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Praying Mantis

Dave S.

NECPS President
I found an old post about someone keeping mantids with carnivorous plants. Does anyone here keep them with their cps?

Some of the issues I would have are:

Lifespan is short
Seal a terrarium to prevent an escape
Average nepenthes grow chamber might be too big

Here is a nice site to check out if you are interested in keeping them:

mantids
 
i would try it...most are usually too big to fall into pitchers of neps so i wouldnt worry about that. anything else is to small so i would try it....you could put bugs in there and any that the mantis wont eat the CPs will
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I'm not sure about keeping mantids with CPs, but I do know that I love them! They're always chillin' in my backyard
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Reading a little bit of that site you provided, I'm realizing that keeping mantids is quite the hobby! I never knew that people kept them as pets like that. Very cool!
 
Aren't they a protected critter? As in we shouldn't be keeping them?
 
Jim, many are, but in the sense that Sarracenia are protected plants. There are regulations pertaining to certain species but there is a large and legit community of mantid keepers.

Dave, I think you could make a great setup including neps and mantids. Only problem would be if the mantids decide that the neps are good eating.

Peter
 
Okie dokie! Hey, aren't they in competition for bugs? And what would happen of a mantis falls inside of a Nep?
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[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Only problem would be if the mantids decide that the neps are good eating.

I thought mantids only ate other bugs
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they do only eat other bugs and small animals....maybe the other way around!!! the nep would decide that the manty is good eating!!!
 
Mantisis are STricktly Carnivorous, IF you get a Small mantid, I wuold stick with soft bodied critters, and NO fireflies, I had a little mantis and he died I think from the Firefly I gave him, he had a struggle with it too. But I dont know what I did wrong really..
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  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (jimscott @ Mar. 19 2006,2:44)]Aren't they a protected critter? As in we shouldn't be keeping them?
Not the ones in the US. I've heard if is going to be illegal to import them soon do to the USDA cracking down on some laws they haven't been enforcing.
 
  • #11
They sell them in pet stores in Canada as pets all the time. Now that I'm in Florida there's always a few outside in my backyard trying to catch their dinner
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  • #12
Yeah Just the other week I had one on my big group of luecos and then all of a sudden it died. almost every time I saw it it had a fly or a moth but on friday it was laying on the ground.
 
  • #13
Pretty cool... looks like a Ghost Mantid could be a good candidate for a Lowland Nepenthes tank
 
  • #14
I keep and breed I.Oratorias almost year round. I also keep VFT's =).

About the original question regarding being able to keep mantidds with CP's:
I would personally never house a mantid with any CP. To me my mantids are way too cool and precious to risk losing. Now, you have to know that I am not well informed of all types of CP's. There might be some that may not pose a threat to the mantid (becuase of size, etc.). Like I mentioned though, I refuse to take risks with any of my pets, but that does not mean you cannot do it...

Other afactors that might affect this housing combo:
-The plant may require a terrarium that is too large for the mantid. (Mantids have a hard time finding prey in large terrariums).
-Humidity level requirements for the plant and mantid may vary.
-Moths may decide not to eat certain parts of their meal (mine refuse to eat moth wings, and just let them fall to the substrate); if this happens, mold WILL grow on the insect parts. This will require extra cleaning and pose a threat to the plant.

Hope this helps...
 
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