There are estimated to be over 2,400 different species of praying mantis in the world.
While only a small proportion of these are regularly encountered in the pet trade, there are a growing number of fanatics (myself included!) who think they make incredible pets.
Whether it’s their hunting abilities, their alien-like body shape and way of moving, or simply the pleasure of observing such a creature close up, if you’re looking for advice on keeping praying mantis as pets then you’ve come to the right place!
Praying mantis for famous for getting eaten while reproducing – but why do mantis eat their mates? The Surprising Benefits of Getting Eaten When viewed through the lense of humans, getting eaten by your mate seems like a pretty barbaric practise. I mean, imagine how you’d feel if your mom ate your dad! For insects, …
Breeding praying mantis is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable parts of keeping these amazing insects – yet it can also be one of the single most stressful experiences of your life! As you will no doubt be aware, female praying mantids have a nasty habit of eating the male either before, during or …
Praying mantis egg cases, also known as oothecae, can regularly be bought from insect breeders. For anyone who wants to keep praying mantids as pets they make an ideal way to start. The reason is that praying mantis don’t tend to live too long so buying an adult means you may only have your pet …
If you’ve ever bred praying mantis then you’ll no doubt have seen their egg cases or oothecae as they’re often referred to. Female praying mantis lay numerous eggs together in one single neat little package, then produce a “shaving-foam” type of substance which they cover the eggs in. After a short while this “foam” dries …
Tenodera sinensis is one of the more widespread species of praying mantis. Originally from Asia (hence the common name of “Chinese Mantis”) they have been introduced to other parts of the world. Most notably this species was believed to have been introduced to the USA by a plantsman in the 1890s. It is now widespread, …
Heating a single vivarium such as for a corn snake or an iguana isn’t difficult and there are lots of effective and reasonably-priced solutions out there from heat mats to ceramic bulbs. But what if you have a large number of small vivariums or exotic pet cages? Examples of these might be people keeping a …
Praying mantis make fascinating and generally easy-to-keep pets but one common question asked is about how safe it is to handle these fascinating insects. The first point to appreciate is that mantids have incomplete metamorphosis which means the younger praying mantis look much like the adults (unlike a butterfly which has complete metamorphosis where the …
Praying mantis are carnivorous insects that need a diet of live animals of a suitable size. Whilst praying mantis have been observed in the past catching and eating small birds, lizards and mammals almost their entire diet is typically made up of life insects so when it comes to praying mantis and how to feed …
