KevinsWither
Well-known member
I am considering orchid mantids in the near future. Any enclosures that work good for orchid mantids?
Orchid mantis enclosure
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Any container is fine as long as they have molting room and room to walk around.
KevinsWither
Well-known member
Yea I heard about something with humidity or something with that particular mantis species. What makes it difficult to care for?
Beyond the required humidity and temperatures needed, most species that are not recommended for beginners is also due to the species not being able to cope with inadequate care. Lapses in proper care will often lead to their deaths, sometimes even a single time, and similar issues a more hardy "beginners" species can withstand and show no health issues from.
For the humidity needs, a Hymenopus coronatus needs 60-80% humidity, but also requires plenty of ventilation. Typically to increase humidity less ventilation is used (or covered up) to hold in more humidity; however, as the Orchid needs plenty of ventilation it is much more difficult to provide the higher 80% humidity needed for older instar Orchids.
The care sheets recommend the 60% humidity for young instar nymphs, but as they grow more humidity is required. See the caresheet here, and another here.
Humidity is compounded currently by the fact it's nearly winter and many homes will have low room humidity percentages (RH%), due to the heat/furnaces being turned on in homes. I know once our furnace starts staying on more often my humidity here drops to 25% RH, and 15% RH in January/February.
KevinsWither
Well-known member
Ah I see. Now with the orchid mantis is it possible to have coco fiber in a portion cup in the nymph's enclosure to control humidity? Anything with ventilation?
Sure the coco fiber will help release humidity slowly. Perhaps some of the Orchid keepers will respond with their methods.
Indeed anything with a cross ventilation should be adequate, such as a mesh lid and at least one side with a mesh covered opening as well. I've read stories where they can literately fall over dead without cross ventilation, how common that is though I have no idea.
Some of the more serious keepers/breeders use net cages (or here) though, but unless you have the space and are interested in them I wouldn't worry about that.
KevinsWither
Well-known member
I am interested in net cages for the adult female orchid mantids and probably for larger ones. Now anything with the part on getting the female to lay eggs or to synchronize the orchid mantis nymphs development so I can have a male and a female at almost the same time as adults? I also heard that they are picky and they prefer flying insects.
Not sure I'd call them picky eaters, but indeed they prefer flying prey almost exclusively.
Some mantid species are active hunters, others are ambush hunters, or ground hunters, and such - so they need to be offered the prey they would naturally eat to fit their abilities/mentalities.The easiest method to get them at breeding age together, is to buy and raise a female or two. Then when your female molts to an adult, get a male or two then for breeding. It's the best method, but if males are not available when your female(s) reach breeding age then it can be disastrous. However, as a new Orchid potential keeper, it is recommended as the methods to stagger their growth appropriately depends on your knowledge of their proper care already to adjust their care/environment accordingly and safely.
If possible another solution is to buy older instar females, and younger males, so the timing for breeding is already done. It will also avoid the whole inbreeding issue that is a problem with Orchids (Hymenopus coronatus) as they would be from different stock/parents.
If though you want to try staggering their growth as nymphs to get males and females to breeding age, it can take some work. Males have shorter lives, so you want to slow their growth - and speed up the females to match the timing.
One of the methods is to give the males less food, enough to keep them alive but not enough for them to thrive, and it will slow their growth - while feeding the female as much as she wants. Another method is to keep the female warmer to make her grow faster, and as such she will eat more too - again for the male gender, keep your male cooler on the other end of the temperature range. Most who try staggering growth will do a bit of both methods off and on as needed, and keep adjusting their care as they grow.
Staggering their growth may not even be necessary, as some species seem to do fine naturally, but if Orchids are such a species is unknown to me. Perhaps one of the Orchid keepers will respond about the species specifically.
KevinsWither
Well-known member
Yea the only prey I have access to are wild moths, crickets, mealworms, and hornworms. Would those work?
The wild moths will work, assuming they are free from any pesticides or other potential dangers; however, the rest on your list not so much.
Again they prefer flying prey, and as mentioned in this care sheet crickets can be used sparingly and not as a main feeder. Most keepers though will not feed their Orchids crickets or any other crawling insect, as shown in this care sheet.
In reality your best option is to order the appropriate sized fly pupae, starting with Melanogaster fruit flies, Hydei fruit flies, stable flies, houseflies, and then bottle flies - depending on the mantids instar stage. For that Rebecca at MantisPlace carries all the fly varieties.
Ebichua
Member
I got my first mantids, which are orchids, a little over a week ago on Oct 30th. I'm new still so I'm still figuring things out. But at the moment, I'm keeping em in bare 32oz cups with mesh lids, I spray water in each at least once a day. Started feeding them houseflies, as soon as I got em too.
The thing with feeding houseflies though, they rarely finish the whole thing so I rinse their container out everyday.
I got all my containers and food from: http://www.mantisplace.com
The thing with feeding houseflies though, they rarely finish the whole thing so I rinse their container out everyday.
I got all my containers and food from: http://www.mantisplace.com
KevinsWither
Well-known member
Hmm, sounds good. Now the stable flies I searched those up and the biting part scares me. Now any way to culture flies or moths for mantis food?
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KevinsWither
Well-known member
Now it to keep an orchid mantis with a live orchid plant?
Culturing houseflies or bottle flies is a large extremely smelly mess that usually ends in failure (and not recommended), see this topic for several posts about it and those of us who tried and a video of the process too.
Culturing moths from waxworms is easy enough read my guide, but they are not meant as a main/primarily food source (too high in fat and are a treat/junk food). Other moths can be done as well but that is another hobby itself and you have to research that one yourself.
Some keepers do for the fun of it; however, in the wild/nature they are not found on orchid plants or flowers generally but just green plant vegetation. They use their flower camouflage to attract flying insects (ie pollinating insects), and do so better being the only "flower" that the insects would be attracted to. Read more about them in nature from these articles, National Geographic, Discover Magazine, - or the original scientific research journal here and the other journal here.
KevinsWither
Well-known member
Would deli containers work for baby orchid mantids? Polyfiber lids?
KevinsWither
Well-known member
I am getting quite confused by ventilation. Does that mean like just the deli container poly fiber lid is fine or will I have to have another area with mesh in the side of the container?
Another area of mesh, or simply small needle sized holes along a side - see a past members deli cup home for a Orchid with cross ventilation.
Regarding ventilation the Orchid species is said to be very picky on ventilation, in that it needs plenty of air flow (some have been known to fall over dead from bad ventilation). Here is one comment about Orchids from yen_saw, although there are many others if you search...
KevinsWither
Well-known member
Also would orchids be able to subside on dubia roaches or banana roaches? Any decor in the enclosure? Is room temperature fine for orchids? Springtails and pill bugs in the enclosure?
