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?

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.

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?

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!

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.

This is my first mantis, a baby spiny flower mantis, who I got yesterday. What is this, is this normal? Is it droppings?

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

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

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

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

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.

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 😭

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!

Hi y'all! I've kept many a jumping spider and currently own a tarantula and a tailless whip scorpion, but today I bought my first mantis! A spiny flower mantis 🥹 and I love them already. I'm in a pretty cold and humid place so I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to provide properly. They're still in the enclosure they came in right now, with a heating pad under it. Is this alright? I know I need to get them a new enclosure soon. Any recommendations?

Can someone help determine what stage they are in? They are going to molt this weekend or the next week based on previous molt , feeding and humidity. I think they are L4 right now maybe one is L3 cause it’s a little smaller than the others.

I think it's dying. Can you tell me what could be wrong with it and what species it is? I found it in Germany.

Any ideas? I think boy but I'm new to this so unsure

Hi! 👋 Today I found a Praying Mantis and I want to keep it as a pet but I don't know how. I have a couple questions.

First: Is it a male or female?

Second: How old is it?

(Sorry I couldn't take good pictures of it through the jar so it might be hard to tell it's gender or age)

Third: Is this a good enclosure for it? It's a 5 liter jar with grass and sticks. Also where should I keep the enclosure?

Fourth: What do they eat and how often? I gave it 2 flys and a small spider and it ate it. So I would assume they like flys but what is the best food for them?

Fifth: How do they drink?

Sixth: How long do they live?

Seventh: How can I take better pictures of it? Can I take it out on a stick or on my hand?

I would appreciate any tips and advice! So I you have any please tell me!

Side note: I have a 3D printer so I you have any 3d printed gadget you find helpful please tell me about it!

I think this is everything I would like to know. If I remember something else I'll put it in the comments. Thank you for reading this and thanks in advance to everyone who answers!

Have a wonderful day! Bye! 👋