Substrate for Mantids

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fortran42

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Have any of you used hermit crab sand or playbox sand as a base for your mantids? Give your thoughts and/or concerns...Thanks much!

 
Use spaghnum moss or paper towels.

 
I confess, I have a new favorite every month, but I'm really happy with "Kaytee Soft-Sorbent Lavender Scented Bedding" that I found at Petco.

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It takes a really good soaking and holds the moisture well without being too soggy ("Oh, hello mold and mildew - welcome to the party!"). It's been working great with the hot lights. It IS a bit chunky, and not great for small mantids (where paper towels and coffee filters rule).

They sell a non-scented version as well, but there's no fun it that!

Here's the only pic I could find with the lavendar bedding inside:

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Previously, I used CareFresh...

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The colors are great, and it's super easy to scoop up and throw away, but I only use it now in fully vented enclosures, as it's prone to allow mold on the dead fly debris (it's just too soggy).

I initially liked Vermiculite, but it too encourages mold and mildew (and probably bacteria), and offers no cushion for falling nymphs. :-(

 
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I use common everyday mulch wood chips like you find at your local hardwear store or garden center. They are cheap, (about $4 for a huge bag) they hold moisture, and they are naturaly mold resistant. They also give the enclosure a nice nature look and smell pretty darn good.

 
My praying mantises scoff at substrate since they like to keep their toes well off the ground. I simply use a paper towel to hold a little extra humidity.

 
kmsgameboy said:
I use common everyday mulch wood chips like you find at your local hardwear store or garden center. They are cheap, (about $4 for a huge bag) they hold moisture, and they are naturaly mold resistant. They also give the enclosure a nice nature look and smell pretty darn good.
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I'll have to try the wood chips. No issues with mold?

 
Sporeworld said:
I'll have to try the wood chips. No issues with mold?
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Ive been keeping mantids for three years now and have never had mold in any of my enclosures. It hold moisture well and I think it looks WAY better than moss. I also like the fact that it lays flat in the bottom of the enclosure so its a little harder for feeder insects to hide, sure they can still crawl under a piece of bark but it creates quite a bit of movement that my mantids have always picked up on. To me there is nothing better...but to each their own.
 
kmsgameboy said:
Ive been keeping mantids for three years now and have never had mold in any of my enclosures. It hold moisture well and I think it looks WAY better than moss. I also like the fact that it lays flat in the bottom of the enclosure so its a little harder for feeder insects to hide, sure they can still crawl under a piece of bark but it creates quite a bit of movement that my mantids have always picked up on. To me there is nothing better...but to each their own.
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Oh, I'm always looking for the next best thing. Can you post a pic of the kind you use...?

 
Sporeworld said:
Oh, I'm always looking for the next best thing. Can you post a pic of the kind you use...?
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I have a little mantis art project Im working on and would like to post pics when its finished so Ill make sure I snap a pic of my big bag-o-wood chips too. Maybe Ill post pics of my enclosure with it so everyone can see how it looks out of the bag. :p
 
patrickfraser said:
LOL. Nothing like doing anything other than work at work.
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Whatcha doin' today?
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Ive been off work for a week so I kind of hate the thought of going back. Ill probably take one of my new mantids with me to show off to my buds though so that should help the night move along.
 
Brigging old thread back to life so I dont have to start a new one.

I have been using New Zeland AAA grade sphagnum moss as a substrate for some time.

Yesterday when feeding my popa, I noticed a patch of white mold on it. Also, the mantis

droppings, which stay damp in the moss, get very nasty!!

I got my long tongs, and removed all the moss. I found feeders which had been hidding

under the moss from weeks ago!! 3 or 4 roaches and a few crickets that I never even knew

were in there!!

I am now removing the moss from all my mantis containers except a few who like

it and will perch themselves on it more then hanging from the lid (like most do).

Instead, I am using paper towels, cut the right size, damped w/ a little water to flatten it down

(so the roaches cant hide under it).

 
I used to use buy different substrates to use for my enclosures. However, as I got to 30+ enclosures in use, it got expensive and I gradually switched to paper towels. Once I noticed how dirty the paper towels get, I realized that I may not have been cleaning enclosures with substrate as often as I should. Now I use paper towels in all but one enclosure. I buy the coconut fiber for my frog terrarium and I've continued to use this in one of my terrariums because it looks nice.

 
I like to coco-mat material because it is capable of holding moisture, is cleanable and so recycles and it can be cut just as easy as any other material to fit the bottom. You just have to be sure to get a good fit because as meaganelise9 stated, dead bugs stink and they will try to get under whatever you provide as substrate. The answer is clean up as often as you have time to do and the need depends on all the variables (no. of mantids, kind of feeder insects in use, species of mantis, all of that stuff), just like kids.

 

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