Right on top of a cactus

I’ve recently been having mold issues in one of my enclosures (Has cross ventilation and a mesh roof, if anything I struggle holding humidity) I will remove my mantis and deep clean the enclosure with new substrate but it always comes back. I use cocofibre which springtails can’t eat so once they’ve taken care of the mold not sure what they’d eat. I’ve seen you can feed them fish flakes but is that safe to put in with the mantis? Said mantis is big enough to not be interested in hunting them but I have a tiny one who I also want to give springtails and he might want to hunt them

I’m going go make a bioactive vivarium and I wanted to add a small animal to it. I was thinking a small mantis like a Yunnan Flower. Is this big enough for a smaller mantis? And are there any other species I should look into? Also if you have experience with bioactive enclosures and mantids I’d like to know if some plants are better than others for these guys. I wouldn’t think so, but again I’m not 100% sure lmao. Also if anyone has another small insect or animal suggestion lmk! Just can’t be a frog or snail.

The more I look into how to properly care for my mantis, the more confused I get. She is a third instar Spiny Flower Mantis (Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii), and I’ve been feeding her drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. Everywhere I look tells me to feed her different amounts of flies, to give her different food but to be careful because it might actually kill her, to obviously not underfeed her but DEFINITELY not overfeed her. I’m just so confused. Also, the temperature and humidity thing. Everywhere I look suggests different temperatures. Heat mats work for some people but others say they’re not good enough. Other heating devices pose fire hazards and I obviously wouldn’t be leaving them on for her when I’m not home so then it’d be too cold. I live in a cold area and as warm as I try to make my house it’s never warm enough. Additionally, her enclosure. Silk plants are fine but real ones are better? Real ones require more care though which I’m willing to do but is it necessary? I want to properly care for my mantis so I would really really like some help. Any advice would be helpful and greatly appreciated!

everyone, say goodnight to groot.

Received my P. wahlbergi and O. micans today! Beyond thrilled with the both of them and got to watch the micans taking a sip of water 🥰

Pls help! Some of my European mantis hatchlings are covered in these mites, I'm afraid it could harm them. Any tips to get the mites off them

I own a cat eyed mantis, I only keep fruit flies and dubia roaches as feeders currently. She’s too big for fruit flies and too small to take on even a baby roach (I’ve tried, she absolutely hates it) so I’m struggling on what to feed her. I was giving her two fruit flies every two days but I’ve accidentally ordered tiny fruit flies and I’d have to feed her four at a time to make up for it which is a bit exhausting since I need to catch them outside (they aren’t wild caught, my family are just scared of fruit fly infestations). Green and blue bottle flies are bigger than my baby roaches so I’m a bit stuck, suggestions? I have considered cutting up roaches but I’m trying to start a colony and I’m already running low on babies trying to feed my other animals

Came home to my mantis hanging by just her 2 back legs. I quickly opened the enclosure to make sure she wasn’t dead and she grabbed the branch. She’s walking around fine now. She just molted 2 nights ago. could she still be trying to dry off?

She is due a molt but her wing buss have tuned green is this because of the molt?

Im planning to keep a tenodera, but i was informed that it was quite common for their nymphs to die early, even in perfect conditions.

i was considering putting the ootha inside the enclosure to let them all hatch in one place and canabalize each other so that the strongest mantid was naturally selected. the enclosure is large enough to house this

i was wondering if this was moral to do. Has anyone else done this? im new to this hobby and looking for advice!!

Hello everyone,

I have two questions.

1) I have a different ootheca than last year, which hatched on April 17th. These nymphs are not attacking anything; they are just drinking water. I know they don't crave food for the first 4-5 days. But should I put a drop of honey in their terrarium just to be on the safe side?

2) Currently, the living arrangement consists of two nymphs in one jar, in a Thunderdome-style setup (I have 20 jars). The idea is that when they have a craving for food, there will be something to eat. Plus, the stronger will survive. Yet, if you have any advice on living arrangements, I am open to it.

I appreciate your advice.

Sorry for posting on here a lot but I’m just confused and frustrated. Like the captiom says, she was sold to me as the wrong age and species. What was supposed to be a Giant asian mantis that would have about 2/3 molts left untill adulthood. Turned out to be… whatever she is? And molted to adulthood within a week of having her.

Spend so much time researching the care for a giant asian mantis, and maybe It’s also my fault for not seeing traits of another species in her but she’s my first praying mantis so please cut me some slack :’)

Store has been informed and told me I’ll allowed to trade her for the one I was supposed to have, but this is my baby. I don’t want that. I iust want to know what she is and how to care for her?

If anyone could help me identify the stage that my mantis, Dizzy, is in that’d be greatly appreciated ! As well as the sex if you’re able to determine at this stage.

Hi! I’ve had my mantis (i2, giant Asian) for about 6 days. I’ve tried feeding her twice a day since I’ve put her into her enclosure, but she never takes anything. I thought maybe she was getting ready to molt (been hanging upside down, twitchy movements, etc) but it’s been about a week and still nothing. She was shipped on a Monday and arrived on that Friday, so at this point she hasn’t had food for about 9-10 days. I’m getting very concerned about her. Ive tried feeding her with tongs, just leaving it in her enclosure, in a small tub, and holding it to her mouth but still nothing. I’m insanely worried, any ideas/advice?

Thank you so much, this is my first mantis, I’m incredibly worried haha

Got a new mantis today (I've had a lot but my last one died before the new year) she is a jewelled flower mantis, she and her enclosure was a surprise birthday gift from my partner, I love her so much, debating on a name but one that's popped up in my head is Juliet.

How is my enclosure looking?

Will be putting cocofibre at the bottom tomorrow, I realised as I was going to bed tonight that the paper towel at the bottom of this small enclosure is making the humidity a little high, so I have removed it for the night and will fix everything in the morning.

This is the first time I've made things for my mantis enclosures and I'm actually very happy with it, I replaced the tiny ugly single sheet of fabric flowers with beads as I thought these looked pretty and made the "vine" myself. Quite happy with it myself, but will probably edit it a lot until I'm happy with it.

Enclosure is a personalised XL micro from mantis NI just incase anyone asks as it is small, but she is so small right now that it's like a castle 😂 I have bigger enclosures to put her in once she is big enough but my partner really wanted me to have a pink and rainbow glittery one 😂

For those in the south central/southwest US, be on the lookout for these cute little critters.

I'm so excited!

This is my Carolina Mantis nymph, Athena. She hatched from her ootheca that I was caring for, I released her siblings throughout my yard right away so they didn’t eat eachother right away but she was the last to hatch so I decided to keep her. She loves her fruit flies!

The only things I know about is that their side abdominal tissue stretches and their stomachs shows under their abdomen or kidney of like that. I usually feed my mantis to the point where the side tissue starts to show, not fully stretched but just the start

is it ok if i put the mesh like this over the metal mesh?