praying mantis

i want a smallish one that i can hold occasionly(will they escape) and my tank was a small fish tank now ready for a mantid at

8 INCH LONG BY 5 INCH HIGH BY 5 INCH DEPTH its small but it should house some ,what would fit in that easy to care for and handle AND common mantids,mainly CB.
also how often do you feed them and can you keep just one and whats there lifespan?
any good caresheets.
my lps can get in
Fantasy Mantid Phylocrania paradoxica 2-3cm £12.95
Empusid Mantid Pseudoempusa pinnapovis 1-2cm £9.50
African Mantid Sphodromantis centralis/lineola 2-3cm £9.50
Chinese Mantid Tenodera aridifolia sinensis 2-3cm £7.95
whats easiest to look after and good to keep in a small tank 8x5x5




also how often do i feed ,and will they escape?
sorry for all questions im new.

do they need heating,can they be fed on a staple diet of mealworms?

Hello Phillip
temperature is what your comfortable with 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit
lifespan is usually one or two seasons [1-2 years]
Humidity on juvies needs to be a bit higher than adults to aid in shedding.
Holding is OK for some species but remember males can and will take flight so do your holding indoors, females tend to get to heavy after a few meals when adults.
Mealworms are not a great food source, a varied diet is best and feed it as much as it will eat.
Juvies and babies will take smaller food items such as fruit flies or pinhead crickets [don't know what you have available on the other side of the pond ]
Keeping just one per enclosure is perfect.
good luck

well yes if feed mealies with crickets occasionly ads i get crics for my leo gecko.

is 8x5x5 too small a tank

Fantasy Mantid Phylocrania paradoxica 2-3cm £12.95
Empusid Mantid Pseudoempusa pinnapovis 1-2cm £9.50
African Mantid Sphodromantis centralis/lineola 2-3cm £9.50
Chinese Mantid Tenodera aridifolia sinensis 2-3cm £7.95

which one of these can be housed in a 8x5x5
my lps can get them in,it says lenghs on them are 1-2cm or 2-3cm,are they babies.

That size is fine for all but the Chinese mantid which should have a tank at least twice that size
Take care

thats ok just read the chinese is agressive
which one would you thinkns best to handle,green one and easy to keep.

My self personally I would opt for the Chinese mantid as they can be green or brown or a combination of both colors. As far as being aggressive they do take a threat stance when stressed but I have not seen it too much ...I would guess 20% of the time. After that they do calm down rather well and they can get HUGE

well it wont fit in my small 8x5x5 tank
Fantasy Mantid
Empusid Mantid
African Mantid

which one of them is best.

Go for the African mantis...its green and stocky and a very nice insect

ok,.do you have some good caresheets on it.

No I am sorry my friend I don't , but general care for mantids applies to this specie. I have raised them before and had no problems