The benefit of having a large enclosure for your mantis..

[Introvertebrate]

With a large enclosure, you are able to keep non-communal species communally?

Good ventilation is needed for small set ups for a single mantis, but I also believe bigger is better, I keep 10+ mantis together all time in multipule set ups and in that case many cubic feet are needed to avoid fights and sharing food that can lead to a lost raptor or worse, and don't worry about them finding their food they will, trust me on that one.

More room = more happy and less stress...

Example:

18x18x24 Exo Terra, can hold 100+ L1's or 10-20 large adults.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

No, not what I meant. But people have done it with mixed results

 

[Rick]

See I don't think the 'sit and wait' species, even truly exists. A creature no matter the type is not going to sit in one place the entire day unless it felt threatened in some way. I thought the grisea was this type of species since it sits and blends into the bark. It'd be easy to just wait for prey to come by. BUT, I have the same species in 2 different enclosures; and I noticed that the one in the smaller enclosure does sit and wait and the one in the larger enclosure which is 3.5 gallon tank, SEEKS OUT the prey. As soon as he spots the cricket he sits and waits but as soon as that cricket starts heading off the opposite way he hunts after it. Same is not said to the one(s) in the smaller enclosures which is a quart jar.

The mentality of the insect is simply if it can't find food in the spot that it's in it will in fact move to a new location to find it, much like the hunter&gatherer of our time. Even a spider that sits and waits will move to a new web if there's no luck catching food in the area he's in, much like a fisherman.

I'm rambling -__-

Sure, some will chase after prey. But mantids sit and wait until they sense movement of prey. I know of no species that wanders around hunting prey. That kind of behavior would not be smart as it would attract predators of the mantis.

Large enclosures are just fine, but you have to feed much much more to ensure they get enough.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

With homing I think you just want big enough for one to molt and find prey,too big and the space is just unused or confuses them.

I can safely say none of my mantises have been confused by space.

I only keep a few mantises at a time so I have the luxury of giving them space. Personally over the years I have only come to appreciate their activity levels more and more. Sure they may be an ambush predator but contrary to what some may think they don't spend every second of their life fixated on hunting. The night is when many mantises come to life. Adult females will move to other hunting locations, look for good ootheca laying spots, or find a nice place to announce their booty calls to the boys. Males on the other hand are driven to search out females. I wouldn't be surprised if males can easily travel miles in a single night outside in the wild when they are on the hunt for some pretty lady mantises to romance.