Take Care of a Praying Mantis

A fascinating insect, the praying mantis is widespread in the world and makes an awesome choice for a pet. Even people who don't like a lot of bugs can be persuaded to enjoy the antics of a praying mantis, as it swivels its head to look behind its shoulder at you (indeed, it's the only insect that can do this!)[1] Praying mantises (or mantis) come in many colors such as pink like a flower (the orchid praying mantis – Hymenopus coronatus) and white, although most are brown or green. The type of praying mantis species you'll be able to keep will depend on where you live and whether you're obtaining your praying mantis from the wild or your local exotic pet store. Raising a praying mantis is fairly straightforward, a lot of fun, and it's likely you'll learn a lot more about this unique and entertaining insect simply by observing its daily antics.

Steps

Finding a praying mantis

  1. Find a praying mantis. The praying mantis is found in many parts of the world and some were introduced to the United States in the early nineteenth century and have since become naturalized. [2] If you know you have them in your local area, consider collecting one from the wild. Praying mantises are usually about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in length and mostly brown or green, and they look much like sticks and leaves, making them blend in well with their environment.
    • Look in places where there are many green bushes, crickets, and butterflies. These are some of the mantises' favorite foods.
    • Look carefully. These little bugs are masters of disguise. Most are long and green. Some can be fat and gray, or even have a pinkish hue. Some look like flowers, but those are mostly found in Africa and Asia. Try to imagine how the praying mantis is likely to appear when it is pretending to be part of a plant and it'll be a bit easier to find one.
  2. Get a container for your mantis. Get a small container to put your mantis in once you find it. It doesn't have to be very big - just a 6" x 6" square (15.2cm x 15.2cm) should do for most mantises. The container should be well ventilated and preferably made out of mesh, or chicken wire, to give the mantis and its prey something to cling onto. It should also have a secure top. Never use a container that had chemicals in it.
  3. Catch your mantis. More than likely, you won't need any gloves, unless you're squeamish about touching bugs. Simply place the opening of your container in front of the mantis. Coax the mantis into the container using a twig, or your hand if you are okay with that. Soon, he or she should willingly go into the container. Close the top, because mantises are smart, and they'll seize any opportunity to escape.
  4. Purchase a praying mantis. If you can't find one or they aren't in your area, visit your local pet store and ask for advice as to whether they can get a particular praying mantis for you. This might give you wider options for different species, depending on the laws in your country as to importing Say the Names of Insects in French and keeping them as pets.
    • If purchasing a praying mantis, they are usually sold as nymphs. Each nymph comes packed in small container.[2]

Housing a praying mantis

  1. Prepare the home for your praying mantis. For the praying mantis to remain happy and healthy, she will need a good environment within your home. Choose a suitable structure to house your praying mantis, such as a vivarium. The structure should be large enough for a growing mantis if you've purchased a nymph and it needs to be kept warm, at around 24ºC (75ºF), and a few less degrees at night.[1]
    • Provide climbing items. The praying mantis needs to be able to clamber up on things such as twigs, branches, small dowel poles, etc.
    • Decorate with foliage, twigs, and other natural items that allow the praying mantis to climb and clamber around. Some people place a living plant or two into the display, as the mantis will enjoy being able to climb it.
    • Warmth can be provided by using a spot Select a Lamp or a heater pad. Speak to your pet supplies specialist to see what they have in stock.

Feeding a praying mantis

  1. Feed your mantis properly. The food requirements of a praying mantis will vary depending on their growth stage. In general, they don't need a lot of food.
    • For a nymph purchased from the pet store: Feed with fruit flies, micro crickets, gnats, aphids, and other mini bugs.[3]
    • For a mantis that has grown and is molting or shedding, (the instar stages): Start to increase the insect size; then for each shedding period, feed normally but remove anything she ignores because she may not eat during molting.
    • For a fully grown praying mantis, get busy: Catch butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers or even house flies. In the wild praying mantises will consume anything they can catch and hold. They are also known to eat bees, wasps and even small birds in the wild. [3] but you probably don't want to mess with them.
    • Buying crickets from the pet store is not necessary, although some people will tell you that using wild crickets could make your pet sick. This may or may not be true for store-raised mantises, but for wild-caught ones, some harm should come to them. As for store-bought crickets or some pet stores over feed their crickets, some caution should be exercised. Many pet stores do not feed or properly care for crickets, and any diseases those crickets have as a result can be passed on to your mantis. If you're not sure, spend a few days feeding store-bought or wild-caught crickets high nutrition diets to help manage the bacteria in their gut, and they should be fine.
    • Don't give the mantis live food that is bigger than it or your mantis might be the one that gets eaten.
    • Praying Mantises will not eat dead insects.
  2. Spray mist the enclosure to provide water for the praying mantis. Get a spray bottle and spray on its cage (if it's wire). If it's not wire, put it in a water bottle lid and let them drink out of that. Remember they like hanging from stuff, so give them a stick to go on or something else while drinking.
  3. Clear uneaten food out of the mantis' home. Mantises aren't the tidiest of diners and they'll leave behind all manner of debris including legs, wings, chewy or hard bits they didn't like, etc., and you need to remove these daily. When this debris piles up, the praying mantis will stress out and won't cope well in her artificial environment.
    • When cleaning out the leftovers from her meals, also remove your praying mantis' fecal matter (pellet shaped).

Keeping the mantis on its own

  1. Keep your praying mantis separate from any other ones you plan on keeping. Praying mantises have voracious appetites for insects, including one another. They're top predators in the insect kingdom and will stalk or wait until their chance comes, so don't give them the chance to also be a cannibal.[1] Have separate housing for each praying mantis you intend to keep.

Handling the mantis

  1. Handle with care. Your praying mantis is delicate no matter how strong she appears. Avoid picking her up as there are several risks involved; she might be crushed by an over-enthusiastic grip, or she might defend herself against your attempt by stabbing you with her forearms.[3] It will probably surprise you more than hurt you but it will definitely stress her and put on the defensive. The answer is to allow her to climb onto your outstretched palm, finger, or top of your hand, at her leisure. Be patient!
    • When you clean their cage don't be afraid to pick them up, but if you prefer, you can use gloves.
  2. Don't be afraid to pet your mantis.Apparently,some actually enjoy it when their owners stroke the top of their thorax.(Where the limbs connect to the body)
    • Praying mantises have wings once they're adults, meaning that they can fly. If you want to hold her, close all windows and doors before removing her from her home.
    • When molting, leave your praying mantis alone and don't touch her.[4] She'll shed her old exoskeleton and gain a new one. Once the new one is in place, you can handle her again.
  3. Maintain hygiene. Wash your hands after handling your praying mantis, its cages, or cage accessories.

Breeding

  1. Consider breeding the praying mantises if you want to have several praying mantises over time. A praying mantis has a short lifespan, of around six months from nymph to adulthood, and another six months as an adult.[3] With good care, this can be extended up to a year and a half in the easy home life you're providing. Identify the gender of your praying mantis first - the female has six segments on her underside while the male has eight. If a female is mated, she can produce several egg cases (ootheca), and it may eat the male (and be aware that un-mated females will probably still lay eggs, they just won't hatch).
    • Be prepared for nursery duty if you catch or mate a female mantis. She will grow a big belly, and lose the ability to fly. When your mantis lays eggs, it should be in the early fall, or late spring. Don't worry. You will have plenty of time to prepare for your eggs to hatch next spring.
    • The egg case will have a ridge along the center of it. It's not to everyone's liking to look at but shelve your squeamishness!
    • Come springtime, the eggs should soon hatch, and the nymphs should emerge through tiny holes in the egg case. A word of caution – they can, and will often eat each other if they are not separated, and when they reach molting stages, many mantises will stop eating for a day or two, so it's easier to squeeze out of that old shell.
    • Feed as outlined above.
    • Those you don't plan on keeping can be set free in your garden.

Tips

  • Make sure you don't touch your praying mantis when it is moulting!
  • Praying mantises have very fragile egg cases, so be very careful.
  • Always treat any animal with care.
  • Always treat any animal with care, and wash your hands after handling their cages or cage accessories.
  • With proper care praying mantises can live up to one and a half years.
  • Get a container that sends air at the top and bottom.
  • Some web stores will sell you an egg sac which can be placed in your garden to hatch. This will increase the local mantis population, decrease the bug supply, and give you more opportunities to observe them in their natural environment.
  • Use a fluorescent light above the vivarium if you'd like to see your praying mantis at night. This will also give out light that any live plants you're growing will appreciate.
  • Praying mantises are harmless to humans although they're fearful foes to other insect-kind.
  • It may be preferable to simply observe the praying mantises in your vicinity rather than take them captive. They are so beautiful to watch. They will watch you as well. A praying mantis visit is good luck. Killing one may bring you bad luck.
  • Check out Wikipedia's list of the mantis species: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mantis_genera_and_species if you're keen to know more about the different kinds of species.
  • Contrary to popular belief, mantises are not endangered, and it is not illegal to kill one. But that doesn't mean you should! In the United States, you may not release non-native species; check your local laws wherever you live.
  • You would be better off purchasing a mantis from a pet store; pulling one out of the wild can be very stressful, and it can possibly kill them.
  • Don't pick up unless you know it won't bite or claw you.
  • Getting a praying mantis bred in captivity is strongly suggested over collecting one from the wild!
  • Egg cases can have 75 to 250 baby praying mantises each.
  • Don't put any insects bigger than half the mantis for the mantis to eat.
  • Don't cut there wings off.
  • If you have a baby mantis, give it fresh water daily.

Warnings

  • It is really a bad idea to house two or more mantises together. They generally don't get along well as adults, and one can quickly become a snack for the other.
  • Don't use poison (fungicides, pesticides, insecticides) on the plants or plant material you use in your mantis' home; it will kill the mantis.
  • Don't leave a praying mantis outside overnight; it may freeze to death if you live in a cold climate.
  • Again, never use a container that had any kind of chemical in it.
  • Don't clean the vivarium with anything toxic. Use hot water and a mild liquid soap if needed. Or ask at the pet store for cleaning advice.
  • If you successfully breed pet store praying mantises, do not release them into the wild unless you are certain that the species you have bred is indigenous in your area. Releasing a variety that is not already established could upset the balance already in your area, and is generally illegal.

Things You'll Need

  • Container for catching (if relevant)
  • Vivarium or similar for home
  • Twigs, branches, etc., for climbing
  • Prey, such as bugs, flies, etc., as detailed above
  • Heat pad or other heat source to maintain proper temperature
  • Fluorescent light (optional) like a LED light
  • Live plants (optional) or foliage or fake plants
  • Gloves (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 David Manning, Praying Mantis p. 173, in Need to know? Exotic Pets: Expert advice on buying and caring for unusual pets, (2008), ISBN 978-0-0726275-5
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 David Manning, Praying Mantis p. 172, in Need to know? Exotic Pets: Expert advice on buying and caring for unusual pets, (2008), ISBN 978-0-0726275-5
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 David Manning, Praying Mantis p. 174, in Need to know? Exotic Pets: Expert advice on buying and caring for unusual pets, (2008), ISBN 978-0-0726275-5
  4. ↑ David Manning, Praying Mantis p. 175, in Need to know? Exotic Pets: Expert advice on buying and caring for unusual pets, (2008), ISBN 978-0-0726275-5

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