New here, plenty of questions! :)

[themann42]

hi everybody

i'm considering Phyllocrania paradoxa (Ghost Mantis) for my first mantis. main reason is because from what i read they will tolerate eachother in an enclosure. i want to get two in a medium exo terra (12"x12"x18"). would a pair be ok in a tank that size?

i'm also really like Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii (Spiny Flower Mantis, #9 Mantis), but i'm not sure if they would be able to live together in the same tank, even though i think it is a pretty large tank for mantis (it's about 11.5 gallons). what do you guys think? i'd really like to have two in the same tank, i think one in a tank that size would be a bit of a waste of space.

that's another thing, i really want to get a pair to breed, but what the heck will i do with all the babies? i've never heard of mantis as pets before, so i wonder how easy it would i be able to give away / sell them? plus, i'd like to keep this down to one tank (i have other animal addictions taking up most of the room), but i'm assuming a parents would eat the nymphs right? that wouldn't be very nice of me.

temperature is a concern of mine. what are ok night temps? everywhere i read says cooler at night, but i don't know how much cooler. my room gets down to 65 at night. during the day it gets a bit warmer but not too much, around 70. are these ok? from reading it seems like they would prefer it a bit warmer, but some people have had no problems with breeding like this.

sorry if that was a bit much. also sorry if some of those are total noob questions, i know i still have a lot of reading to do. but those are some of the questions i haven't really found specific answers to so far, and i'm sure there will be more to come. thanks a lot!

 

[Lukony]

I'm newer too so don't feel like you are asking too many questions. Mantises are hard to keep in one containers from what I understand. You have to remember that they basically only know how to eat and molt. I have seen some people sell nymphs over the net as well as give them away to friends. It is really all about what you want to do. Most people will be selling you L2 mantids or the eggs. So you are looking about mantids that are going to be the size of your nail. A cage that big will mean most likely losing them.

 

[Ian]

For starters, I wouldn't worry at all about what you will do with all the babies. You get babies....you give them to me... Na, you will have no problem with them, you would be I suppose "lucky" to get babies (nymphs) for your starter mantis. Secondly, one thing I say to many who are starting out....you are worrying to much. Don't worry about huge spaces, and tanks that you will waste space with, I keep mine in small little geo tanks (il find a pic later..).

Anyway, here are a few FAQ's answered for you:

http://www.mantis-inc.co.uk/forums/phpBB2/...484331a192f2183

Cheers

Ian

 

[Rick]

Welcome to the board. Use the search feature and look for the answers to your questions as they have already been asked a thousand times by other people. Get the book: Praying Mantids Keeping Aliens. This, along with this board will get you started. Learn the basics of mantis keeping and then you will find out what works for you and your situation. I suggest keeping a beginner species like any of the African mantids before trying something like a paradoxa.

 

[ASH]

hi firstly like rick said try somthing a bit easer african or a flower mantis paradoxa are fairly hard to keep.just because paradoxa are said to be fairly comunal there is always a risk of canbilisation we have all had it before!

good luck with what ever species you get

ash

 

[themann42]

thanks for the replies. i know mantids are usually kept in small enclosures, but i have an unused exo terra at the moment, which is why i want to keep them in there. i was hoping it was large enough to get a couple of mantids too. i was going to try it out in the exo terra, but i also have plenty of containers that will suit them fine if that didn't work out. is it worth a shot?

the one i really want to get is Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii, which i've read is good for beginners. i really like their patterns.

thanks.

 

[Ian]

Are you UK?

 

[themann42]

no i'm not. i live in the states, michigan. it seems that makes it even tougher. almost every site i find mantids and things for sale it's in euro.

 

[lullaby10]

there's a lot of people here in the states that sell mantids on this website. You can also go to http://www.mantiskingdom.com/ he's here in the US as well.

 

[Ian]

Okay, I was going to suggest some suitable enclosures available in the UK, but nevermind. I would strongly suggest using Exo-Terra faunariums (available in the US I think...) These are perfect for housing mantids from around L4 upwards.