Surprise New Mantids

[ohaple]

So, someone close to me ordered everything to setup for keeping mantids. After a few weeks, he has decided it is not for him and wants to give the setup to me. That means we are adding 2 more to our little group. Now with 6 mantids, we will need a proper place to put them all.

What I am nervous about is that one is a devil's flower mantis. We were not planning on caring for one of these since they seem to be the most difficult from what I have read. On top of that it is an L2 or L3, so it has many molts to go. I have read the caresheets and sticky thread on here for caring for them, but it looks like there isn't a consensus about humidity.

I will post photos when we get it all setup. Any tips for us? We went from having no inverts to now having 6 mantids, springtails, isopods, and 5 varieties of feeders all in the span of about 4 weeks. ?

One question about placement: We are hoping to get a piece of furniture to keep them all in the living room so they can be displayed and enjoyed. Are mantids bothered by lights or sound? We have a modest home theater system in the living room that we use each night. I remember reading they have some rudimentary hearing for high frequencies, but I also imagine their antennae will be able to detect bass frequencies. Is there any problem with keeping them ~15-20ft from a home theater subwoofer? Do they dislike active areas?

 

[PowerHobo]

Congrats on the surprise additions!

I don't have any experience with them (their care intimidates me), but the more and more I read, it seems as though their humidity requirements are actually fairly low due to the region they're from and the season in which they hatch/mature.

 

[Graceface]

One person's loss is another's gain! Congrats on the new additions. 

Seems like they will be fine in the same room as your entertainment center as long as it isn't cranked really loud or they arent close to the speakers. Have you tried an experiment to see if a movie/show at typical volumes vibrates the cups/enclosures in their chosen location? That would be my concern. If they are molting the vibrations would possibly disturb them. 

I haven't tried raising Devils Flowers for the same reasons you listed. There are a few people I've seen posting about their care and humidity levels recently here, so maybe they can help answer your care questions. I seem to remember reading that the area in Africa they are from has dry and also rainy seasons, so they may require different humidity based on their instar. Good luck!

Pictures of the new friends are always appreciated ??

 

[ohaple]

Thanks guys. I have not run a test, but I will do so. Good idea. I do not think that the 1/8" acrylic will be disturbed much by the levels we listen at.

The other he is giving me is a peacock mantis. It is a very fun looking species as well, but is easier to care for than the devils flower. I am most worried about the heat requirement.

We are working on having our isopod and springtail cultures grow so that we can continue to have a few bioactive enclosures.

Also, the recent post here about an Invertory app made me investigate other options to use while that app is in development. "Reptile Help and Care" app is free on android and has good basic features for tracking your mantids. While it doesn't have some specific options I would like, it is more convenient than a notebook.

 

[Mantis Lady]

Gratz on your new additions. I have no experenence with them,  You can find vids about them on youtube. They are for sure beautiful.

What I know they need a lot of heat and high humidity. I hope you can help him/her to reach adulthood, Good luck .

I would like to see some pics of your new mantids.

 

[ohaple]

I only have a couple pictures since I am picking them up tomorrow.

 

[MantisGirl13]

They are beautiful mantids! I hope you can give them a good home.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantis Lady]

They are beautiful

 

[hysteresis]

Wow. Jelly! So amazing!

Enjoy! ??

 

[ohaple]

Got them home and set up yesterday. Now that we have so much mantid stuff we are struggling to find a good permanent place for them, but for now they are in the living room.

The peacock mantis is very cool looking. It seems very curious. It is missing one leg, but still walks fine and should be able to molt ok.

The little idolomantis diabolica is doing well overall, but I am a bit concerned about it. It used to have shades of purple on its body, but over the last couple of days it has turned pure white. I figure it might be getting ready to molt, but I am unsure. He is so small it is difficult to get photos of it. In case it is about to molt, I am leaving it alone.

The bigger (literally) impact on our home is the addition of all the supplies. With these mantids came four additional enclosures, some feeders, and a heating pad. The pad is able to keep the bottom of the idolomantis enclosure in the high 90s, with the top staying about 80. It worked out nicely, we have 6 mantids, and six enclosures. Two are large, 15" tall and will be for the idolomantis and giant rainforest when they are grown. Two are medium, 11" tall and will be for the peacock mantis and the female ghost. Two are small, 7" tall and will be for the two male ghosts. I am not happy with how my dad affixed the mesh to the top and how it is currently setup, so I will be modifying them. Also, rather than completely open mesh tops, he made smaller holes in the acrylic so that the humidity will be easier to maintain. One of the small enclosures has no ventilation on top, so I will have to remedy that before putting in a mantis.

Here is what it looks like for now. We havent moved them all into the proper enclosures yet since we need to do some modifications. The little ghosts stay in deli containers for now.

Here are the spares that don't have mantids in them yet.

And here is a bonus little video of our giant rainforest mantis Carl going after a blue bottle. We had been feeding him dubias before, but he seems to much prefer the flies.

https://i.imgur.com/wBoSSj4.mp4

 

[ohaple]

Accidental double post

 

[Prayingmantisqueen]

Here are the spares that don't have mantids in them yet.



And

Do you have any idea where you (or who ever) purchased these enclosures? I really like that style!

 

[ohaple]

Do you have any idea where you (or who ever) purchased these enclosures? I really like that style!

Yes I do. The two medium enclosures (wood and black) were designed and built by me. The other four were designed by my dad, based on my initial design but meant to be easier to build. He also built those four. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Beautiful mantids and enclosures! Your peacock is adorable!

- Mantisirl13

 

[ohaple]

Thank you!

Neither the peacock nor the idolo have molted since they were shipped on October 2, so I am looking forward to some molts soon. I find them more enjoyable when they are larger so you can see them better.

 

[Mantis Lady]

i like those enclosures too and the mantids. The peacock looks cute.

 

[ohaple]

i like those enclosures too and the mantids. The peacock looks cute.

He is kind of cute. Our giant rainforest has a sort of "aggressive" stare, looking like he is hunting. The peacock has a more "curious" look, and he even tilts his head how dogs and humans sometimes do when they aren't sure of something. Having no experience with this type before, I am surprised at how slender he is compared to the giant rainforest of similar age and length. He also seems to eat less.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Yeah, I guess he will eat less because he is skinnier. 

- MantisGirl13

 

[Jaywo]

I have Idolos and I wouldn't worry about the "paling" of colors. As they get older, they turn beige or beige white then they get colorful again. There is a bunch of info saying high humidity or no humidity at all. I did both and so far, Both have been ok. However, I prefer the bone dry environment until they turn Subadult. This mimics their dry and wet season in Tanzania. You can log on to check their seasonal changes. With high humidity, I did get one with a bad molt. 

It seems that temperature is the more important factor in raising the Idolos to adulthood.

All your little guys/girls are super cute.