Orchid Mantis Care Sheet
You are now the proud owner of an orchid mantis.
Your mantis will arrive in a small cup, via 24 hour delivery.
The first thing you need to do is give the cup or enclosure a light spray for humidity and a drink. If you leave the mantis in the cup temporarily add kitchen towel at the bottom to hold humidity.
BASICS
Ideal heat 24-27°c
No lower than 18°c at night
Humidity 60-80%
Food - Currently fruit flies, move onto curly wings/house flies, then green/bluebottles. ~Larger females can eat locusts but avoid crickets.
We will have sprayed and fed the morning of sending (usually Monday)
Links will be added below for examples of equipment and food you can buy.
FEEDING
They are currently eating the largest fruit flies. You will need to start feeding them larger prey after the next moult, so it is advisable to think ahead and get some curly wings/house flies.
You may be able to get these through your local reptile shop if not there's plenty for sale online.
With any larger prey like locusts be aware these can attack your mantis. Usually they are eaten immediately.
Do not leave this kind of live prey in with your mantis for longer than an hour. If the mantis is not interested remove and try again with smaller prey or the next day.
Praying mantis can go off their food before a moult so always remove if the mantis is not eating it.
Leaving prey in while the mantis moults can stress the mantis causing it to fall.
A mantis that falls while moulting will usually die. Locusts and ispods will eat an incapacitated mantis.
L3 Large fruit flies and curly wing flies L4 - Curly wings/green bottles/house flies L5 and up - blue bottles, wax moths (pupated and hatched from wax worms), occasional calci worm.
You can feed appropriately sized locusts.
You need to feed your mantis every 2-3 days.
If the abdomen is thin they need feeding, if it is fat, be careful not to overfeed.
Always stock up on flies in advance! They can take a while to hatch. (Especially curly wings)
TEMPERATURE
The ideal temperature is 27°c but you can go a couple of degrees either way.
Be careful not to cook your mantis in warmer weather. Ideally use a dimmer thermostat.
Do not leave in direct sunlight. This is like leaving a dog in a hot car.
A night temperature drop is fine, but they should not go below 18°c
You may struggle to adequately heat an enclosure with a heat mat, especially in winter.
ENCLOSURE
Orchids need good airflow, but also humidity.
I recommend glass or acrylic enclosures with a full mesh top and cross ventilation of some kind. This can be holes down the sides or a low vent.
Minimum size for female is 20x20x30cm
Minimum size for male is 10x10x15cm
You can go bioactive with soil and clay balls, or use kitchen towel.
Both will hold humidity, but the bioactive option is more natural and will hold humidity for longer and need less spraying.
If you get a clean up crew such as isopods and springtails the clean up is minimal.
We prefer to use bioactive and live plants to mimic the natural environment as closely as possible. Your mantis will appreciate plants and sticks to climb on.
But leave plenty of space for them to moult from the top of the enclosure. They will double in size every moult and need space to do this safely.
Your mantis will be very soft and delicate after moulting and easily injured. Do not handle of feed for 48 hours.
Do not put in any plants that would have been sprayed with pesticides. If you’re not sure it’s safest to get from a reptile shop or organic.
HUMIDITY
Orchids come from Malaysia. They need humidity to be healthy.
We spray the enclosure once in the morning and once in the evening, making sure the substrate is damp. This could be different for you based on how humid your house naturally is
You will probably notice your mantis drinking the water droplets. Hydration is very important for general health and safe moulting.
Ensure the water is evaporated before spraying again, or you could get mould.
(Springtails can help with this in a bioactive set uo)
Remember humidity and airflow are important to orchids. Any mould or bacteria can kill them.
Do not use tap water. Use water treated with reptisafe or similar to the appropriate dilution, or bottled water. (Reusing the same 5l bottle of water with reptisafe is more environmentally friendly)
MOULTING
Humidity is extremely important for moulting.
This includes internal humidity, so make sure your mantis has enough opportunities to drink.
Mantis will moult from low platforms, so remove any temptation by making sure every moulting platform, such as plant branches, are high off the ground.
If they don’t have a clear space beneath them to moult they are likely to mismoult and this is usually fatal. .
If your mantis is hanging and does not react much when you go near it, leave it alone. If it has been refusing food, take the food out. It is probably going to moult.
When they moult, do not disturb!
Mantis are very soft and hang for a while to dry.
Do not handle or feed for at least 24-48 hours to give their exoskeleton a chance to harden.
Females moult to L9, males to L8.
When they have full wings, they are adult.
The females get to about 7cm, and the males are about 3cm.
OVERVIEW
Remember, you are in charge of this beautiful insects whole world, so it is up to you to give it the best life possible.
It is OK to keep them in cups when they are small, it is easier for them to find prey this way. But as they get bigger you will need to invest in an appropriate enclosure, with enriching things like plants inside.
Shopping Guide.
This is not an exhaustive list but rather a starting point to give you some examples.
I often use Swells as you can get a lot in one go but it's also worth trying some of the smaller independent sellers too. I also recommend supporting your local independent reptiles shops.
It can be quite overwhelming at the start so here's a list to get you going.
I advise shopping around for the best prices and you can get some great secondhand bargains.
Any acrylic enclosures of a suitable size made specifically for praying mantis. These will have a full mesh top and ventilation holes down the sides.
Orchid mantis are very capable hunters so you can go as big as you'd like with their enclosure once they are large enough.
Enclosures can be very expensive. My tip is to look for secondhand enclosures (probably listed under reptile enclosures or terrariums) Facebook marketplace, Preloved and Gumtree are all good places to try.
You can also make your own cheap enclosure from bra-plast tubs or similar.
Simply cut the middle of the lid out and replace with mesh and add either mesh or ventilation holes down the side.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune and only takes very basic skills. (This particular size would be too small for a sub adult female and above)
Any acrylic enclosures of a suitable size made specifically for praying mantis. These will have a full mesh top and ventilation holes down the sides. Enclosures can be very expensive. My tip is to look for secondhand enclosures (probably listed under reptile enclosures or terrariums)
You can also make your own cheap enclosure from bra-last tubs or similar. Simply cut the middle of the lid out and replace with mesh and add either mesh or ventilation holes down the side. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune and only takes very basic skills. (This particular size would be too small for a sub adult female and above)
Lighting
Heat bulb 25w (You may need a higher wattage depending on how hot your house is) I use Exoterra 25w daylight basking bulb but have also used the Swells option in 35w which is cheaper.
Dimming thermostat It's really important to get a dimming thermostat for your heat lamp and NOT a pulse one.
Bioactive shopping list
Springtails (To eat the mould)
I will do a guide on this soon but as a basic set up add about an inch of clay balls to the bottom of the enclosure, then add the mat.
Add soil on top and clean up crew and plants and you're ready to go.
I appreciate this is a lot of information so if you have any questions please feel free to email me at info@wilfulink.com