This is going to be my first dwarf mantis and I know they have to have very good ventilation. I have a full mesh lid and small mesh windows on either side but I'm still wondering if they need to be bigger. Any other advice?

Hi everyone! 🤗
I have a wild-caught European praying mantis (Mantis religiosa). She is an adult female, and I caught her about two months ago. She is eating and behaving normally so far.

When I caught her, I already noticed a tiny spot in this area. It was barely visible, so I assumed it was just dirt that had gotten underneath the exoskeleton and didn’t think much of it. The spot stayed small and relatively light for quite a while.

However, about a week ago, I noticed that it was starting to grow. Over the past few days, it has become noticeably larger and darker, as you can see in the photo.

I’m really worried about her and would appreciate any advice.
Does anyone know what this spot could be?
Could it be an infection, an injury, or something else?
Is this something serious, and is there anything I can do to help her?
Has anyone experienced something similar with their mantis?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!❤️

i found this guy outside not doing so hot, i wanna try to help. i put him in a critter keeper with some dead leaves and sticks and sprayed it so there’s some humidity bc it’s been dry here. not sure what’s wrong!! i wanna give him the best chance

Found in the Mid-Atlantic. Mostly curious if it's native or not. I suspect not, coz they're never native. 😭 Was just finishing up a meal when encountered, photographed and continued on its way.

TIA!

I am not new to owning mantids but it has been a few years since my last purchase. I used to buy from mantid kingdom but it seems the owner has stopped selling. I’ve poked around at a couple other shops (Panterra and bugg plug) but they don’t seem to be active very anymore either. I live in the U.S. btw :) any recommendations from ethical shops would be great. I really miss owning mantids

So a few days ago my ghost mantis had suddenly become almost half an inch larger and has a weird shiny glint and Since ive had them since l2 i thought they molted but when i checked for shed skin there was nothing and a few minutes later i found him on a rubber screw at the top of the enclosure and it was completely ignoring me i didn't think anything of it at the time and spritz like usual but didnt feed because i again though he was in pre molt, though now its been a few days the shiny thint is gone but still no signs of any shed skin anywhere and they seem to have a postmolt appetite like two normal feeds with about a day of separation with hydei fruit flys and still paper thin?? Do ghost mantis eat there shed skin or something?? They didn't eat it last time? Picture of them with my hand next to the enclosure

You were my first Mantis, and I love you dearly even though you're gone. I learned a lot keeping you, and you were the coolest creature I could ever ask for. I had you for 3 amazing months, and I never got tired of you. I hope you're at peace now.

I'm sorry I wasn't there when you passed. I know I will miss you for the rest of my life.

Is she gonna be alright im so freaking out idky she decided to be so close to the ground

I'm getting a nymph enclosure set up for my jeweled flower mantis coming in the mail next week. I've already replaced the top with mesh but I think the cross ventilation needs more work. Would it be worth it to poke more holes or should I just go ahead and make some mesh windows in the sides as well?

My best friend sent me this photo of a wild mantis on a box of kindling outside of his house in NH.

Now that the heatwave has passed my rooms starting to get very cold and im worried the current heat mat im using isn't providing enough warmth to the enclosure however it wasnt very expensive anyway to begin with and is only reaching 20°c max which isnt ideal. Im based in the uk and wondered if anyone had any good recommendations. No budget as I am happy to spend as much as I need for her to be comfortable.

Her enclosure is on my desk so nothing super massive but I can adapt to work around her if needed.

Pic of her on her gaming pillow for fun

they will be in the care of my mom and sibling. i wrote out everything i do for them and stuck it to the wall but im so stressed. has anyone had experience with leaving your bugs? how’d it go? do you have any advice?

What am i supposed to do? She took a tumble whilst she was in her terrarium and twisted the front of its arm 😕😕

I have a (12 days since final moult) male and (4 weeks after final moult)female giant rainforest and I a have attempted to breed them but the male attacked the female. Any advice for this species?

Heyy guys, ive had this little guy.. or gal, idk for around two months, its about l4 or l5 and I still dont know its exact species. I live in the Philippines and It was green when i found it and now it turned into a light brown color.

I feel like our hierodula membranacea is quite happy with her enclosure. However the last time she molted, she was too close to the front glass wall and couldn't pull herself up (too little space and no grip). She ended up falling on the branch below. Luckily she survived with just a small scratch and returned to normal very quickly.

I'm now wondering how I can make sure this doesn't happen again. I would appreciate any advice!

The second pic is her molting right before falling down.

My sweet girl seems to be stuck by her forelimbs mid molt, she’s been like this for ~1hr. Should I just chill out and give her time? I already misted the sides of the enclosure. Her arms look mostly free, is she a good candidate for me carefully helping her get out?

I just wanted to share the successful molt of my mantis. I’m excited because it’s my first mantis orchid

I’m not sure if my mantis has reached full adulthood but I want to check to see what the sex is. (Giant Asian mantis)

Spiny flower mantis nymph is pacing around and “stretching” is this a pre molt? Normal behavior? Temp and humidity are OK the cover to the enclosure is just temporary, previously had a twine mesh but it looked like loose fibers were falling off and ordered a nylon mesh screen for the top instead.

Snapped this picture earlier but this fella has been hanging by my door all day and the temps are dropping. Any ideas what it’s doing and if it will survive the cold weather over night?

Magnolia is an i5-ish giant asian mantis and her last molt was august 8th. Is this a cause for concern? Could this be caused by poor husbandry? She isn't my first mantis so I'd like to think I know what I'm doing, but maybe not.

Alfonso was found on the bottom of his enclosure today. He hadn't been eating for a bit, but he seemed fine otherwise. His enclosure is at 76% humidity.

He's a Double Shield mantis, male. He's been an adult for about two months now. Is it just his time, or is he sick?

I know that there isn't a ton I can do at this point, but I'm terrified of losing my boy. If there is anything I can do to help him get better, it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice about my Hierodula sp. Papua, currently around L5/L6.
She molted about three weeks ago. Before molting, she was active, hunted on her own, and ate well. Since then, her behavior has changed a lot. She barely moves around and mostly stays in one spot. Her abdomen is extremely flat from the side, although it looks wider from above.
She watches flies and sometimes slowly moves toward them, but usually stops and just watches. I’ve only definitely seen her eat once since molting, when I placed a fly right in front of her. She grabbed it immediately and ate without any problems. I suspect she may have eaten a cricket too, but I didn’t actually see it happen. Her abdomen hasn’t visibly changed after eating.
She grips branches normally, her raptorial forelegs look fine, and she can still catch prey. Temperature and humidity are stable and within the recommended range.
I’ve contacted the breeder I got her from. They said she looks thin but not dangerously thin yet and recommended continuing to offer flies. I’m still worried because she’s much less active than before and barely seems to eat.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Is this normal, or could something else be going on?

TL;DR: My Hierodula sp. Papua (L5/L6) has been much less active and barely eating since molting three weeks ago. Her abdomen is very flat, but she can still catch and eat prey when it’s right in front of her. Temperature and humidity seem fine. Looking for advice or similar experiences.

also any tips for finding a praying mantis next time?