New to hobby: nymph enclosures

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intheabyss

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Sep 30, 2015
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I just received my first mantids... little budwing nymphs! I got some 32 oz deli cups for them, but realized that these were far too big, so I made habitats out of 16 oz salsa and tabouli containers haha.

I have cut out most of the lids and glued on paper towels. There are also a few ventilation pinholes around the sides of the containers, but these aren't really visible in the photos.

There is coco peat substrate (150 mm); a stick (which was boiled before putting inside), and a few rocks (also boiled first). The purpose of the rocks is to stop the little guys from hanging too low on the stick.

One container is more see-through than the other, and the mantis in that one has a tough time climbing the sides of the enclosure, but no trouble getting up on her stick or getting to the paper towel ceiling. The more opaque container is easier to climb, but harder to take photos of! So that's why the photos of that one are blurry.

Please let me know what you think!

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Looks alright to me. I like the idea of the rocks to prevent mismolts, but knowing some mantids I've had do it they would likely molt just barely above the rock lol. Interesting lid material, the paper towel, curious to see how it holds up. Keep us updated how the rocks and lid work out. :D

 
KevinsWither said:
32 ounces work well actually, but yours work just as well. Just make sure to frequently change out the enclosure.
Click to expand...
Why do you think a change is needed, especially frequently done?

Even habitats without cleaning crews (springtails or isopods) I rarely clean besides for aesthetics and have no problems with my mantids. As long as you do not have excess moisture, and proper ventilation, even bacterial/mold should be a non-issue.

 
If the clearer container was the one holding tabouli, there may be just enough olive oil residue left on the surface to impair climbing.

 
KevinsWither said:
32 ounces work well actually, but yours work just as well. Just make sure to frequently change out the enclosure.
Click to expand...
That's good to know that the 32oz containers are actually good for this size nymph, I'll keep that in mind for the future, thanks! I imagined with all the eating, that I'd have to change the substrate regularly, but not super frequently (I never changed it super often with my scorpions and tarantulas, though they didn't eat as much, they had very little ventilation)... I can't see any "debris", so I really don't know... like once a month, or more frequently?

Ranitomeya said:
If the clearer container was the one holding tabouli, there may be just enough olive oil residue left on the surface to impair climbing.
Click to expand...
Hahahahaaha it was the one with the tabouli! I wonder if that's it...?! I might have to move the little guy to a different container after all.

 
These are pretty much exactly what all of my 16 and 32oz cups looks like. Little substrate, couple of sticks, couple of rocks, circle cut out of top with paper towel taped over the hole. They work out very nicely. I also have a little hole with a sponge in each one as a feeding hole. I use colored sponges to use as species identifiers so I'm also not writing all over the cups. 

 
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Gekkonidae said:
These are pretty much exactly what all of my 16 and 32oz cups looks like. Little substrate, couple of sticks, couple of rocks, circle cut out of top with paper towel taped over the hole. They work out very nicely. I also have a little hole with a sponge in each one as a feeding hole. I use colored sponges to use as species identifiers so I'm also not writing all over the cups. 
Click to expand...
smartttt!!! I wanna copy you guys hehe. what I want to add, is assorted artificial flowers. where can i get them? I bought some from a dollar store but they weren't the ones I was hoping they'd have HAHAH.  they are dettachable. i plan to use a 10 watt glue gun and paste it on the sides and/or top. see images!! 

Screenshot_2016-02-17-11-06-02.png

 
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Dude, check out Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They run deals on very realistic fake plants a lot. I happened to go when every plant item they had was 50% off, so i paid around 15 bucks for everything. You can also buy dried moss in bulk there that makes your terrariums look really cool.

 
Gekkonidae said:
Dude, check out Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They run deals on very realistic fake plants a lot. I happened to go when every plant item they had was 50% off, so i paid around 15 bucks for everything. You can also buy dried moss in bulk there that makes your terrariums look really cool.
Click to expand...
pics please!!! i wanna see your enclosures (-:

 
Gekkonidae said:
Dude, check out Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They run deals on very realistic fake plants a lot. I happened to go when every plant item they had was 50% off, so i paid around 15 bucks for everything. You can also buy dried moss in bulk there that makes your terrariums look really cool.
Click to expand...
thanks for the advice!  I'll definitely try this out :)

 

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