• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

praying mantis

P

phillip2

New member
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
35
Location
-
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 :rolleyes: ]
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.
 
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.
 
you raised african ones,so is the tank big enough for when its a adult 8x5x5?
 
Yes , but only freshly molted mature females and mature males. After some time the females are too heavy to take flight and in the African mantid the females wings are too short
 
well if i want to handle the african one get it out what if it takes off to flight.
 
yup i will but what if im chasing it around for ages and its flying high and lands elsewere ~(
 
Back
Top