Orchid mantis care

In the wild-

Orchid Mantises originate from the tropical forests of South East Asia. It is one of many species known as a 'flower mantis' due to both its appearance of a flower, and the way in which they move. It's fine legs mimic petals of orchid flowers, and their colour- usually white and pink with a small amount of brown- helps them to become invisible to predators against the plant. They are one of the most easily sexed species of mantis due to their huge size difference. Females are typically twice the size of males, reaching up to 6 or 7cm in length. There are other ways, but this is by far the easiest. They are an amazing carnivorous predator due to their ability to ambush large prey such as butterflies and large bugs. They catch prey using toothed arms (located at the front of the body) they devour it with their very strong bite. Most mantis species are known to be cannibalistic, so never keep more than one in the same tank. They are short-lived like many insect species with an average lifespan of just 6 months.

 

In captivity-

Housing and decor-

Mantis require height rather than width and depth, however that is no reason to go small with the habitat. A general rule for mantis enclosure size is three times the length on the mantis tall by two times the length of the mantis in width and depth. This means that an adult female will need housing of 30x20x20cm when taking decor into account. Of course, bigger is always better and this rule calculated the bare minimum size. Decor doesn't need to be fancy; plants, sphagnum moss and twigs to climb on are all this species really needs. The plants you use can be real or fake. Substrate is optional, but it will help with humidity levels to have a layer of damp soil. This also makes the tank look better than if you used a paper towel or had a bare base. Open bodies of water are a hazard as if your mantis should fall into the container, it will drown easily. They drink from water droplets on plants, so a water bowl is not necessary anyway.

Remember to house mantids separately due to their cannibalistic nature!

Heat, light and humidity-

As mantises are not a reptile, they do not require UVB lighting. If you wish to have lighting for your mantis, you could use a daylight bulb. If you use live plants in the terrarium, I would add a light source to help keep them healthy. Temperature should be kept at around 28 degrees Celsius during the day, dropping about 10 degrees over night. Heat is best maintained using a thermostat controlled heat mat placed on the side or underneath the habitat. Humidity is important to the orchid mantis, and levels of around 60 to 80% are optimum. This is especially important when they are in shed. Younger specimens should be kept at a lower humidity and gradually built up as they are sensitive to the high levels the adults need. As mentioned earlier, Orchid Mantids drink from water droplets on the decor, so make sure that you spray the terrarium often enough to keep your pet hydrated.

Feeding-

Feeding is relatively simple for mantises. The main diet for a small, young specimen is flightless fruit flies, although as they get larger they can start to take on bigger prey items such as small/medium crickets and locusts. Houseflies can also be fed is you find yourself with a few around the house! I like to make sure that their is food available most of the time for younger individuals, however prey items shouldn't be left in the terrarium for too long as they may start trying to eat your mantis.

Buying Orchid Mantids-

The Orchid Mantis is common in the pet trade and easy to find. They are one of the favourite species among mantis keepers and probably the most easily recognisable when you see them in a pet shop. They cost about £15 to £20. I always look for small specimens when buying mantises as they are usually the youngest and therefore you will get to care for them for longer. I would buy in person where ever you can so you can see exactly what you are purchasing.

 

References-

My care sheets are mostly written from experience, however to make sure I give the best possible advice, I will compare with other owners views and successes. For this care sheet, I cross referenced with-

Mantis Masters- (https://www.mantismasters.co.uk)

 

Thank you for reading my Orchid Mantis care sheet and I hope you found it helpful and informative. Good luck with your new invert! Feel free to contact me via Instagram to ask any questions!