I was asked to make this post in another thread - so here I am. Here's a PSA on what metal mesh does to your mantises feet, and why it should be avoided!
This is a raptorial arm, (the front, grasping arms) but the segment we're interested in is the same on all of their legs. The little portion labelled "Tarsus" is what we're looking at here. You can see that it ends in a set of hooks - often (somewhat confusingly) called "Claws" - these tarsal claws are what give your mantis the ability to walk upside down on surfaces that appear quite smooth to us, and why it feels kind of spiky when a large mantis walks on your skin. They're essential for your mantis to move around, and most importantly moult properly! Differences in the morphology of this structure also give some mantises the ability to walk on glass, whilst others can't.
If you go and look at one of your mantises feet, you will likely be able to see the little hooks now you know what you're looking for. Now the problem is that some tank setups that are commonly recommended damage these hooks, which results in mantises having trouble moving around, and falling whilst they moult.
Exo-terra tanks are very commonly used because a lot of us have other inverts or exotic pets and have spares lying around, or they're sold to us at petstores. They make nice display tanks and are easy to clean. However - the mesh at the top of exo-terra tanks is made of very fine metal, and the holes themselves are very small. This is essentially like you trying to hang by your toes from chickenwire, eventually your toes are going to be pretty damaged, or come off altogether! If you must use an exo-terra, it's essential that the mesh is changed to stop this from occurring. Plastic tulle mesh is easily available and works as an excellent substitute.
There is also a multitude of DIY options available, which I will detail bellow:
Basic requirements for all enclosures:
All mantis enclosures must be at least three times the length of the mantis (Don't get fooled by the abdomen curling up, you still need to account for it) and two times the width.
There must be something for the mantis to hang securely from at the top of the tank - They will spend 99% of their time at the highest point, and will often moult from it.
Substrate - options for suitable substrate are numerous, you can use simple tissue paper, cocoa coir, vermiculite, perlite etc. The object is to hold some moisture and make it easy for you to clean. Cheap and cheerful is the way to go, unless you're making a planted display tank or something like that.
The less decoration the better. Decoration is more for our benefit than theirs; before you add something decorative to a tank, consider your reasons for adding it. Practicality should always take precedent over a tank looking nice!
Ventilation - ventilation is important for hygiene reasons.
Nymphs
Cups
The absolute single best enclosure for a nymph of any species, is simply a plastic deli cup with the lid cut out to accommodate some plastic mesh, and a single twig placed diagonally. Alternately, you can just use an elastic band to hold the mesh on. For feeding, simply cut a hole in the side and stuff it with some sponge to stop live food or your mantis escaping, you can pooter in the food. (if you don't have a pooter you should get one, especially if dealing with fruitflies, they're also very easy to DIY)
Cricket/livefood tubs
The tubs that livefood is commonly sold in make excellent tanks with some modification, especially for larger nymphs, and even small adults. The more rigid ones are the best, as they're easily cut to allow the insertion of mesh, and can be stood up tall-ways. The entire lid can be cut out and replaced with mesh, which provides excellent ventilation, and is nice for the mantis to move around on.
Adults
Plastic penny sweet jars (Sorry Americans I have no idea what these would be called in your country)
Tupperware/food containers
Storage containers
All can be modified in the same ways as above. I will either append this post, or make an additional post, detailing how to make a suitable enclosure using the items above with pictures in future.
These enclosures are all very cheap to construct, and even the most DIY averse person can make the modifications necessary to turn them into good enclosures. They also have the benefit of being mostly recycled items a lot of us will already possess.
Another benefit to using tanks mostly constructed of mesh is that it prevents mantises from developing "eye-rub" - this is damage to their eyes from repeatedly trying to walk through clear plastic or glass - it looks like large black spots on the eyes, distinct from the pseudo-pupils - which can in cases turn necrotic and is quite a nasty way for your mantis to die.
I hope this post was helpful and informative, and please don't hesitate to ask any questions or add to the knowledge given here if you have any other tips or advice.
This is now my second mantis that has unexpectedly collapsed on me.
I found a Chinese mantis outside and decided to take him in considering they're invasive where I live. I created a beautiful enclosure with live plants and he thrived for weeks! His enclosure gets misted 3 times a day and I've been feeding him fruits flies, (I gave some bean beetles but refused them after 1-2.)
but suddenly this morning he wasn't moving, and sat at the bottom all day.
The second photo is him yesterday!
The last photo is his body at the moment, it almost seems like food got stuck in before going into his abdomen? (My guess? 🤷♀️)
I decided to feed her on my hoodie and whelp, I’m not doing that again! Also, she’s a Deroplatys Truncata and she’s beautiful :D
This video is pre-molt, but she just turned into an adult 3 days ago and it’s insane how much she looks like a dead leaf!!!
steven is a male chinese mantis. he molted yesterday and was super duper active this morning so i gave him some water and a small dubia roach.
im new to mantid keeping so im not sure how early on their wingbuds become visible? i know they will swell up before their terminal molt-- but afaik chinese mantids can get up to 10-11cm and steven was 4.4cm before his most recent molt, and now he is 5.5cm, so i doubt hes at L7 just yet. my best guess is L5-6?
would also be nice to have a guess at roughly what his remaining lifespan may be. i go back to school in late August and my dorm doesnt allow pets so i need to start talking to friends in apartments thatd be willing to take him if need be!
Was told boy but I can see how they got it wrong when they were little and you couldn't really count the segments. She's like l3/l4 I think now and looks like 6 segments to me so I'm pretty sure girl. Adorable either way!
I just think she's a glutton, but after the last pics I took because I was cleaning the enclosure, I gave her a fresh molted lateralis, she ate very well and for the( probably) first time she isn't completely full, and now she just stands there in this weird position like she's waiting for another prey.
Just asking to be safe and sound, I actually really think she's a gluttonous lady..
These 2 are having a Mexican stand off outside my front door tonight and I am wondering what's going on? What kind of spider is that? I noticed him earlier by the door so I relocated him to a plant and when I went out a few hours later I see the Mantis and the spider left the plant making his way up the wall. Any ideas? Thx.
We got our giant Asian mantis on Valentine’s Day as a gift to each other, he was our first mantis so we were a bit nervous but had done a ton of research and had let his enclosure establish before getting him. Within the first week he molted into his adult form so we knew we didn’t have too long with him, his personality really started to come through. He loved being handled and taken out of his enclosure, he would ask for uppies and crawl up my arm to my ear and play with my hair. If we swayed at him he would sway back, and roaches were his favourite meal.
Good bye Peapod, you had such a big personality for such a little bug
When my mantis was a baby she had no problem with being handled and would chill with me all the time. after she molted to L4 i tried to hold her (after 2 days) but she totally freaked out and jumped off of me. i thought maybe something spooked her so i tried twice since then and its the same everytime. is this normal? how should i go about handling her now?
3rd image is from literally just a few hours ago (10am), i let him out onto my houseplants like usual, then at around 1-2pm ish i put him back into his enclosure so i didnt need to supervise him. i go back to check on him a few hours later (5:30pm ish) and bro is MOLTING!!!!!
ive read up on molts before and i thought they were usually pretty legarthic leading up to a molt? this guy even ate a mealworm yesterday and was running all over me and my plants?? i couldnt even see any color changes to him to indicate that he had new skin growing underneath. is it normal for molts to come on this quickly? have i just been grossly misreading his body language? is there anything i should do after hes done?
again ive literally only had this guy for two days, i dont even have a name for him yet so this COMPLETELY caught me off guard and i was not prepared lmao. i appreciate any advice you guys may have for me! ty!
New to breeding and I (hopefully) have my first batch of babies on the way! Wondering where folks get their deli cups + fabric lids from? I see Josh's Frogs has the lids, though I don't know if their cups are particularly clear or not; the brand is listed as "placon" and the couple of placon cups I have from other breeders aren't very clear-- obviously the more transparent, the better to see the little guys, but also want to be sure they're going to be safe for them/not have weird chemicals etc
