One mantis hasn't eaten yet?

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Hi I'm new here and to mantis keeping! I have 2 L4ish mantis that arrived yesterday and one of them happily ate a few fruit flies while the other seemed to have no interest in them. They both had a couple bites of honey (I heard that was good for them to have as a treat). I tried again today to give Cinnamon a couple flies but he was more interested in running around. I'm new to this and I want to make sure he's happy. 

Cinnamon is in a mesh cube that's 12in in every direction, and Diavolo is in a 12x17 rectangle mesh cage. I mist both enclosures twice a day and make sure they have a little spring water on a plastic lid in their spaces. They have sticks and plastic plants. The room they are in is kept in the 70 degree range and they are usually near the top of their cages or hanging on the side. Thank you!

 

[MrGhostMantis]

He is probably about to molt, so bring up the humidity a bit! Nothing to worry about, good luck!

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

He is probably about to molt, so bring up the humidity a bit! Nothing to worry about, good luck!

They're in a net mesh cage with paper towels on the bottom, but the room is relatively small and has plants, plus im in western washington which is known for being humid. I've been looking at glass terrariums with the two ventilation ports(one higher one lower), but do you think those are necessary? I dont want to overdo it and accidentally have too much humidity. I started misting the cages every couple of hours just to try and get more moisture in there

Thank you!

 

[MantisGirl13]

What species are they? Every species has it's own requirements. Welcome to the forum!

- MantisGirl13 

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

What species are they? Every species has it's own requirements. Welcome to the forum!

- MantisGirl13 

They're spiny flower mantis! My icon is one of them. And hello thank you! 

 

[MantisGirl13]

They're spiny flower mantis! My icon is one of them. And hello thank you! 

Spiny flower mantids are a bit humidity sensitive I've found, so be careful! Also, your cages are WAY too big for them, they should never need a cage that big in their whole life. Move them into ventilated 24 oz deli cups, or something of similar size. 

Also, you don't need to feed them every day; once every two or three days is fine, once a week as they get older. 

Get rid of the lid with water on it, as it's a drowning hazard. A once or twice daily misting is fine. 

Make sure that you don't give them straight honey, mix it with water first. Straight honey is too sticky for small mantids and could end up damaging their mandibles. 

If you have any more questions or concerns, let me know!

Also, I suggest making an introductory post in the Introductions forum so everyone can get to know you!

- MantisGirl13 

 

[MantisGirl13]

I started misting the cages every couple of hours just to try and get more moisture in there

Bad idea for spinys. When I kept them, I sprayed once a day, and let the water evaporate over the course of the day. Lots of ventilation is needed, and these guys don't love high humidity. Even when nearing a molt, maybe spray twice a day, but not more than that. There should never be water constantly in the cage.

- MantisGirl13 

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Bad idea for spinys. When I kept them, I sprayed once a day, and let the water evaporate over the course of the day. Lots of ventilation is needed, and these guys don't love high humidity. Even when nearing a molt, maybe spray twice a day, but not more than that. There should never be water constantly in the cage.

- MantisGirl13 

Would keeping them in something like this be better then? Or where can I get the deli cups? I can only find them in bulk online, Thank you for all the help!

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Bad idea for spinys. When I kept them, I sprayed once a day, and let the water evaporate over the course of the day. Lots of ventilation is needed, and these guys don't love high humidity. Even when nearing a molt, maybe spray twice a day, but not more than that. There should never be water constantly in the cage.

- MantisGirl13 

Oh wait i found some online!

 

[MantisGirl13]

Nope, critter keepers are not a good choice for mantids, sorry. The slats up top provide great ventilation but no grip, causing mismolts. Also, they won't keep fruit flies in, and they are too big for a spiny in general. Go to your local dollar store, buy a small leftover container with a lid for each mantis, cut out the center of the lid, and replace it with mesh fabric. It's super cheap, doesn't look bad, and it works perfectly. I use hot glue to secure the mesh. 

The rule of thumb for cage size for a mantis is generally 3-4x the mantid's length for the depth of the cage, and 2-3x for the width and length. Make sure that the cage has good ventilation, and mesh to grip on the lid of the cage as well, whatever cage you choose.

- MantisGirl13 

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Nope, critter keepers are not a good choice for mantids, sorry. The slats up top provide great ventilation but no grip, causing mismolts. Also, they won't keep fruit flies in, and they are too big for a spiny in general. Go to your local dollar store, buy a small leftover container with a lid for each mantis, cut out the center of the lid, and replace it with mesh fabric. It's super cheap, doesn't look bad, and it works perfectly. I use hot glue to secure the mesh. 

The rule of thumb for cage size for a mantis is generally 3-4x the mantid's length for the depth of the cage, and 2-3x for the width and length. 

- MantisGirl13 

I can go tomorrow and see what I can find while I wait for the order of deli cups to come in. I guess I'm stuck in the aquarium mentality of the bigger the better for tank size. Thank you for the help I'll try to move them over tomorrow.

 

[MantisGirl13]

I can go tomorrow and see what I can find while I wait for the order of deli cups to come in. I guess I'm stuck in the aquarium mentality of the bigger the better for tank size. Thank you for the help I'll try to move them over tomorrow.

Ok. Ya, with mantids, they need to be able to find their food, not get lost in their cage, etc. Especially because spinys are small mantids, bigger is not always better. 

No problem! I'm glad to help! If you have more questions, let me know!

- MantisGirl13 

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Ok. Ya, with mantids, they need to be able to find their food, not get lost in their cage, etc. Especially because spinys are small mantids, bigger is not always better. 

No problem! I'm glad to help! If you have more questions, let me know!

- MantisGirl13 

Ahh to feed them i was putting them in a tupperware container and dropping the flies in! I've also decided just for quickness sake to cut up one of the mesh cages and put it on tupper ware that i already have since im in online classes from 9am to 9pm tomorrow!

I dont want to mess anything up with these mantids cause I got them from peter clausen and now he's out of stock!!

 

[MantisGirl13]

Ahh to feed them i was putting them in a tupperware container and dropping the flies in! I've also decided just for quickness sake to cut up one of the mesh cages and put it on tupper ware that i already have since im in online classes from 9am to 9pm tomorrow!

I dont want to mess anything up with these mantids cause I got them from peter clausen and now he's out of stock!!

Alright! Just make sure you've got ventilation! 

- MantisGirl13 

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Alright! Just make sure you've got ventilation! 

- MantisGirl13 

Like this then? (soda can for size reference) they both have a stick and a paper towel, I gave them each a little spritz of spring water before I put them in so they arent leaving a humid enviroment and going right to a dry one.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Should be perfect! Just do a once daily spray because there isn't a ton of ventilation. Don't keep the paper towel wet either.

- MantisGirl13 

 

[MrGhostMantis]

I should have asked what species . Sorry for misinformation, and good luck with your spinys!

 

[TinyElvenAnnie]

Should be perfect! Just do a once daily spray because there isn't a ton of ventilation. Don't keep the paper towel wet either.

- MantisGirl13 

I can do that! Thank you so much for the help! The deli cups I bought should be here soon so I can move them there once they arrive.

 

[MantisGirl13]

I can do that! Thank you so much for the help! The deli cups I bought should be here soon so I can move them there once they arrive.

Sounds good! Enjoy your mantids!

- MantisGirl13