Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very interested in raising mantids, and have been for quite a while. I am familiar with the keeping of crickets, roaches, etc.., because of my herp collection. My questions: What type of mantid should I begin with?
Where can I get the oothecea(spelling) of this mantid?
I have a 55 gal. tank I am planning on using(I am going to plant it well) , should I let the nymphs hatch in it and let them just live there?
Should I seperate them after they hatch?
How many can I house together in a well planted 55 gal. tank?
What humidity does this species need?
How should I maintain this humidity(misting?)?
A crickets an OK primary diet?
Any other tips?
Thanks
---Eric

Hi,
This is a general reply, it's a bit tricky to narrow down particular species for you because different places have different availability. However once you find an ootheca (they can generally be found all year round on the internet in most cases) of thr species you like you can hatch it in that tank. However try not to make things too tricky for yourself. If you plant it up really well, you may not be able to find the nymphs properly to seperate them, keep count, keep watch etc, so work out a system that makes it eay to remove plants etc. For feeding in a large tank, I always just make/buy a fruit fly culture, cut a small hole in the top (just big enough for the fly to crawl out into the tank). Replace the culture as necessary, but generally this should act like an all round feeding regime for the nymphs. As long as food is plentiful, cannibalism will remain at a minimum for the first few stages, or 'instars' of their life, but after that it is always wise to seperate.
Good luck
Dave

Oh, and excuse the spelling

OK, thanks. So I can leave them all together until they get a bit bigger? After this should I house them all individually/ What should I house them in? I will be sure to get fruit flys, but should I give them various other things like pinhead crickets, small B. dubia nymphs, etc...? Is it possible to not hatch all of the eggs in the ootheca(I dont know what I would do with 300)? Where do you suggest purchasing from?
Thanks
---Eric

Also, what is a good beginner species? Where can I get oothecae from this species?
Thanks
----Eric

Hi Eric,
If you live in parts of the us (if u live in the usa at all) where they sell ootheca in flower stores/garden stores, then that could be your best bet for finding one of the better beginner species. Many places sell them as a biological control for garden pests, failing that there are many websites that sell them. You dont always get 300 nymphs. You could only get 20, or you could get 400.. Who knows It depends on species, but more so, it just depends... on nothing, it varies
You can leave them together until you think you have enough to cope with. Natural cannibilism will occur against weaker/slower individuals but you WILL need to keep them seperately to avoid this once the numbers go down. I personally use large, take-away 'tea/coffee' cups, covered in a fine material like 'muslin' to prevent escapees (nymphs and food), they are cheap, easy to manage and stackable when you've got loads of nymphs to house. Oh and yes, you can use pinheads etc, just remember that you are what you eat, so give a good varied diet and all will be very healthy.
Best wishes
Dave