What is the best starter species?

[Victor T.]

Hey guys!

I have not kept mantids yet, but will soon enough. I have past experience with other inverts. I have always wanted some "hand able" invert. With scorpions you can't exactly do that. Do any of you have a good starter species with a longer lifespan? Thanks.

 

[agent A]

3 good species r ghosts, creos, and sphodros

popa spurca and budwings also r ideal

 

[LAME]

3 good species r ghosts, creos, and sphodros

popa spurca and budwings also r ideal

Agreed, plus natives.

 

[DETHCHEEZ]

Chinese Mantis ~ Tenodera Sinensis Would Also Be a Good One

Ooths are cheap

There's like 100+ nymphs per ooth

They get pretty good sized

&

They're fairly easy to hatch & care for

 

[agent A]

Agreed, plus natives.

not at L1...

 

[dmina]

Welcome to the group...

My suggestion is to look around.. see what sparks your fancy... You tend to try harder on something that excites you.. above are a few great choices.. read up on them, there is a lot of good info here on the forum.. don't be afraid to ask questions...

 

[Victor T.]

I really, you know, what something that would look exotic and nice, no offense to the people that fancy the regular green and brown mantids. I have a glass aquarium that is 14.5" long, 9" high, and 8" wide, with a substrate of coco fiber and potting soil with sand. I can change the substrate if needed. I have a Zoo Med Hermit Crab heater. The problem is, I have no screened lid. Would anyone recommended a large exotic one or a communal small one? I also want a place I can get a screened lid as well as a nice dealer for mantids... Thanks!

 

[jsorigami]

I recommend ghosts!

 

[Crazy4mantis]

ghost mantis (phyllocrania paradoxa) are very exotic looking and require little care.

 

[sgtkeens]

I'm pretty new to raising mantids, and I've just started raising Tenodera Sinensis. From what I've read and seen, they tend to mismolt a lot during the earlier instars. Only 2/3 of the half-dozen nymphs I kept survived to L2. They're pretty stubborn with eating sometimes. One of my nymphs damaged its raptors and I had to hand feed, but even after they healed, it refused to catch its own food. I'm still hand-feed it. However, I got somewhere around 200 nymphs from my ooth, so if you keep enough nymphs, you'll have survivors.

 

[czlu]

ghosts are so easy and they look cool as

 

[Victor T.]

Thanks! But do any of you guys know any good sites to buy them from? I am afraid very little people even seem to have them for sale on the web...in stock.

 

[Jay]

Ghosts and others are often on sale on this forum's classified section. You can always make a request there.

Chances are someone will contact you with an offer.

 

[czlu]

Bugsincyberspace is a good place. Moonlight mantids is a lil pricey comparatively, but I've never had an issue with an order. Also, forums are usually the cheapest. You just gotta look around.

 

[CosbyArt]

Hello and welcome to the forum and hobby

Indeed get a Ghost (Phyllocrania paradoxa). I have two now and they are great looking exotics.

Also another place to order them is from Rebecca at MantisPlace. She has them on page 3 (depending on if you want pairs, adults, nymphs, specific sex, etc).