New project on way!

[bio25]

Hi, i was thinking about to breeding mantis (my first mantis), so i was looking for easy to breed species and someone talked me about limbata or phantom mantis. More advices? I would choose 1 or 2 species to start.

I would like to have a small group (i assume they cant be together) assuring male and female. Here in Spain i use to have at home at least 18°C = 50F i think. A hot spot is always recommended? I have hotspots.

I have a lot of fauna box enclosures, from the smaller ones to a really big ones. I will prepare everything before thinking about buying an animal.

After everything is prepared i will start looking for what mantis to buy... haha

Sorry about writing so much ?

 

[River Dane]

Hi bio25,

First off, welcome to the forum! 

Ghost mantises, as they’re called in the U.S., make fantastic beginner species, and are commonly available. They can be kept communally if they’re fed well and have enough room. I’m fairly certain S. limbata is a North American species and not commonly available for sale, so I would suggest starting with a mantis native to where you are, instead. 

Some mantis species (like the one mentioned above) can be kept together under good conditions. A hotspot would be best for a species that requires warmer temperatures, like tropical Mantids.

There is a standard rule of thumb for enclosure size, something like 3x the length and 5x taller than the mantis? Not totally sure on that, I’m sure someone else has the answer. But as long as the mantis has room to molt, but can also find its prey, it should be fine. 

Welcome to the mantis-world! Good luck!

—D.E.

 

[bio25]

Thank you for your help!!

I had so much animals that im full of enclosures from several sizes.

About natives mantis i thought they need CITES so i didnt thought about them...

Could you recommend me an easy to find on sale and easy to rear mantis? Phantom mantis will be my first for sure, but i want to start with 2 species. I hope to find them on Spain ?

Sorry for my english!!

 

[Velve]

I recommend taking a look at www.mantidsandmore.com

It's a reliable German shop that ships all over Europe. There are currently several species for sale that are suited for beginners.

Creobroter gemmatus, Phyllocrania paradoxa, Sphodromantis gastrica, as well as the three Hierodula species are all great choices for a start. They are robust mantids that should be kept at a temperature of at least 22°C during the day, preferably around 25°C. As already mentioned, the P. paradoxa work well in groups if given enough space and food. The other species should be kept separately, as they are more aggressive and prone to cannibalism.

Parasphendale affinis, Pseudocreobota wahlbergii and Popa spurca are in my opinion also suited well enough for beginners. Their average temperatures just need to be a bit higher, somewhere between 25°C-30°C, but other than that they shouldn't be troublesome either. Temps can drop down at night.

Rule of thumb for mantis tank size is length and width 2x the length of the mantid's body, and height 3x. The ceiling of the enclosure should be fitted with mesh/flyscreen. Mantids love to sit there and it makes for an easy molting spot.

 

[bio25]

Many thanks for your answer! I will have a look on the web in a few days, just when everything is ready for them (i mean tank, heat, food and everything). I always prefer to get everything ready before buying an animal.

I will have a business trip in ten days and i'll buy them when i come back. I would buy them right now, but i have to wait.

Thank you all for your help!

 

[Ocelotbren]

I know it's hard to be patient and wait until after traveling to buy them; I had to do the same thing recently.    I waited a few months to buy my next mantids, until after all my traveling was done for the next while.  Good luck and have fun with your new mantises!

 

[bio25]

I will finally buy 2/3 males and 2/3 femles if its possible from p.paradoxa and the same with creobroter gemmatus. I have zophobas but are bigger than the mantis so i will buy some flies and some more bugs.

I was thinking about geting them in different enclosures together in the same heat blanket or is better a different hotspot? About enclosures i think i will buy some big plastic cups with lid i saw on the internet.

 

[bio25]

Hi! I finally bought 5 p.paradoxa and 5 c.gematus that i will get after my trip. Now i have to think about how to give them heat on their 32 oz cups that i still didnt found...(impossible with room temp). Any suggestion? 

 

[River Dane]

Some sources of heat could be hot desk lamps, reptile heat mats or heat lamps, or even just hotspots around the house should be fine. If you have a heater, you could put them near that, or you could try to use heated sand packs that’ll last a couple hours, but that might be hard to maintain. Just a few ideas, but other people might have better ones. 

 

[bio25]

I was thinking about heat mats, but i thought they could be smaller than the whole 10 cups, but maybe i have to find better because i saw cheap ones for plants on the internet and i dont know if they could work. I asked on a local pet store about this size mats and it was like 70/80€... i was looking for something cheaper... haha

 

[bio25]

Next tuesday my mantis (c.gematus and p.paradoxa) will arrive at home. I have everythimg ready, just need their food. The man who sold them to me will send me some crickets, but i heard they are not the best prey for mantis so should i buy them some fruit flies or continue giving them crickets?

I thought about not giving them crickets...

 

[CosbyArt]

should i buy them some fruit flies

Fruit flies are only appropriate sized feeders for L1 and L2 mantid instars typically, unless you have a tiny mantid species (but even then most prefer much larger prey too). Ghosts (Phyllocrania paradoxa) are ready for houseflies at L3, see caresheet.

While Creobroter gemmatus, "is very similar to Creobroter pictipennis, only the pattern on the wings is different." (link) - sources vary on instar feeding advice. This one says they can live on Hydei FF, but as adults eagerly feed on bottle flies (huge difference on a feeder from Hydei FF or bottle flies... but anyway). Our forum caresheet says houseflies at L3 to L4, and bottle flies at L4 or above, which is my experience with Creobroter pictipennis too.

or continue giving them crickets?

Regarding crickets it has been discussed many times, feel free to make your own informed choice.

There is so much misinformation out there, especially by many who never even kept or used crickets, it is amazing what gets passed on as "facts". Cricket related details and links begin in the post below and continue on...

 

[bio25]

Oh, sorry! I was thinking on hydei and melanogaster as fruitflies, wrong again.. haha

I already was reading a lot about crickets. Thats why i asked about them, because i will not feed them with nothing who could hurt my mantis so i will buy hydei and after that bottle flies. Thank you so much for your help. I will post some pictures when they arrive at home

 

[Velve]

There are also terflies if you are looking for a middle ground between Drosophila and bottle flies. They are houseflies bred to have crooked wings.