What Mantids to get? (new user)

Mantidforum

Help Support Mantidforum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Johnald Chaffinch

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 14, 2005
Messages
471
Reaction score
0
Location
Nottingham & Hull. U.K.
hi everyone!
face-smiley.gif


i'm just about ready to buy my first mantis, but as yet i'm undecided as to what species it should be. what's your opinion on what a beginner should get?

i've read that Sphodromantis ( African ) is best for a beginner but there's a few different types - belachowski, centralis, gastrica and lineola, and i dont know which of these is easiest. what's the difference?

i've also read that Tenodera ( Chinese ) and Hierodula ( though again a few different species - parviceps and membranacea ? ) are easy ones to keep but i dont think any of these recommended easy ones have the aethetics of the more exotic ones...

i think i'll be able to keep temperature and humidity monitored and regulated so that's not really a big factor in deciding, neither is housing. i think the main care problem i might have is their food, i'd like to breed whatever they eat and dont want to have to spend a lot of money.

i cant help it but the way they look is a main factor for me in trying to choose one, i'd prefer one without a really large abdomen or large wings, one that doesnt freak me out! a pretty one. my favourite mantids to look at are what i've heard to be hard to look after types - Phyllocrania paradoxa ( Ghost ), Hymenopus coronatus ( Orchid ) and Gongylus gongylodes ( Violin ). are any of these, or any similar, at all possible for a beginner to care for?

what would you recommend?
mantis.gif


 
ghosts are a beginner dead leaf mantis but I wouldn't recomend them as your first one. I'm not too sure about orchid or violin. You definately need to buy a heat mat for these. I started with hierodula membrenacea. They get to be quite big. The females of them have big abdomen. I recommend you at least buy one of the beginner ones you mentioned and if your doing alright over a few weeks buy a fancier one.

just my advice. But I'm an amateur at this a little. but I recommend that you wait till you got advice from a better mantis owner than me.

Cheers, Cameron.

 
A real good starter mantis is Polyspilota aeruginosa (I think it's called a Madagascan marbled mantis).

Real easy to keep, decent size and look nice.

Good luck with whichever you choose.

 
No mantis should freak you out. All of them are pretty similar in their temperment and their overal look. Honestly i suggest you get tenodera or Hierodula as these most class as "beginer mantis" and are also fairly easy/cheap to get hold of. Although you can get lots of sp. of mantis from this forum :D Anyway don't go into any orchid/violin mantis yet, thats just what I think. Anyway what ever one you choose, good luck!

 
I suggest S. Lineola or Viridis (african mantis) as they are easy to keep. Chinese have a short life span and the nymphs can be difficult to raise.

 
H. membrenacea was my first and I highly recommend them. Sphrodomantis I have had no experience with, but from what I understand they are extremely hardy.

 
i havent read many things about chinese mantids, though i've seen they're widely available, they'd probably be my first choice out of the ones that are said to be easy to care for. they're really cheap too. though i've read that they're very aggresive, would this be a good thing? i dunno.

i read in another thread on this forum that orchids are quite easy it's just the mating that's tricky -

http://mantidforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=354...hlight=tenodera

what d'ya reckon?

whats with when chinese mantids have got transparent light green eyes like in this pic, is that a rare type or just a certain stage of development? -

mantis04.jpg


 
I saw that site about chinese being "agressive and shouldn't be kept as a pet" I think budwings are more agressive. But chinese are more "agressive" towards its pray rather than people. Also as Ian said creobroter sp. are also a good choise as they are pretty and calmer (well not as a nymph =P)

 
thankyou for your advice. creobroter hadnt been mentioned yet, is that Creobroter pictipennis, gemmatus or Meleagris? what's the difference?

would that include Pseudocreobroter Whalbergi too, or is that harder to look after?

 
i am currently waiting on my first mantis think it is being sent to me on monday

i choose to go with the african mantis as caresheets said it was easy and good for a beginner but also said it was most suited for a larger tank than most because unlike certain species it has no problem activly hunted for food and chasing prey down

 
Chinese are easy. Chinese nymphs can be a bit difficult. Chinese are not really anymore aggressive than the next kind. My lineola are much more aggressive than any chinese I have kept. The chinese in the pic above with the green eyes is normal. Find a lot like that around here. Only see it on the males though.

 
cool name btw :)

I agree that perhaps the chinese (mantids) are a little hard to handle - expecially when young... mine tend to be a bit picky and since they're slender, often a bit wimpy.

The sphods are very easy in my opinion, grow to a decent size but are kinda bland...

PWs - pretty, will go for almost anything, on the downside, a little small...

My advice- go for something *butch* - (my rule) - the bigger the front legs are, the tougher the mantis and the more adventurous it'll be towards prey

 
All of the creobroter are pretty much the same to keep. Mine are at about 25c, and I spray only once a week. Have kept the gemmatus, meleagris, pictipennis, and the elongata (I think that the spelling). Very easy in my opinion.

Cheers,

Ian

 
in my expericance as nymphs PWs are hardier than creobroter. i had 6 out of 7 die from my creobroter lot and none of my PWs died...

 
Top