Plants and humidity

[Allthingsterrarium]

Hey guys! Many of you saw my other two posts. I have my first mantis now, a giant Asian mantis or specifically Hierodula Membranacea, and I just want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for her. She's still very tiny at I would estimate just under two inches and living in the plastic container I got her in (don't worry it has air holes and is plenty big enough for her and I'll move her when she starts to gets too large.) I just want to make sure there aren't any plants that are toxic to them since I just put in some maple and pine twigs for her and a leafy snipping from a boxwood bush in the backyard. Just some stuff for her to climb on and drink water droplets from in addition to being more natural looking. I know they don't eat plants but since she'll drink water off the leaves I want to know if there are any toxic plants to them. Also I have a concern about humidity. The lady I got her from has some damp paper towel in the bottom of the container that apparently she gets her moisture from but just in case that's not good enough I want to start misting though I'm reluctant to because of humidity build up and I read from one source that too much humidity can kill this species. Is that true? I think it sounds a little ridiculous since this one lives in tropical Asia. 

 

[Predatorhousepet]

Hierodula membranacea is a very hardy species, you can mist once a day just like any other mantis and it will be fine as long as the container is ventilated enough. I kept my female in a 32 oz deli cup with a cloth covered lid until she was L4 then I transferred her to a fully planted bioactive Exo Terra 12x12x18" terrarium where she continues to live as a fully grown adult. At first I had a small fan on top of the screen lid to assist with extra ventilation but it was lowering the humidity and temperatures too much so I took it off. The humidity stays between 60 to 80% even with the live plants and moss in there. She is fine even when the humidity peaks at 99% directly following a misting, after a few hours the humidity is back down to normal levels. This is an old pic I posted of her enclosure right after I moved her in, she was L4 at the time.

View attachment 10484

The only concern I see with cut plants and branches may be the sap leaking out if they are still green. Sap is sticky and small insects regularly get trapped in it. As long as the twigs are completely dried out and have no sap leaking out they should be ok. Boxwood is toxic to dogs and small animals and rubbing against the leaves can cause skin irritation in humans. I don't know if it'll affect a mantis drinking water off it but it's probably better to skip using it just in case.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

Hierodula membranacea is a very hardy species, you can mist once a day just like any other mantis and it will be fine as long as the container is ventilated enough. I kept my female in a 32 oz deli cup with a cloth covered lid until she was L4 then I transferred her to a fully planted bioactive Exo Terra 12x12x18" terrarium where she continues to live as a fully grown adult. At first I had a small fan on top of the screen lid to assist with extra ventilation but it was lowering the humidity and temperatures too much so I took it off. The humidity stays between 60 to 80% even with the live plants and moss in there. She is fine even when the humidity peaks at 99% directly following a misting, after a few hours the humidity is back down to normal levels. This is an old pic I posted of her enclosure right after I moved her in, she was L4 at the time.

View attachment 10484

The only concern I see with cut plants and branches may be the sap leaking out if they are still green. Sap is sticky and small insects regularly get trapped in it. As long as the twigs are completely dried out and have no sap leaking out they should be ok. Boxwood is toxic to dogs and small animals and rubbing against the leaves can cause skin irritation in humans. I don't know if it'll affect a mantis drinking water off it but it's probably better to skip using it just in case.

That sounds good! I'll only mist lightly for now and I never even thought about putting some moss in there. I think sheds really appreciate that and I'll just get a small fake plant to stick on the bottom.

Also good to know about the boxwood! I went ahead and took that out right away! Ironically my dog does like to rub against the bushes in the back for no reason. She does get itchy sometimes so I guess she just never learns.

 

[MantisGirl13]

I use Spanish moss at the bottom of my enclosures. Any waste just falls through to the bottom, and the mantids can't get to it. It works really well!

- MantisGirl13

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

I use Spanish moss at the bottom of my enclosures. Any waste just falls through to the bottom, and the mantids can't get to it. It works really well!

- MantisGirl13

That is a genius solution! I'm going to put a huge hunk of moss in the bottom for her tomorrow!

 

[MantisGirl13]

 I am glad I could give you an idea! Moss is great for mantis enclosures. It adds a natural feel for them.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Predatorhousepet]

I use dried sphagnum moss in my nymph's deli cups but some people use coconut husk substrate because it can absorb and hold a lot of water which helps boost humidity levels. I used to use coconut when I first started but where I live is pretty humid to begin with and I was getting mold growing on it after a day or two. I switched out for sphagnum moss and havent had issues with mold since. In the planted terrariums such as the one in the pic I posted above the moss is live sheet moss I bought from an Etsy seller who harvested it from the forest.

You can use either live or preserved moss but live moss requires a bit more care. It needs to be watered, not just lightly misted and since it isn't switched out it needs cleaner insects such as isopods and springtails living in it to clean up fallen food scraps and other waste. If using dried moss, soak it in water first then squeeze out any excess water. Then when it gets dirty either wash it off or replace it.