Hey guys my buddy caught me a pray mantis, i have this old fishtank to house it in for now.
What should I put in it?
I know they eat live food and will get some pronto, but what else do I need to know?
>>2018287
why are you growing a plant in that astronaut helmet
>>2018287
get a proper tank or tub.
rule of thumb for mantis tank sizes is lenght and width = 2x the mantid's length. height = 3x mantid's length.
give it a lot of twigs to climb around on, they don't like staying on the ground. spray the tank once a day so it can drink from the water drops. they are not picky eaters, just throw in some flies or crickets.
Do some research. I thought I had a good environment for mine, big fish tank, fed him crickets from the pet store, but he ended up getting some kind of fungus. Maybe just keep yours for a week or so and then let him outside in a good spot by your house. Watching them die isn't pleasant.
>>2018287
They dance to music! Play some good music next to the bowl and watch it dance. This is not bait I swear!
>>2018329
Can't they fly? Don't you need a lid too?
>>2018496
That's why I said "proper tank'"
>>2018496
Males can use their wings to 'fly' (more like a poor glide), but females are wingless.
Also, care depends on what kind of mantis you got there. I have a ghost mantis, super easy to house and feed.
This might be a Carolina and Chinese, and those a bit harder.
Look around the internet to identity your mantis and go from there. But Anon above is right, it needs more space. Tall is better.
>>2018501
Carolina or Chinese* are a bit harder*
>>2018427
Whaaaaat thats awesome. Ive had mine for like a day and fed him three tiny roaches. Hes so awesome.
>>2018329
>>2018287
>>2018412
Guys no.
No tanks or tubs, they will suffer from mold/fungus issues because of the lack of ventilation and the build up of water.
You need a mesh container. Benefits being that you can freely mist and the water will evaporate, good ventilation and the mesh provides good hand holds for the mantis.
>>2018738
Can you post an example of a good enclosure so I can start looking kind anon?
>>2018744
Something like this. Incredibly portable as well. Of course a long term display could be a box with wire mesh along the sides.
Having said that, tanks are the best for ground dwelling stuff, cockroaches etc, Much easier to control the heat/humidity in a tank.
