New enclosures after a long time posting...

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tnienhaus

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Hello All,

Wow its been a while since I've posted. My adult european died a while ago and I've just been so busy I haven't had the time to devote to any more little guys...

But all that aside...I just wanted to thank everyone for their information that they've been posting cause its really help start my new enclosures for my Chinese mantids ariving tomorrow! I went to the local shopping market and sweet talked the workers at the deli to sell me the 32oz cups for ten cents a piece, picked up some sphagnum moss, crafted some sponge feeder hole plugs and away I went. Hopefully I will post some pictures soon. I'm so excited! Thanks to Jack (mantiskeeper1959) for everything. Will post pictures soon...My question...and it will help when i post the pictures...are 75W lightbulbs...three of them sufficient for keeping the nymphs warm? Do I just separate them by hand?

Thanks for everything everyone without this forum many of us would be lost and without this wonderful hobby...

 
I am going to use an oil filled radiant heater in the room that is thermostatically controlled to keep this consistent. You can get them for 40 or 50 bucks, and the radiant heat does not impact humidity in the room.

Light bulbs are a good heat source, but they must be properly positioned. If they aren't the heat will be lost on your cages, or it could get them too hot, and if it is too close they could get too hot. Also air circulation and the size of the space will impact actual useful heat. Small spots might be better, with a directed beam, but I still prefer to go with overall room temperature control.

Also, how well does your cage conduct heat? A mesh cage would conduct heat to the residents better than a plastic enclosure so less would be needed. Air flow is also important, you don't want them to swelter in any cage. It can be cool in a room, but too hot in a cage. When you try to manage micro environments within a larger environment you have to get a good balance between heat, cold, air flow, and moisture.

As for wattage, I'm not sure but others can likely comment as well as coach you on placement.

Just some things I have been thinking about as I set up my room.

Wayne

 
Mantid Friendly Squire said:
Hopefully I will post some pictures soon.
Click to expand...
As promised

SSCN1017.JPG

Too much sphagmun moss?

SSCN1016.JPG

How's the positioning?

SSCN1015.JPG

 
Jacksun said:
Also, how well does your cage conduct heat? A mesh cage would conduct heat to the residents better than a plastic enclosure so less would be needed. Air flow is also important, you don't want them to swelter in any cage. It can be cool in a room, but too hot in a cage. When you try to manage micro environments within a larger environment you have to get a good balance between heat, cold, air flow, and moisture.
Click to expand...
Fellow plastic container users! Come to my rescue here! Is this ok?

 
Looks workable to me, although I'm not sure how deep that moss should be... looks a tad high (too much). But I've never used it, so I really don't know what amount/depth works the best. I'm just thinking of all the space it's taking from the inside vertical height of the containers... less molting room. Plus, more for feeders to burrow into and out of reach of the mantids.

What's the green stuff at the top of the containers? Scotch-Brite type scouring pad for molting grips? Or some sort of humidity foam? Just curious. :)

Big foam plugs! :p

All else looks fine. ;)

 
Katnapper said:
Looks workable to me, although I'm not sure how deep that moss should be... looks a tad high (too much). But I've never used it, so I really don't know what amount/depth works the best. I'm just thinking of all the space it's taking from the inside vertical height of the containers... less molting room. Plus, more for feeders to burrow into and out of reach of the mantids.What's the green stuff at the top of the containers? Scotch-Brite type scouring pad for molting grips? Or some sort of humidity foam? Just curious. :)

Big foam plugs! :p

All else looks fine. ;)
Click to expand...
Yes Kat actually the green stuff is the top of some Scotch-Brite scouring pads. I separated them from the foam sponges that I used to make the plugs.

And as far as the sphagnum moss...I agree...I think that there may be a tad too much...however I have noticed that when feeding my other mantid with crickets...the stupid pinheads seemed always to curiously climb their way up the sticks or to the top of the substrate...I guess we'll see

 
You don't need that much moss. Also, remove those sticks. They can interfere with molting and mantids can climb the glass and will most likely sit on the lid. Is your room cold? If not you don't need those lights. If you feel you need those lights you may want to monitor the temps inside the containers as it may get too hot with the lights being that close.

 
Mantid Friendly Squire said:
Fellow plastic container users! Come to my rescue here! Is this ok?
Click to expand...
I didn't mean to say plastic containers are bad.....just that you need to ensure they are properly ventilated to allow air flow. If you are using something from Hibiscusmile or a similar setup you should be fine. If you are using the 32oz cups they should have a vented lid. Lack of ventilation can cause humidity build up, and not enough heat getting in, or too much, which can have negative effects.

The intent of my post was to provide you with the necessary aspects of housing to ponder as you set up your habitat. It was not to say one way was better than another, or that you should not use certain habitats, just what you needed to take into account.

I apologize for my poor clarification and communication and if I have offended anyone.

Cheers,

Wayne

 
Jacksun said:
I didn't mean to say plastic containers are bad.....just that you need to ensure they are properly ventilated to allow air flow. If you are using something from Hibiscusmile or a similar setup you should be fine. If you are using the 32oz cups they should have a vented lid. Lack of ventilation can cause humidity build up, and not enough heat getting in, or too much, which can have negative effects.The intent of my post was to provide you with the necessary aspects of housing to ponder as you set up your habitat. It was not to say one way was better than another, or that you should not use certain habitats, just what you needed to take into account.

I apologize for my poor clarification and communication and if I have offended anyone.

Cheers,

Wayne
Click to expand...
Oh no worries Wayne I dont think anyone was offended lol! I was mearly trying to get some good discussion going...thanks for your imput :)

 
Rick said:
You don't need that much moss. Also, remove those sticks. They can interfere with molting and mantids can climb the glass and will most likely sit on the lid. Is your room cold? If not you don't need those lights. If you feel you need those lights you may want to monitor the temps inside the containers as it may get too hot with the lights being that close.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice about the moss rick, I was really unsure. Hopefully they will be arriving sometime today :)

 

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