Mantis care help!

[okiroo]

didnt know where to post. just caught what u belive to be a female(gravid) female mantis. no idea what kinda. ima keep her so how do i care for her? shes got repti bark some sticks and a fake leaf. also i put some little crikets and one big one with her. 12x12x18 cage


heres her and the cage. help is needed. thankyou

 

[the cw]

They need warm temperatures(70-80) and, the most important, is a good humidity gradient(60% at least). I've lost many mantids due to them shedding and dying in the process. Keep it warm, relatively humid, and feed them a ton; I've never, ever, heard of a mantis refusing food.

You could probably do with some more foliage. They like to hide(they're ambush predators, not totally unlike chameleons in that respect). Cage looks good, overall. I think it'll be fine how that is. If it is gravid, then it needs a good, strong sturdy branch high up to lay the egg sac.

 

[okiroo]

it made 2 thingies! its native to where i live so i guess just leave them alone and they will hatch? i belive its duranal. shes a sweet girl!

 

[the cw]

Yep, they should hatch if you leave them alone. You might consider taking them outside, however. Your yard will be teeming with them when it hatches! Good cham food, from what I understand.

All Mantids are diurnal. Gotta be honest, I'm jealous.

 

[okiroo]

take them outside? wont it take a few months? i dont want it to snow and them die. or will it take longer for them in my house? i already got someone who wants one as a pet if they hatch lol. im keeping the mommie and if babies hatch ima put some outside and keep a few for giveing away as pets. could never feed them off

 

[the cw]

The egg sac can take the snow for sure. It needs the cooler temperature to trigger it. If you don't want to put it outside, I think(not positive) you could put it in your freezer/fridge for a bit and trigger the sac to erupt. Please, however, look into that on your own as I'm not totally sure.

 

[mbondy]

I know the sacs aren't exactly easy to hatch, during middle school I had a teacher that had a female mantid that laid but her eggs never hatched. Watch the temperature and humidity. Also your female mantid will most likely die soon since she just laid, it always saddens me when they just lay a sac and die. Try to get that sac to hatch!!