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+ FAQ & myths

The afterwards FAQ to answer any questions you may have after reading the caresheet. If your question isn't here, you can email me at hermsta@gmail, aim me at hermsta, or pm me on the mantidforums at 'mantida'.

Can mantids get diseases?
Really the only diseases that mantids get are fungal infections or bacterial infections (that may target the mantis internally or externally). They can be fatal depending on the seriousness of the infection or fragileness of the mantid.

Will diseases/injury shorten the lifespan of a mantis?
Yes, diseases and injury can make the mantis weaker and shorten its lifespan. Males who have injury have trouble mounting females and have more of a chance of being eaten by the female. Females who have injury usually die after their second or third ootheca. Disease makes the entire mantid's system weaker overall.

Where can I get containers to house my mantids?
You can always make a container out of a peanut butter jar or a Kritter Karrier purchased at your local petstore. However, there are several other alternatives that can be cheaper. Visit the links section of this website. I have listed several websites for obtaining containers as well as smaller cups to house L2-L3 nymphs.

Where can I find mantids? Where can I buy them?
You can find mantids during the summer, spring, or fall in any meadow/grassy area. They generally inhabit places with overgrown vegetation, and most males are commonly found at night next to bright street lights. You will find that mantids turn up at the strangest times when you are not looking for them. Most petshops do not sell mantids. In the links section of this website I have listed off several online breeders who ship out mantids to the public. I will also be selling extra stock to people in the U.S.

Does humidity affect how well a mantis molts?
There has been much debate over this issue. I have never really kept my containers humid and all of my mantids have molted fine. The only factor humidity affects is probably when the mantis molts into an adult; the humidity probably affects the wing development/unfolding. That is the only time when I would introduce humidity into the mantid's container: right before the final molt to ensure proper wing development.

Help! My mantis has had a bad molt and I don't know what to do!
First, how bad is the mismolt? If only the back legs are crippled (usually twisted, or upturned) then your mantis should be fine and function normally (though if the back legs are extremely distorted it may have trouble walking around). If the distorted legs hinder the mantid's ability to move/gets tangled in other limbs, you can snip part of the leg off using sterile, sharp scissors. Do NOT use blunt scissors, as they may not cut right and you may end up taking several snips at the leg and ultimately worsen the mantid's condition. If you snip off part of a leg, it will bleed a little bit but will dry eventually. Leave the wound alone, do not try to 'wipe' away the blood. I do not usually cut limbs, as the mantis has a possibility of regenerating/straightening a limb in the next molt if all goes well. If your mantis has a more serious deformity: a humpback, or crippled forearm(s), handfeeding is usually the way to go if you want the mantis to live. View the handfeeding section under the Feeding section of the general mantis care. If your mantis is in an even more serious condition, such as bent in a U-shape or its head is permanently fixed downwards, then I am afraid that it does not have a good chance of surviving even with handfeeding. These mantids usually die even if provided with handfeeding.

My mantis has molted very badly (U-shape, bleeding eyes/smashed face due to a fall, etc.) and I think I should put it out of its misery. What should I do?
Some owners put mantids out of their misery by placing them in the freezer to shut down their metabolisms. I, however, do not do this and try to handfeed the mantis first before letting it die. If you haven't noticed whenever you feed your mantis with insects, even though the insects are half-eaten, they still struggle and want to live. Insects have a primitive mind. The only thing they think is to eat, survive, and breed. Because of this, mantids would rather hang on to life then have it cut short for them. The freezer for me is an absolute LAST resort, even behind letting the mantis just take on the course of death slowly. In nature, for mismolters, a freezer is not an option. It is ultimately up to you to decide what to do with your crippled mantis. If you do not 'feel' like hand feeding your no-longer-capable-of-hunting mantis, then perhaps the freezer is a better choice then letting it starve. I believe, however, that with your pet comes the responsibility of caring for it. Even if you don't 'feel' like hand feeding it, you committed to this responsibility when you got your mantis. An even crueler way of disposing of your crippled mantis (in my opinion) that some people practice is the feeding of the mantis to a different pet (usually herps or other mantids) and even prey items (feeder roaches and crickets). Some people also feed their old, dying mantids to other critters which is less cruel than feeding the mantis to another pet just because it is crippled. However, I do not recommend 'putting your mantis out of its misery'. In nature, there isn't this option. The mantis just takes on the course of death naturally, and that is what I do to my dying crippled mantids or dying mantids. Some people believe that feeding the body of the deceased/dying/crippled mantis is dishonoring it. I too believe this slightly. It was your pet that you cared for, and how can you just feed it or kill it just like that? It is, however, ultimately up to the owner to decide what to do to your mantis.

When I hold my mantis it bends its head down and tries to nibble my skin. Is this normal?
Your mantis is dehydrated. It senses the moisture on your skin and is trying to drink. Give it some water.

My mantid escaped!! Where could it be?
Generally, the smaller the mantis is, the harder it is to find. The most common places for a mantis to go are windows. Mantids are naturally attracted to sunlight and will fly to the brightest area in the room. Check the corners of nearby windows and your lamps/ceiling lights. If your mantis escaped during the night (while you had your ceiling light turned on) it is most likely in the ceiling light or around that area. In the day time, sunlight overpowers artificial light. Most escapees are male since they fly more often. Mantids do not generally fly out of the room they ecsaped from, so a household search is not necessary. They do not fly downwards, so if you live in a house that has more than one level, the mantis will not be downstairs. It will still be upstairs. If you checked the windows and lights and still cannot find your mantis, give it a few days. They generally turn up after a few days of escaping. Mantids can survive up to 5-7 days without food.

I found an ootheca outside... is it fertile?
If it was gathered outside then it is most likely fertile. Hatch it out.

My captive bred female was never mated and she layed an ootheca?
Females, when they reach 2-3 weeks of age, will lay ootheca regardless if they were mated or not. If the mantis was not mated, the ootheca will be infertile and will not hatch. There is an exception to this; the Brunner's mantis has no existing males and is a pathogenic species.

Can you tell if an ootheca is infertile or not?
Unfortunately you can't tell if an ootheca is fertile if you just look at it. However, if you take a knife and slice off a little bit of the top and some clear liquid oozes out, the ootheca is either fertile or a 2-3 week old infertile ooth. Place the sliced piece back on top to prevent any of the other eggs from drying out. If you slice the top off and the inside is black/dry, then it is a month or older infertile ooth. Wild caught ootheca are 99.9% always fertile.

Where can I get oothecae?
You can find oothecae outside, usually during the fall and winter. Another alternative are garden stores. They sell praying mantis ooths as pest control. These ooths are usually T. aridifolia sinesis or religiosa species. Online breeders sell ootheca from exotic species also.

Okay... I found a wild ootheca. How do I take it in?
Cut off the branch/stem the ootheca is on, leaving about 2-3 inches of stick to the ootheca from where you cut. Place the stick in a jar or deli cup and leave it outside to hatch in the spring, or take it inside (it will hatch earlier, since the temp of your house will actually incubate the ooth). If the ooth is on the ceiling of something or on a wall, take the ootheca gently between your thumb and forefinger and gently wiggle it to get it loose. Ootheca are generally easy to pry off of plastic, though different surfaces and textures will promote easier or harder sticking of the ooth's foam. If you are unable to pry it off, using a razor knife, get as CLOSE to the wall as possible when cutting the ooth from it. Some green liquid may ooze out; these are the eggs that you have exposed. Place a leaf there that is big enough to cover the base of the ooth or the hole that you made to prevent any further eggs from drying out. Using a hot glue gun, you can secure the ooth to the lid of a container. Just be sure to use a small drop of glue or a thin layer of it so you don't cook the eggs inside.

Okay... I found a wild mantis. Now what?
If your mantis is female, you will have absolutely no trouble capturing it. Place your hand in front of the mantis and gently blow or tap on her behind. She will walk onto your hand and will not try to escape. DO NOT grab her, she may get startled and attack your hand or fingers. Males are generally trickier to capture. It is easier to use a net with them since they fly. You can try grabbing the male by the thorax, though he may attack you (but they are generally less aggressive than females, some of them will not attack you and some will) and it isn't recommended to do so. I usually try to let them walk on my hand first. If they fly, I "catch" them in midair by swiping my hand in front of them and they hit my hand, landing on it, and I can secure the mantis in some kind of container, between my thumb and forefinger, or in a relaxed fist.

My mantis is gravid and looks like she is going to explode! Help!
They do look like they will implode don't they? Just when you think they cannot get any bigger, they lay their ooth. There has only been one case I have seen where the female had egg retention and did not lay her ooth (it did not happen to me). Her thorax was even full of eggs. This is extremely rare and does not usually happen.

I have a question that isn't asked here... is there a forum you recommend where I can ask it?
This is the best mantis forum site out there. The community is really friendly and there have been people who have been in the mantis hobby for a couple of years. If you have a question, it will be more than likely answered by the people here.

Can I email you a question?
Sure, you can contact me via AIM (hermsta) or email ([email protected]). If you are too scared to email or aim me (trust me, I don't bite, we can be geek and talk mantis!), you can PM me via mantisforum.net. My username is mantida.

Do female mantids really eat the males head after mating?
There has been much controversy over the years about this topic. This was one of the first things I learned about praying mantids as a kid and no doubt what the praying mantis is most known for. Although not always the case, this actually holds some merit. Most mantis species are cannibalistic. A praying mantis will eat or try to eat just about any insect it can grab a hold of and is not strong enough to fight back, and another mantis is no exception. However, when mating, females are less likely to attack a male. Studies have shown that males are eaten less during mating in the wild than in captivity.

After mating, most males jump off of the female and usually make a run for it. In the wild, they would have no problems escaping without harm as they are usually much faster than the females and most of them can fly. The females are usually too heavy to give chase, and most of the time aren't even interested. In captivity of course, the male jumps off, runs around, and usually ends up running directly into the female due to no ample room for escaping. Does this mean that females really don't bite the heads off males? No way. When the male is attached, the females can only eat so much of him without bending their bodies too much. That usually involves just the head and a portion of the upper body. A male mantis can continue to mate even with his head bitten off. I have heard of accounts of males getting their heads bitten off before making their way onto the back of the female and copulating. Luckily, I myself have never witnessed a male being eaten before or during mating. Guess I am doing everything right! So, in conclusion, I would have to say this myth is somewhat true. Just not in the way the media/movies make it out to be.

Are crickets bad for mantids?
There has been some misconception among mantid keepers that crickets are not a good food source for many species of mantids. Even I am guilty of passing this info along. I have had the experience of feeding Petco crickets to my mantids and having them all vomit and drop dead with an unpleasant odor hanging about. Definately something I wanted to avoid in the future.

A couple months later I read different articles regarding gutloading, nutrition, and good housing for crickets. Then it eventually hit me. The crickets were very well taken care of. If given clean enclosures and fed fresh food often, bacteria in the gut of the cricket would be kept under control and greatly reduced any diseases the crickets could get due to accumulated droppings. I noticed also that crickets defecate frequently. This means that they clean out their system constantly, and waiting one or two days before feeding the mantis was alright since the cricket had such a fast digestive system.

I read up about an article and found that if fed crickets that were gutloaded on carrots, the mantids would vomit a bit. This usually would not kill them, but they did seem to get a little sick. Carrots contain a natural enzyme that kills of bacteria that may cause some disruption in the gut of the mantis. Crickets are high in protein and an excellent way to attract mantids' attention due to their squirmy behavior. Healthy crickets are alert, have quirky antenna, and jump a lot when disturbed. I do not think cricket coloration affects the health of the cricket. Newly molted crickets are light in color, so I assume that darker ones are ones that will be molting soon.

Crickets have been notorious for cannibalism when others are molting and even ganging up on molting mantids. I have never had a problem with a cricket attacking or eating a mantis. I use small crickets, 1/2 an inch roughly to an adult mantis. The maximum size I will go to is 3/4. Anything larger is capable of biting a mantis. I also notice that the smaller ones are less likely to cause the mantis to become sick, probably because they have not been exposed as much to the bacteria as the older ones that have lived their life in these bacteria-thriving conditions.

All in all, crickets are a good feeder and can be used as long as they are treated well. It is important to care for feeders as well as the actual pet. After all, the saying "you are what you eat" applies in this case.