Mantids for intermediates

[Logan_123]

What praying mantids do you recommend for an intermediate?

 

[Sarah K]

I would recommend Wandering Violins or Thistles for Intermediate-level keepers. They are generally very hardy species and fun, as long as you provide them with extra heat (which is the additional requirement that makes them intermediate-level).  At bare minimum, you should use a desk lamp with a 60 Watt incandescent bulb to heat their enclosure.  They also do well with reptile heat lamps or heat emitters.  Their enclosures should be kept between 85°F and 104°F, and should have low humidity. When given a lamp for heat, a mesh cage for an enclosure (cheap and readily available at all the mantis shops), and one misting a day, they are just as easy to take care of as any other species in my opinion.

The other requirement I don't want to forget to mention is that they do require flying prey, but I think most mantis keepers have already gotten used to the flying feeders requirement by now, and are perfectly used to the blue bottle feeding experience by now as well (I feed all species blue bottle flies, so that requirement is nothing new for me in making the jump from beginner-to-intermediate keeper, but I do realize some people probably think this adds to the difficulty level, so I would be remiss not to mention it here). Both species eat the same fruit flies as everyone else does at lower instars, and can be completely sustained on blue bottles flies for later instars. Blue bottle pupae are readily available at all the mantis shops, and we ALWAYS have them in stock at my shop, so no worries there, you will always be able to purchase them when you need them.

 

[Serle]

@Sarah K  Do you reduce the heat at night when incubating Thistle ooths ?..../ S

 

[yankeeman1421]

For an intermediate keeper? I'd go with something like a dead leaf mantis or an orchid mantis. However orchid mantises are absurdly hard to come by these days and aren't as forgiving for improper conditions as dead leaf mantids. Now if you want something that's for an advanced keeper go for something like a gongy or if you really wanna challenge try an idolo, although those are even harder to find than orchids and get very large

 

[izbiggs]

@Sarah K If you consider Gongies intermediate, what's a challenging species for you?  :blink:   :lol:  I do agree that thistles are intermediate with heat and flies, though! 

 

[Sarah K]

@Sarah K  Do you reduce the heat at night when incubating Thistle ooths ?..../ S

Yes, I did. The containers the ooths were in stayed around 80F during the day, and dropped to 73 at night. 

 

[Sarah K]

@Sarah K If you consider Gongies intermediate, what's a challenging species for you?  :blink:   :lol:  I do agree that thistles are intermediate with heat and flies, though! 

Idolos! LOL!

I know that a question like this is highly subjective and has highly subjective answers, but I am just saying, I have never had much trouble with Gongys! ;P They are delicate during the earlier instars (mismolts mainly), but once you get past that, they are just as hardy as any other species in my opinion, as long as they have heat and flies! I do feel like there is one instruction in particular that a lot of caresheets give related to this species, which is problematic for properly rearing of them though. I remember reading over, and over, and over again when I was first starting out about how they require little to no moisture.  Now after having raised this species successfully myself, I believe this is one of the reasons people fail so much with them in the first place! Any mantis is going to have mismolts when not  given enough moisture for a successful molt, period! When kept in a mesh or screen cage with heat, you could mist the cage multiple times a day, and it would dry out within the hour, no matter what anyhow.  I usually mist mine once a day, in the mornings so that they can drink. I have noticed that a lot of times they would wait until right after that to molt. But if they are never given the chance to have the appropriate moisture for a successful molt, they will not succeed. 

 

[Sarah K]

For an intermediate keeper? I'd go with something like a dead leaf mantis or an orchid mantis. However orchid mantises are absurdly hard to come by these days and aren't as forgiving for improper conditions as dead leaf mantids. Now if you want something that's for an advanced keeper go for something like a gongy or if you really wanna challenge try an idolo, although those are even harder to find than orchids and get very large

 I have never raised dead leaf mantises myself, so I can't really comment on them, but what part of raising orchid mantises do you think makes them intermediate level? High humidity requirements? They are extremely hard to get to reproduce (which is why they are absurdly hard to come by these days), but as far raising them, I have had very few problems with them after they get to L2.

 

[yankeeman1421]

 I have never raised dead leaf mantises myself, so I can't really comment on them, but what part of raising orchid mantises do you think makes them intermediate level? High humidity requirements? They are extremely hard to get to reproduce (which is why they are absurdly hard to come by these days), but as far raising them, I have had very few problems with them after they get to L2.

The 2 main things with orchids, at least in my opinion, is not just high humidity but the exact right humidity as well as breeding them. I've never tried to breed orchids but I figured that's why they are so hard to get and come rather expensive. As for deadleafs, for the most part they could more or less be for beginners except they have a slightly higher humidity requirement. Now usually they are actually pretty forgiving if this isn't always provided however it is a must if they are molting otherwise they will assuredly mismolt, then again, that's with most mantids, give or take. However back to the orchids, I've never really had these problems but have seen others have issues like that, however what is interesting to me is their drastic sexual dimorphism versus other species and males generally do not live as long as females, but this holds true with most species regardless 

 

[MantisRCool]

Dead leaves (dessicata are easier, truncata and lobata harder and there is a 2 molt gap between male and female), Rhomboderas (keeping the right humidity and ventilation ), mendicas, gongys yes if u are able to provide flying prey (I didnt find them difficult had a lot of babies, but the feeding was the hard part), pseudocreobroters maybe but the breeding is difficult.