Did you know praying mantids make great pets? They do! Mantids are pretty easy to keep and so fun to watch! They'll eat unwanted bugs and they're easy to take care of! They're clean and like to clean themselves after eating.
Check out our video and read this article!
1 - Space
Mantids need space to move, hunt, and molt (shed skin so they can grow bigger)! Having a cage or tank (vivarium or terrarium) that's at least 3x bigger and taller than they are should be plenty. Don't make it too big, or they will not be able to find the live food that you release.
You don't even need anything fancy - some people use plastic containers from toys, packaging, or even glass jars with holes/mesh instead of a lid.
We used one of these when he was a nymph. It had a lot of airflow and places to climb!
2 - Climate
Mantids need warm environments with some humidity. Most are happy between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit, but check Google for your specific mantis species since some like it even warmer than that! To keep the humidity levels up, use a small spray bottle of water to mist the cage. We did this every morning and loved watching Bugsy drink the water drops! Some people like to keep a substrate in the cage like moss or dirt, but you don't have to. Some simply use a thick paper towel to retain some of the water and then it's easy to clean!
3 - Airflow
Mesh is best, but a lot of holes are fine, too! Try to avoid metal mesh as a curious mantid could hurt their eyes by bumping into it. Mesh on the top is ideal because you'll see that many of them like to hang from the top and it makes it easy for them to molt later. Remember, insects need to shed their skins (exoskeletons) to grow larger and they'll do this every few weeks until they become adults and get their wings!
4 - Fresh food!
Mantids prefer fresh, live insects that they can "hunt" so hopefully you have a source of them nearby. In the summer when Bugsy was a nymph, it was easy to get fruit flies and small moths outside, cool them in the fridge, then drop them into the cage. As he got bigger, we got crane flies, the occasional house fly, and moths or butterflies (they can be a mess to clean up!). If you want a consistent source of insects, especially for those that live in colder climates, you'll want to order some wingless fruit flies or blue bottle flies that you can keep in the fridge until feeding time. I've heard that pet store crickets might not be the best choice since they're typically fed carrots and that might not be good for your mantis! I've also heard of some people feeding them with tweezers or chopsticks!