05/19/2023
Mantis care & a little bit of additional info regarding bioactives and why I use them for almost every creature here even when that means having hundreds or enormous ones that cost way too much initially…
This is a long post - big surprise there 😂 I have had a lot of people ask me about mantid care so I’ve decided to just make a post regarding how I keep them. There are other ways, I’m sure, but this is what a I do and it works well. This mentions specifically Spiny Flower Mantids (because it was going to be a response to a comment until I realized I should just post it) but this is how I have kept pretty much every species I have that can tolerate room temp but likes things a tad more toasty and prefers humidity in a more mid range vs high or low. This way has worked for Ghosts, Spiny Flowers, Kenyan & Indian Flowers, Orchids & Zebras.
Posted are pictures of some of the things that I explain.
Food - Right they are eating hydei fruit flies but when they get older/bigger it gets a tad more complicated but not significantly so if you already keep spiders and purchase and/or raise flying insects. They eat green bottle flies, house flies (house flies are smaller so they can eat house flies at the stage they are now but when they get older would need several to be full - Josh’s frogs has house fly pupae for pretty cheap and they hatch super fast) blue bottle flies and then wax moths as well. Pretty much anything that flies. Because they are ambush predators and spend most of their time hanging from taller spots, they will usually only go after things that fly. Wax worms are incredibly easy to pupate into wax moths. I just keep the container they come in open in a butterfly tent and in a warmer spot and they pupate then hatch within 1-2 weeks. They are also super slow so they are easy to grab by a wing with tweezers and offer them to your mantis.
Setup - As far as setup, spiny flower mantids are very thirsty and like slightly elevated humidity though they can’t tolerate super high humidity - typical house humidity is generally fine but during more dry periods or when they are molting, you may need to mist more often, even in a bioactive. They also like slightly higher temps but can do well in room temp as long as your house stays in the low 70’s.
My house is incredibly warm because I keep things at a level where it’s probably a bit uncomfortable for humans, but great for my inverts/reptiles. My AC/Heat is usually set to around 73 but with the amount of lighting I have from room to room, it isn’t uncommon for my home temps to range from 75-80 depending on which room I’m in and how many walls of shelves/lighting there are 😬 To me, they are in captivity and haven’t chosen to be while I am not - I can deal with a bit of discomfort so that they are happy. I wouldn’t do this for one or two animals but I have A LOT and it just makes things much easier to maintain on a larger scale. Making the larger environment that their small environments sit in closer to their parameters, makes it a lot easier to keep theirs as they should be. To avoid having to alter your entire household environment for one mantis, you can keep them in a small bioactive (a lot more easy than it sounds, I promise) on a higher shelf since heat rises, under some bright lighting. Any will do. Leds, house light bulb in a clamp lamp which will give out a small amount of heat, etc. I keep them this way but I don’t need to worry about them being higher up because of my house being more warm and because of all of my shelves having a ton of heavy duty leds. One of the reasons I recommend bioactives so much is because it helps keep humidity at a CONSTANT correct range. Misting is great and all but with constant misting to fight humidity from getting too low, you are having major humidity and temp swings multiple times a day. That isn’t good for anything and definitely doesn’t help with molting when they need steady spiked humidity levels. I mist for them to drink and that is it and mist twice a day when they are molting just because it makes me feel better about the process.
I keep babies-juvies in mini bioactives. They are 32 oz deli cups (the kinds fruit flies come in) with the fabric lid so they have no trouble hanging upside down to molt. I put a bit of soil, moss, tiny isopods & springtails, a small plant and a climbing stick or two. The small environment with the damp soil/moss and the plant, kept on a higher shelf in a brightly lit area, creates the perfect little environment for a growing nymph. I do provide these starter setups to people for a small fee.
Once your mantis grows bigger (around sun adult stage) you’ll want something bigger. The small issue is that most things available either have smooth glass/plastic “ceilings” or wire mesh tops. They have to have something they can grip to hang upside down. What I do (and again, it is incredibly easy and affordable) is move them to exo terra nanos. These enclosures are glass l, pretty lightweight and only cost around $35. They do have wire mesh at the top and the reason that’s a problem is because mantids have very fragile little “feet.” They spend a lot of time hanging upside down and them hanging on wire mesh their entire lives would be the equivalent to you trying to hang upside down by your toes on chicken wire which, OUCH. It will wear away at their feet hooks and at a certain point, affect their ability to climb and hang which would lead to early death ultimately.
How I Modify Exo Terras - What I mentioned above is the reason I choose exo terra nanos. Most acrylic or other glass options with metal mesh tops don’t have the mesh attached in a way that’s where it’s easy to remove. The exo terra nano metal mesh is incredibly easy to remove and replace with tulle or otherwise fabric mesh so that it’s perfect for your mantis and their little fragile “feets/toes” will remain undamaged. The lid comes off by sliding little side locks. You flip the lid upside down. Lining the underside there is a dip that lines the parameter of the lid. That dip has a solid round piece of rubber (tube like but solid) that holds the mesh taut and in place. All you need to do is use something to pry that rubber up and then you can pull it out usually in one piece. Sometimes it comes out in a couple of pieces but this is no big deal. After that, the metal screen pops right out. Once you have that out all you need to do is quickly fill the dip that the rubber piece fit into with hot glue, lay tulle or fabric mesh over the frame, then push the rubber piece back into the dip which will pull the tulle tight and avoid you getting glue all over your hands. This probably sounds complicated, but once you see the underside of one of these lids, it’s very self explanatory and super easy.
I do the same thing with the exo terras that I do with the mini nymph containers. Substrate, moss, leaf litter, isopods, springtails, a plant or two and some climbing sticks. I keep these on my shelves with my leds but I have a TON of leds that actually help give off extra heat for them. You can keep the adult enclosure in the same place you keep the nymph enclosure. Higher shelf with bright lighting and with it being live planted, temps and humidity will be slightly more elevated than your normal room temp/humidity which again makes conditions perfect for them.
You could also just opt to start with a bigger 8x8x8 nano and avoid ever having to switch enclosures. I start with minis because I have so many babies initially before they are adopted and it’s just easier for me space wise. I also offer the mini bios to people so that they can have an immediate setup and not have to wait to get one together to get their mantis. If anyone decided to start with an exo terra nano or bigger enclosure of some other brand that would work well based on their own research/thoughts and wanted to make that enclosure bioactive as I do, I can/do provide the supplies to do so at a MUCH more affordable cost than anywhere else you’d find them. I never planned to do so initially but have started because customers inquired whether or not I could. I always have supplies for bioactives available for purchase because I have to keep them around for my animals. I propagate/make/collect/culture a huge percentage of these things at very little cost to myself and that’s something that is reflected in pricing if you want to get these things from me. You are not required to get the stuff from me but it is an option and it’s incredibly cheap. When I was asked if I could provide these things because of my recommendations out of convenience for customers it occurred to me that I could do so while saving people a lot of money so I decided to do it. More specifically on that below.
I’m sure there are variations on the setups I use out there that may work better for you and you are welcome to see what others use and do your research to find those. My way is not the only way and it is not an adoption requirement. These are the things that have worked for me and the best options I have found; people have asked me a lot about mantis care lately so I’m explaining what I do. It works and it isn’t super complicated or expensive. You are by no means required to do things the way that I do them. I have noticed a lot of people use butterfly tents for mantids but I honestly have no idea how they’d keep up humidity or make that kind of environment enriching for their mantis. IMO, it isn’t the best option for them and would probably be a pretty boring place to be stuck for their entire lives but how anyone keeps their mantis is up to them. Once again, this is what I do, it works, they are content in these setups, these setups are enriching, they live long lives and molt successfully in them. These are not requirements for adoption, only my recommendations based on what I do.
Here’s a thorough explanation of my love for bioactives and a little more on why I advocate for/recommend them. This is with the understanding that for mantids you do not have to do this but that it does make things much easier, you won’t have to stress about whether or not your mantis has correct temp/humidity levels and it TAKES CARE OF ITSELF. Those are the first few reasons why I love them. I don’t recommend anything that I do not do myself. I have worked with/kept exotics and inverts for a decade or more and what I have seen over and over is that any animal that can be in a bioactive, SHOULD be in a bioactive. It improves overall health, reproductive health/rates, increases lifespan, has many options for exploration and enrichment, the list goes on and on. My bearded dragons are kept in bioactives. My snakes are kept in bioactives. Multiple 120 gallon arid bioactives are not cheap (yes, I’ve spent $600 on DIRT because it’s good dirt and try as I may, I cannot recreate Terra Sahara from BioDude) to make but I don’t care what it costs because I’ve chosen to keep these animals and I have seen them thrive the most and live the longest when this is how they are kept. Every single animal you can keep that usually lives outdoors, is better off in a bioactive. A bioactive cleans itself (that’s right, you don’t have to clean/remove p**p or discarded food leftovers) maintains itself, keeps humidity where it needs to be as long as it is set up to deal with the species you are keeping in it and most importantly mimics the animal’s natural environment which is obviously going to be the most authentic and comfortable situation for them. I do not adopt out the species anymore where bioactives were a requirement for adoption so again, you do not have to go bioactive or get supplies/a mini bioactive from me in order to adopt a mantis. There are other ways that might be better for you but I cannot speak to their efficacy. That’s something you’ll have to navigate yourself through your own research. This is what I do. I have kept Spiny flowers, Ghosts, Indian/African flowers, Orchids, Chinese & Zebras all like this and all have done well/thrived.
***You have now come to a section that is not necessary to read but I’m going to say it due to my recommendations above and some recent unfortunate accusations I’ve seen floating around***
I wasn’t going to bother addressing this because anyone who knows me knows it’s utter nonsense but since I’m speaking on bioactives for mantids, I’ll just elaborate a bit more and address this particular thing I’ve seen said. Some people have said that I push bioactives because I provide the supplies for them and it’s for me to make money. This is completely untrue. When I adopted out my hyllus, someone could get an entire bioactive setup AND their Hyllus (a rare spider) from me for less than these people are charging for one wild caught regal. But I’m doing this for money 🤦🏻♀️🙄 These are also people who have never even seen my pricing to know that I don’t make money (truly, everyone knows I love these beings with all of my heart and if I can make a setup that’s most beneficial more affordable/feasible for people, I will so that their exotics can thrive) have never spoken with me so they have no idea that I NEVER intended on providing anyone with bioactive supplies.
Here is the truth: I recommended bioactive without providing any of the supplies. The customers who had these conversations with me when I started to can absolutely back this up. I recommended bioactive and then had several customers ask me if I could potentially provide some of the stuff/supplies to make it more convenient for them. First it was a convenience request but then I started remembering the people who wanted the best for the inverts they adopted from me but declined to adopt because they wanted to go bioactive but couldn’t afford it at that moment based on pricing for everything from online and other retailers.
So, I started to do the math. I raise my own isopods, I raise my own springtails, I now sterilize/collect my own leaf litter from trees in my yard that are pesticide/fungicide/herbicide/any-cide (😂) free, I make my own soil that’s perfect for bioactives in a smaller environment and I propagate/grow all of my own plants. I have cork bark by the pounds and I buy enclosures (only the enclosures I recommend and use myself for Hyllus and the 32 oz delis - I do not order bulk exo terras) for bulk pricing because I need that many for my own animals. I get them at prices my customers wouldn’t be able to for one animal and I charge exactly the reduced price I pay for those enclosures otherwise, providing them would have no benefit for my customers. I do all of this because I have had to due to the amount of inverts/exotics that I raise and that are my personal pets. I want them to have the best start in life even if they aren’t staying with me for the entirety of it. Everything I recommend is exactly what I do myself. So, when customers started asking if they could get all of this stuff from me I realized, my house is brimming full with a constant supply of all of these things and a lot of it is free/super low cost so I can do this and most importantly save people a lot while making it feasible for them to keep the creatures they get from me in the environment I believe in the most for overall health/longevity/enrichment. That is it. That is the only reason I’ve done it - because I was asked to and when I was it occurred to me that I could save people money and make things more convenient while enabling them to keep their pet in the best environment for them.
Everything I do, I do it because I believe in it; because these animals are incredibly important to me; because the joy it brings me to share these amazing animals with amazing people who are also brought joy because of these animals is priceless to me; because those animals being around to make someone happy for longer periods of time because I made the best environment for them more feasible/affordable is incredibly important to me. This is my hobby y’all. Truly. This isn’t a business where I try to make money. That’s not what this is about for me and it never will be. I have seen the results of people who get into this for money and it NEVER ends well. The only way I can continue to be a breeder who people have overwhelmingly positive experiences with (I dare you to try to find a bad review/unpleasant experience from anyone who’s actually adopted from me - they don’t exist) is to keep the animal’s best interests at the core of everything I do and to never cross over to the dark side where dollars matter more than the lives of the innocent creatures I have chosen captivity for…. And I never will.
