x0jennalee0x
Member
I'm getting my first Orchid Mantises! Would really appreciate any tips and advice on raising them. Thanks guys!
They are currently L2. I have ghost, European, and giant Asian mantises! I know they aren't really a beginner species, so that's why I'll take all the tips and advice I can. I've defintely been reading care sheets, including the one on here.Have you kept any other mantids before? These are not necessarily a beginner species. How many are you getting? What instar are they?
Orchids are one of my favorites when it comes to looks.
- MantisGirl13
I actually do my research first and then decide if I want to get that species! I've been reading quite a bit.Ok, good to know that you are doing your research. They can be kept at room temp or warmer in deli cups with twice daily misting. Feed every other day, increasing the time between feedings as they mature.
- MantisGirl13
Good! I do the same, but most newbies just see the beauty of the mantis, buy it, and think about care requirements later, usually resulting in an unhealthy or mismolted mantis.I actually do my research first and then decide if I want to get that species! I've been reading quite a bit.
Thanks for the tips!
Absolutely! I wish I could upvote this comment 5 more times.People confuse wetness and humidity.
They're not the same.![]()
They can be kept on room temperature? I thought they needed a lot of heat?They can be kept at room temp or warmer in deli cups with twice daily misting.
Ive seen some folk say they keep theirs at room temps. I keep mine 76-78°F.They can be kept on room temperature? I thought they needed a lot of heat?
Awesome! Thank you so much for the info!Yes, ventilation is super important for orchids. Poor ventilation is usually the cause of most problems with low ambient humidity second, especially for molting issues. However, you also don't want the environment to be dripping wet all the time either which is why ventilation is so important. Maintaining high ambient humidity while having lots of ventilation can be tricky for beginners and sometimes even for experienced keepers. Best tip is to use a temperature/humidity gauge to make sure the environment stays on target. You want humidity to stay between 70% to 90% and temperature between 75° to 85°F. If you live in a particularly dry area with low humidity you may want to invest in a room humidifier instead of relying on misting several times a day, constant proper humidity is better for them than lots of ups and downs. If you live in an area that already has high humidity, like I do, you can cut down misting to once a day or even every other day. I only need to mist my orchids every other day unless I've been running the heater. It dries out the air pretty badly so I run a sonic humidifier I bought specifically for my insect room to get the humidity back up. I have temperature/humidity gauges on all my orchid's terrariums and cups. For the cups I bought gauges that have wired probes so I can place them inside the cups by cutting a small wedge out of the lid so it still closes.
I feed my nymphs and males every 2 days while I feed adult females every other day (unless they are breeding then they get fed every day.) Nymphs and adult males can eat fruit flies or house flies while adult females eat blue bottle flies, roaches or other larger prey.
"Room temperature" is subjective and can encompass a wide range in temperatures. One person may think 65°F is room temperature while someone else may think 85°F is. For me 76°-78°F is what I consider room temperature to be.Ive seen some folk say they keep theirs at room temps. I keep mine 76-78°F.
If you consider 80°F (27°C) a lot of heat. Everyone has different ideas of what room temperature is so I dislike using that phrase in mantis care directions, it has too much room for error. While orchids can tolerate from 70°F up to 90°F, keeping them at the extreme ends of their temperature range over the long term can stress them out.They can be kept on room temperature? I thought they needed a lot of heat?
For me room temperature is (21-21,5°C and at night cooler. And I am somtimes still feeling coldIf you consider 80°F (27°C) a lot of heat. Everyone has different ideas of what room temperature is so I dislike using that phrase in mantis care directions, it has too much room for error. While orchids can tolerate from 70°F up to 90°F, keeping them at the extreme ends of their temperature range over the long term can stress them out.
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