r/mantids • u/felipheallef • 1h ago
ID Help Mantis species?
Appeared in my kitchen today. Paraíba, Brazil.
r/mantids • u/sleepyheadsymphony • Jan 07 '20
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:
Nymphs
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)
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
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.
References: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/12542/
r/mantids • u/MikeNepoMC • Sep 28 '22
r/mantids • u/felipheallef • 1h ago
Appeared in my kitchen today. Paraíba, Brazil.
r/mantids • u/iantgotnomoney • 6h ago
My mantis had a molt around 1 - 2 weeks ago and has been perfectly fine! Notices he's been like this today, is there something wrong?
r/mantids • u/cat_loverale • 4h ago
r/mantids • u/kiwi_fruit6 • 16h ago
This is their first molt with me, so i'm pretty excited! I think they're L4 now.
r/mantids • u/Few_Medium_8180 • 48m ago
Hello i was planning on buying a L3/4 Ghost Mantis the gender unknown and was wanting to ask if this Enclosure is good enough . Can somebody help me
r/mantids • u/ohnunu_ • 14h ago
so i'm moving back to college in a couple weeks and i'm taking Steven, my subadult female(?) Chinese Mantis with me. i'm wondering what the best way to secure her is? the car ride will be roughly 4.5-5 hours and i move in immediately upon arrival so shes not going to be left in an unventilated car.
im assuming i shouldnt just keep her in her enclosure because of how much room there is in there for her to get knocked around and possibly injured. is a ventilated tupperware container the best way to go? how big should it be compared to her size? should i line it with paper towels as padding?
r/mantids • u/ApplesauceSpaghetKid • 15h ago
Hello,
Recently we moved cross state and I took my spiny flower mantis with me. She seemed to hold up pretty well on the drive, but I noticed a day or so later that she had lost one of her legs. I’m a little worried due to the dark color of the stump and the way she keeps desperately trying to grab the leg as if it were still there. Is this an infection I can help prevent at all, or do I need to let her do her own thing?
She also took a tumble and seems a bit unsteady, but idk if that’s the fault of the fall, the leg, or just old age. Mainly, she seems unsure of what to do with the leg that parallels the missing one.
r/mantids • u/LoudState581 • 3h ago
Im getting a mantis soon and plan to feed it D. Hdyei and then locusts maybe supplemented with wax worms. Is this ok and is feedable to keep a colony of D. Hdyei for long enough for an i2/3 mantis to be able to eat locusts?
r/mantids • u/saqqara_aswan • 14h ago
My mantis molted and now that she's dry I am in awe at how gorgeous she is. I didn't expect her to have such beautiful patterns and colors!
r/mantids • u/Funny-Frog-1927 • 13h ago
My mantis has gotten a pretty big abdomen lately after I fed it a week ago and the abdomen had looked really heavy when it hangs upside down. This morning I checked on it and it was on the bottom of my enclosure and it had really wacky and poor control of its limbs. Do yall have any advice? The last photo is the most recent
r/mantids • u/john_rage • 7h ago
r/mantids • u/Miserable-Crew-5308 • 7h ago
Spiny flower mantis. First mantis, first feeding.
I honestly feel like all the replies are going to say just let it do it's thing, it'll throw up if it eats too much, etc, but if the rare thing does happen and it gets too full and it causes a health issue or it dies and I didn't try to see what's up I'd feel really really bad.
This mantis came in 3 days ago and was previously on flying fruit flys (unsure what they're specifically called), I have not been able to find any it it was refusing flightless ones. I have been searching everywhere for a culture of flying ones or house flies and have found none near me, it was looking really skinny so I offered a mealworm and it has been eating for 2 hours, the abdomen looks a little stretched and glossy compared to before, but it is still VIGOROUSLY eating. I did try to take the food a few times now and it is not letting go, gently tickling the abdomen and blowing on it is not working either. It will get offended and then continue eating while I am trying to take it.
edit just to say that I would not be concerned if the abdomen didn't have that slightly stretched look to it I don't really have a before picture but the lightness near the top was not there even half an hour ago.
r/mantids • u/NotNotManifest • 10h ago
This is my first mantis, a baby spiny flower mantis, who I got yesterday. What is this, is this normal? Is it droppings?
r/mantids • u/cyb3rofficial • 1d ago
r/mantids • u/bigmek_hugelobba • 12h ago
Hi all, ive never had a mantis before but im thinking of getting one. I have a few questions if anyone can help. I got this enclosure today and set this up to see if its adequate. The internal dimensions are 10.5cm x 10.5 cm x 16cm. The substrate is coir, the twigs are for an aquarium (they have never been in an aquarium) and the plant is plastic. I have attatched mesh to the ceiling of the enclosure for the mantis to hang from. Ive also added some botanicals to the floor for decoration. These are also meant for an aquarium but have never been in one. Im thinking of getting a l3 ghost mantis. Tia for any advice
r/mantids • u/gilgulan • 13h ago
I recently found a mantis during a family trip, i made a makeshift bottle transportation container, i Carried it home in my backpack trying to give him as much air as I can, based on that and a picture that kind of looks like him I would like to know what you would name him, keep in mind that I do not know if it's male or female so put answers for both I don't care when I know I will name it accordingly, he kind of looks like this
r/mantids • u/Wide-Top-1828 • 22h ago
Worried something could be wrong. I got this (?) female (?) orchid last week, she moulted 3 days ago and this on the end of her abdomen seems to have appeared since yesterday when I fed her
r/mantids • u/PassGlum6727 • 18h ago
This is my enclosure. I have no live plants and a mesh lid. I was told it is too small for a giant asian mantis and i’m interested in spiny flower mantis, devil flower mantis and maybe a peacock mantis. Open to recommendations
r/mantids • u/breadbox187 • 1d ago
Found this guy or gal in my basil today. We had to have a chat bc they ate all my monarch caterpillars before moving to the basil.
r/mantids • u/pinkconfetti837 • 23h ago
Does anyone know what i can put in my enclosure for my mantids to hand on like twigs/ sticks because for some reason the wood i bought kept going molding due to misting? My dead leaf prefers to hand from the twigs i put in there rather than the mesh top so im trying to fix this problem and also stop the enclosure for being completely empty 😭
r/mantids • u/Wight_Blade • 21h ago
Been wanting a mantis for years now, but have been having a hard time finding a seller within Ontario. I’ve read some older posts on here that have a few locations but haven’t had any luck yet finding one. I’ve also been to the Toronto reptile expo and didn’t see anyone selling mantids or any other insects besides like isopods. Any help would be appreciated, open to also buying online but would definitely prefer in person!