Hey so I am a biology student & during my course we did entemology and I have loved mantids for ever, I did an insect collection last year & had to kill one... which was rather sad however I did end up finding a very good spot to catch them (caught about 5 adults in 15minutes). I went late in the breeding cycle, I am planning on going today and catching some and hopefully starting up a little colony (seperate containers of course) but i plan to breed them later on so that I can have babbies & keep them into next year and hopefully longer.
So I plan to catch some mantids (they are about 4" & green) I will post a picture if I catch any later today. I also want to make my own enclosure's for them and was wondering some basic stuff.
1. Should I include a patch of live grass & dirt as flooring (for a natural feel since they are wild ones)?
2. Can I keep baby mantids in an enclosure sized for them as adults or is it best to keep them in small containers (note i have planned to do the later but was wondering)
3. What materials will I need to make an enclosure (I am decent at crafting things with wood etc...)
4. Do i need a heat lamp & how often should I mist (I am from Melbourne Australia & its not a humid climate and can range from ~5ºC-45ºC through the year)
5. Will I need a light for my enclosure/s and if so what sort? Eg UV, heat, regular, soft or bright light?
6. Any other tips that will be helpful? I know about removing food if they are about to molt and trying to not over mist to prevent mold growth (any tips on not getting mold)
I was thinking of making a square enclosure with a metal or nice wooden edges & using pyrex or what ever its called see through plastic for the two sides & mesh for the front with a zip. Having a solid background I plan to get some polystyrene and cover it to make a rocky outcrop feel (glueing loose small rocks/dirt onto it for a cool look & something for the mantid to climb).
so this enclosure will be about 15inches tall (room for substrate & 3 times the length of adult), about 8inches across but 12inches deep (to allow room for my rocky wall)
I plan to get meal worms, nutrient loaded crickets & to catch flies/moths/butterflies for them. (will they eat bugs & beetles also because I have lots of them around the yard outside.
Does this sound like I will be successful, should I change/remove/add anything?
Thank you for your input & advice in advanced
p.s I will put pictures up of the mantids I catch if any & the enclosure once built!
So I plan to catch some mantids (they are about 4" & green) I will post a picture if I catch any later today. I also want to make my own enclosure's for them and was wondering some basic stuff.
1. Should I include a patch of live grass & dirt as flooring (for a natural feel since they are wild ones)?
2. Can I keep baby mantids in an enclosure sized for them as adults or is it best to keep them in small containers (note i have planned to do the later but was wondering)
3. What materials will I need to make an enclosure (I am decent at crafting things with wood etc...)
4. Do i need a heat lamp & how often should I mist (I am from Melbourne Australia & its not a humid climate and can range from ~5ºC-45ºC through the year)
5. Will I need a light for my enclosure/s and if so what sort? Eg UV, heat, regular, soft or bright light?
6. Any other tips that will be helpful? I know about removing food if they are about to molt and trying to not over mist to prevent mold growth (any tips on not getting mold)
I was thinking of making a square enclosure with a metal or nice wooden edges & using pyrex or what ever its called see through plastic for the two sides & mesh for the front with a zip. Having a solid background I plan to get some polystyrene and cover it to make a rocky outcrop feel (glueing loose small rocks/dirt onto it for a cool look & something for the mantid to climb).
so this enclosure will be about 15inches tall (room for substrate & 3 times the length of adult), about 8inches across but 12inches deep (to allow room for my rocky wall)
I plan to get meal worms, nutrient loaded crickets & to catch flies/moths/butterflies for them. (will they eat bugs & beetles also because I have lots of them around the yard outside.
Does this sound like I will be successful, should I change/remove/add anything?
Thank you for your input & advice in advanced
p.s I will put pictures up of the mantids I catch if any & the enclosure once built!
seudomantis_albofimbriata_1.jpg
