Multi-Mantis Enclosure

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mantid_mike

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So I found plenty of free time today to complete the construction of my multi-mantis enclosure using MDF and mesh. It took way longer than I thought to put it together. The most tedious part about the task was hot-gluing all the mesh on it. It's 32" long with four 8"x8"x8" chambers. I figured those dimensions were neither too big nor too small to house a mantis so that it lives comfortably. I have to collect some nice branches and fake plants to furnish each one eventually. Here's a few pics of the enclosure:

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Nice work. Do you plan to paint or seal it to avoid moisture damage?

 
Tony C said:
Nice work. Do you plan to paint or seal it to avoid moisture damage?
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Thanks, Tony. Do you think I should? I have a gallon of Polyurethane. Maybe that would work?

I know MDF isn't the greatest material, especially the 1/4" one that I used for the hinged doors, but I had so much laying around I figured I'd put it to use.

 
Water is no friend to MDF, I would expect it to swell and crack pretty quickly from spraying the mantids. I'll defer to the more experienced keepers to suggest a safe sealant or paint.

 
Tony C said:
Water is no friend to MDF, I would expect it to swell and crack pretty quickly from spraying the mantids. I'll defer to the more experienced keepers to suggest a safe sealant or paint.
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Glad you brought this to my attention. I'm going to slap 3 or 4 coats of polyurethane on it tomorrow. Probably a little extra on the bottom and top.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Google "MDF water damage" and check out the pictures.

 
Hi try using a water based paint or varnish on the mdf and leave for a while before placing any mantids in . Great enclosure but I would be tempted to blank of each division so as not to allow threat displays and potential stress to your mantids.

 
I like your enclosure(s?)!

If you're worried about giving your mantids enough moisture, try using a pipette to directly apply water to their mandibles. That way, no water actually touches the wood!

 
Keep in mind what ever you use as a coating the mantis must be able to drink mist off it and not be toxic, nice Idea though!

 
gassy said:
Hi try using a water based paint or varnish on the mdf and leave for a while before placing any mantids in . Great enclosure but I would be tempted to blank of each division so as not to allow threat displays and potential stress to your mantids.
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I slapped 3 coats of polyurethane on it. I'm going to wait a couple of days before I proceed to furnishing each chamber and placing any mantids inside.

I thought about creating solid walls in between but decided I wanted this to have as much ventilation as possible, mainly for non-tropical species of mantids. If I see that there is too much stress on them because of the threat displays, I can always hot-glue a bunch of climbing twigs on the mesh to obscure the visibility.

 
sinensispsyched said:
I like your enclosure(s?)!

If you're worried about giving your mantids enough moisture, try using a pipette to directly apply water to their mandibles. That way, no water actually touches the wood!
Click to expand...
Not a bad idea. I'm going to try my best to just mist the leaves/twigs that I place in there. I'm beginning to feel that since there is plenty of ventilation throughout this enclosure, water won't be much of an issue.

 

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