Mist Mantis or just container?

[garin33]

I wanted to get some feedback regarding misting the mantis itself or just misting the container.

I know it's important to mist the container in order to provide water for the mantis to drink as well to keep humidity in the container.

However, I'm not sure how important it is to actually mist the mantis itself and wanted to get feedback.

Do you think this is vital for the molting process to be successful? Does it depend on the species of mantis?

I have raised some species and I didn't mist the mantis at all (just the container) and had no problems with molts. However, there are other species like T. Sinensis where I did have some mismolts and I was not misting the mantis (only the container). This could have been the misting issue or have nothing to do with it.

Could there be any harm in misting the mantis? Do you only mist nymphs and not adults?

Thank you so much for any feedback because I assume this is a very important detail.

 

[Mvalenz]

I mist the container and mantis. I give them water to drink from a bamboo skewer as much as possible when I have time. They seem to drink more when the water is on them. I only see one of my mantids drink water from droplets in the enclosure. Except for my newborn nymphs. I see them drink.

 

[D_Hemptress]

good questions, im curious to this as well

I wanted to get some feedback regarding misting the mantis itself or just misting the container.

 

[garin33]

I mist the container and mantis. I give them water to drink from a bamboo skewer as much as possible when I have time. They seem to drink more when the water is on them. I only see one of my mantids drink water from droplets in the enclosure. Except for my newborn nymphs. I see them drink.

Thanks for the info. I have never tried giving them a drink with any object.

I know this is probably a tough question to answer but do you feel that if you did NOT mist the mantis or give them water by skewer and just misted the container that there would be more mismolts, health issues, etc. ie: did you notice a change when you started doing it or maybe you have always done it that way.

 

[fleurdejoo]

I always spray mine. They give themselves a little bath. I think they dig it.

 

[CesarF]

I mist the container and mantis. I give them water to drink from a bamboo skewer as much as possible when I have time. They seem to drink more when the water is on them. I only see one of my mantids drink water from droplets in the enclosure. Except for my newborn nymphs. I see them drink.

All of my mantids drink water even ir it is on the enclosure's wall. The adults and the nymphs =]

I've always misted both adult and nymphs and they seemed to be fine with this xD

 

[aNisip]

I always spray mine. They give themselves a little bath. I think they dig it.

Yup same here...

 

[Krissim Klaw]

The Chinese mantises tend to be regular drinkers and I have found they recognize the water better if some gets on them. If you mist their claws they will drink it off during the cleaning process if they are thirsty and if they aren't, they will just flick it off. Being the weirdo I am, I always offer water daily via eyedropper. My Chinese mantises almost always take a sip. I do this because I use net cages and worry that the water seeps through the netting making it hard for them to get a proper drink when misting the cage. Since I know they get the water they need I rarely mist them when misting the cage for humidity.

Fun fact, many years ago when I first read that mantises needed to be misted I thought they literally meant mist the mantises so I used to give mine regular spray baths outside of their cage. I had no idea at the time the sources meant to mist the cage to keep the humidity up. It wasn't till a few years later I finally realized I was suppose to be misting the cage not give my mantises an impromptu shower.

Thankfully the nice thing about living in a humid state is nature has you covered. I never had a single missmolt during that time span.

 

[patrickfraser]

Wherever the spritz goes it goes. Mantis and enclosure. I see them preening and getting the water that has been collected on them. I tend to mist small nymphs more lightly, whereas the adults get a full on shower. The nymphs can be drowned in a big enough drop of water.

 

[garin33]

The Chinese mantises tend to be regular drinkers and I have found they recognize the water better if some gets on them. If you mist their claws they will drink it off during the cleaning process if they are thirsty and if they aren't, they will just flick it off. Being the weirdo I am, I always offer water daily via eyedropper. My Chinese mantises almost always take a sip. I do this because I use net cages and worry that the water seeps through the netting making it hard for them to get a proper drink when misting the cage. Since I know they get the water they need I rarely mist them when misting the cage for humidity.

Fun fact, many years ago when I first read that mantises needed to be misted I thought they literally meant mist the mantises so I used to give mine regular spray baths outside of their cage. I had no idea at the time the sources meant to mist the cage to keep the humidity up. It wasn't till a few years later I finally realized I was suppose to be misting the cage not give my mantises an impromptu shower.

Thankfully the nice thing about living in a humid state is nature has you covered. I never had a single missmolt during that time span.

Maybe by accident you actually discovered something good!

 

[Mvalenz]

Thanks for the info. I have never tried giving them a drink with any object.

I know this is probably a tough question to answer but do you feel that if you did NOT mist the mantis or give them water by skewer and just misted the container that there would be more mismolts, health issues, etc. ie: did you notice a change when you started doing it or maybe you have always done it that way.

After I started giving them water from a skewer I did not notice any mismolts. I still jad some die because of other issues, but no more mismolts.

 

[Digger]

Garin,

I agree with all the respondents in one way or another. I mist (distiiled H2O only) both the mantis and the enclosure. Nikki is a Chinese. I also regularly give her drinks by dropper method -- which she always takes very readily. I am personally convinced this hand feeding of water makes a healthy difference to the animal. In the wild, they can find these "large" drops of water readily on foliage. But the misting drops are much smaller. Nikki will usually take the mist water where she can reach on her raptors and legs. I have never seen her lick any part of the container for moisture. So:

* Yes, I mist the mantis and container 3-4 times a week

* I regularly offer her water by hand - which she always accepts (it's fun, too).

* I only use distilled water.

* The room she's in is deadly dry through the winter. I take this into account for her watering.

 

[Precarious]

I'm a little crazy with misting but I do pretty well raising adults so take it for whatever it's worth...

I mist my mantids every day, no matter the species. Many times I mist in the morning and again at night and nearly always see them drink. Sometimes I spray them directly and other times on the walls of the enclosure. Different species react differently to being directly sprays. Some will drop prey, so get to know who likes it and who doesn't.

I also mist all ooths morning and night, and incubate in the mid 70's to low 80's. Again, others will tell you only so many times per week or higher temps but all that does is risk them drying out.

 

[Malakyoma]

I'm a little crazy with misting but I do pretty well raising adults so take it for whatever it's worth...

I mist my mantids every day, no matter the species. Many times I mist in the morning and again at night and nearly always see them drink. Sometimes I spray them directly and other times on the walls of the enclosure. Different species react differently to being directly sprays. Some will drop prey, so get to know who likes it and who doesn't.

I also mist all ooths morning and night, and incubate in the mid 70's to low 80's. Again, others will tell you only so many times per week or higher temps but all that does is risk them drying out.

I agree on all points. I mist twice a day, except those that really really hate being sprayed like my Popas.

 

[gripen]

Some species like Blepharopsis cannot tolerate being sprayed. Always do research before you buy.

 

[twolfe]

I adapt the amount of misting for drinking and humidity as I figure out what works best with the species. After I do this, I have fewer mismolts and deaths with most species. No matter what I do, some species seem to thrive in my environment/set ups more than others. Generally I mist most nymphs once a day. I raise many species (except Orchids and ones that require high humidity) in net enclosures. Sometimes I mist some species in net enclosures twice a day during the first instar. I do directly spray them as well as dampen the paper towel and water the plants (if there is a plant in the enclosure). I typically spray the adults every 2 - 3 days, depending on the species. I will increase the frequency in the winter or if I notice that they haven't been eating to keep them hydrated internally. There are always exceptions. I've noticed that my adult Orchids and Texicorns like to drink more than other species, and when I'm spraying my nymphs, I will often give them a quick spray every day.

I do try to increase the humidity if nymphs are about to molt, but I sometimes wonder if keeping them hydrated internally is more important than keeping their enclosure humid. Spraying too much in enclosures without adequate ventilation seems to cause other health issues.

As Gripen said, Blepharopsis mendica do not like being sprayed and seem to thrive when kept in a drier environment. Sometimes I mist them or their enclosure lightly once a week in early instars but decrease as they mature. Too much humidity or misting with this species seems to cause more mismolts or crinkled wings. I've had many perfect final molts, but on a few occasions, I had some mismolt when I was out of town and suspect that my "do not spray" note was ignored.

 

[sally]

I mist the mantis and the enclosure. Alice takes a bath like a cat after misting. She seems to really like it.

 

[Rick]

When happens when it rains? Mantids get wet. You can mist the mantis or just the container. I generally mist the container but occasionally mist the mantis too.

 

[garin33]

Thank you everyone for all the great input! Very informative and detailed. It's great to hear everyone's actual experience with misting and hydrating in different situations.