make 27C a minimum and aim for 50% RH.

Check what Hibiscusmile and Carey have for sale, check the pix here and on the net, and place yr order.If in doubt, buy the cheapest. Unfortunately, Canada is one of the worst countries in the world for receiving live shipments. It will take as long for you to receive a Priority package from the US as it takes from Central Europe to the US. Check on live guarantees, I doubt that anyone will give them by Priority. You might want to spend some extra cash on Express.

In any event, good luck!

 

[Ryan.M]

Well, you have a lot of good advice, there. Are you set up for raising mantids? Do you have 32oz deli cups or a net cage? Some experienced breeders are using aquariums and Exoterra vivariums, but they are not designed for insects and need a lot of modification. Probably, if you only want a few nymphs, deli cups with cloth lids are the way to go. How about food? Don't even think about getting mantids unless you have a regular supply of crickets, roaches or flies on hand, and in Frozen AB, how about heat. ? You should make 27C a minimum and aim for 50% RH.

Check what Hibiscusmile and Carey have for sale, check the pix here and on the net, and place yr order.If in doubt, buy the cheapest. Unfortunately, Canada is one of the worst countries in the world for receiving live shipments. It will take as long for you to receive a Priority package from the US as it takes from Central Europe to the US. Check on live guarantees, I doubt that anyone will give them by Priority. You might want to spend some extra cash on Express.

In any event, good luck!

Hi Phil,

Like I said I have plenty of experience raising scorpions (even broods), so I am more than confident that I will be able to keep factors such as temperature and humidity in check. I usually achieve a relative temperature of 25-30 degrees celsius with a 25 watt incandescent heat lamp mounted above my scorpion enclosures. The desert species I currently have don't need a relative humidity level, infact too much humidity can be deadly for them. For the forest dwellers a couple of mists per day with a spray bottle is sufficient to keep the humidity around 60-75%.

I am not interested in keeping more than 2 or 3 mantids, hence why I don't want to buy a ootheca. Should I get more than one mantis, I plan to house them in a divided 10 gallon glass terrarium (good idea or not?). The reason I am choosing glass is because I have heard that the mesh aquariums are not suitable for mantids as they may result in broken limbs. What would you recommend?

Also, food is not an issue as I have many sizes of crickets for my scorps, and can buy drosophila from the local pet store to feed the nymphs.

And shipping is also a big concern for me as well and partly one of the reasons why I am looking for a local (Canadian) hobbyist who can ship to me so the package isn't delayed (or worse, confiscated) at the border.

Thanks!

**Edit: Realized your username was Phil-in-Yuma and not Philin-Yuma =P

 

[massaman]

I can suggest a few species to consider or look into being I have had experience with these

any of the creobroter species or gambian spotted eye or ghosts/violins

new zealand /australian garden mantis if you can find any these are extremely easy to raise and maintain as I am finding out right now

popa spurca or budwings and rhombodera but only thing is the rhombodera and budwing females do tend to get a temper and are a pain to breed with their

disposition

any of the hierodula species and lineola seem also easy to work with or the miomantis and zebratas!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

There are many to pick from but I think all would agree that Wandering Violins(Gongy) are a very nice Large mantis, they really only need higher temps(82-95+) and flying food types, some humidity when there about to molt is also a plus. Chinese are nice too but there not very hardy as a nymph, plus you can get some on the cheap.

 

[massaman]

I have had a couple of violins at one time do just fine in room temp that I got from Yen!

 

[Emile.Wilson]

Thanks for the reply! I will definatly check those species out! I agree 50 dollars for a species that may die on me is certainly not wanted on my end!

I also can't thank you enough for the links! But I was just wondering, how often do you ship to Canada... ALberta specifically? I am only about 3 hours from the US border, but I'm still a little concerned about how strict the import officers are when they recieve the package at the border.

Thanks again,

Ryan

Hey welcome to the forum from Vancouver .

I've purchased many mantids and never had them caught at customs. I've always received them alive with lots of energy.

 

[Ryan.M]

I appreciate all the help and advice guys!

All the members of this forum who have contributed input have been super friendly and useful. I plan on ordering 5 or 6 ghost nymphs in the next week or so to start things off! The size was negligible when I saw thier gorgeous features close up! (mostly due to precarious' breathtaking macro videos on youtube =P)

And that's good to know Emile, go canucks go!

Cheers

 

[Ricardo]

about your questions on nymphs , I know people who have gotten nymphs from even polland successfully to Vancouver. I just don't like risking it and usually stick to communal ooths because they are cheaper and produce more mantids. Plus out of my violin ooth I only have 4 healthy ones , the other 8 died. So ooths don't always overflow you.

I'm going to order more ooths in the future so I'll let you know if I have anything in stock.

It's nice that there's at least three others on this site who are from Vancouver! And now an additional Canadian ( And of course go canucks )

Btw I have a few chinese. A very classic and healthy species , so if you ever want a large species I've got a few for you if you're interested now or later on. Currently L2. Titans compared to ghosts. It would be cool to have one or two Chinese , they're a great species for beginners. will tell you if I get more species

As for exotics I recommend violins or ghosts of course. ( I prefer Violins for the increased size )

Also here's some shots of my Chinese currently http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=21356

Like I said though they get a ton bigger then ghosts.

 

[Ryan.M]

about your questions on nymphs , I know people who have gotten nymphs from even polland successfully to Vancouver. I just don't like risking it and usually stick to communal ooths because they are cheaper and produce more mantids. Plus out of my violin ooth I only have 4 healthy ones , the other 8 died. So ooths don't always overflow you.

I'm going to order more ooths in the future so I'll let you know if I have anything in stock.

It's nice that there's at least three others on this site who are from Vancouver! And now an additional Canadian ( And of course go canucks )

Btw I have a few chinese. A very classic and healthy species , so if you ever want a large species I've got a few for you if you're interested now or later on. Currently L2. Titans compared to ghosts. It would be cool to have one or two Chinese , they're a great species for beginners. will tell you if I get more species

As for exotics I recommend violins or ghosts of course. ( I prefer Violins for the increased size )

Also here's some shots of my Chinese currently http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=21356

Like I said though they get a ton bigger then ghosts.

Awesome Ricardo, I always have that problem of stopping at one species, especially when it comes to scorpions haha. I might get some more in the future, I just don't want to overwhelm my roomates when I head back to university in the fall! =p