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I want a praying mantis

I am going to get a Praying Mantis (the kind you find wild in the Eastern U.S.) for my tropical vivarium, but I don't know how to take care of it.
Does anybody know how to take care of a Praying Mantis, what plants I should put in with it or not, what stuff I would need for it? Any information at all would be helpful.

Thanks
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monkeyman,

Have you tried a search on google.com or other search engine? I tried keeping several as pets this summer, but couldn't find bugs that they'd eat and had to let them go after a week or so.
 
Praying Mantis are fascinating insects. I hand feed them a couple times during the fall. It's a thrilling experience.
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I raised 'em as a kid. They're easy. They need a small dish of water, or daily misting (they'll drink the mist-drops). Also, LOTS of food. Those things eat ALOT (well, for their size anyway. Let's see him eat a pound of turkey!
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Anyway, if you live where it's warm, you'll have to catch bugs everyday....5 or 6 bugs roughly 1/4 the Matis' size. If you live where it's cold, I hope you don't mind having a tank full of chirping crickets....
Matis' are really cool, too. They will actually drink out of a spoon! Good luck!
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hi monkeyman
just put in praying mantis on the web it will take to a lot of sites
on the ohio state university site you can buy eggs
i think some where there you will find the info. you need
stagmomantis carolina (praying mantis) are the coolest
this past spring where i live i seen 100+babeys+ a lot of adults
thay are my faves very very cool
btw. a mantis life cycle is only one season 4to 6 months
may be a little more in captivity
 
I kept a couple of females several years ago, which I even successfully had mated and produced egg cases. Here are a few more tips.

Use gravel, sand, or a bare-bottomed tank instead of using soil. One of my matises developped a moldy infection on her abdomen, which I think may have been caused by constant contact with th earth I was using. She died within 3 days, despite all attempts to cure her.

In keeping with the above, provide a branch for her to crawl on. They favor clinging to branches or foliage instead of being ground-bound.

I preferred misting over leaving any receptacle with water in the tank. Again this could cause a bacterial or fungal problem. I also would also worry about them falling in or something. If you have a screen on top of the tank, just mist through the screen when you are passing. Water is vital not only for keeping them hydrated, but also to help keep their "skin" supple enough for their molts. A common problem with matises who have not had enough water is that their skin becomes too tough, and they get stuck or trapped when they molt. This is deadly.

Finally, it's my personal opinion that females make better pets than males. Once they have matured to the point where they develop wings, the females can generally not fly since they are too heavy. I'm not sure if it's because of this (being stuck at your mercy, so to put it) but the females become unafraid of people fairly quickly. The 2 males I kept for breeding were skittish the whole time I had them, and would try to fly away at any opportunity.

For insects, they *seem* very personable. They watch you, get used to your habits, and will even come to you at feeding time.

If it's the Eastern kind you're after, (actually called the European mantis. It's introduced) I doubt very much you'll find any right now. They are an annual species, and will invariably die in the wild by early December latest. Usually you won't see them outside before June-July.

Take care!

Chris
 
Praying mantids are the best insect pets in my opnion. They moderate sized and fairly easy to care for. For the eastern species you are planning to have, all you need for a single mantid is a 5 gallon tall tank (or larger).Drosera basicallly covered the basics or should i say "everything" you need for a sucessful mantid.
 
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