The whole cage can be made out of mesh as long as the mantis is an adult, as they like to cling to it. However, some younger insects will be able to slip through the mesh, so this isn’t a good choice for a young mantis. For a small praying mantis, you can even use a glass food jar as long as you poke holes in the top for ventilation. [2] X Research source You can also cut a large hole out of the center of a plastic lid. Then, put a piece of toilet paper across the top of the jar before putting the lid on. That gives the container ventilation and provides something for the mantis to hold onto at the top. [3] X Research source However, you don’t want the cage too big, as they’ll have trouble hunting down their food.
You can even just use a paper towel.
You can also add dried leaves or even silk flowers.
Otherwise, lightly mist the cage once a day. If you have hatchlings, put a damp paper towel down on the bottom of the cage.
If you use a warming lamp, check the temperature of your praying mantis’s cage with a thermometer to make sure it’s not too hot.
If you have just hatched mantises, they can be kept together, but get them separate cages as they grow older.
Adult females may need a bit more food than adult males.
To catch fruit flies, poke holes in the top of a plastic container. Put fruit in the container, which will attract the flies. Once you have a couple, place the whole container in the freezer for just a few minutes, which will stun them. Then you can drop them into the praying mantis’ container, where they will come back to life. You can use any small insect of this size you find around your home or garden, including gnats and aphids. [9] X Research source
You can purchase these from reptile stores, but you can also try capturing them yourself.
You can also hold out the food on tweezers, which will encourage the mantis to take it straight away.
When this debris piles up, the praying mantis will stress out and won’t cope well in the artificial environment. When cleaning out the leftovers from its meals, also remove your praying mantis’ fecal matter, which is pellet-shaped.
Be patient! The mantis will typically crawl out on your hand or finger eventually if you hold it in front of it. Usually, they will just sit there on your finger or hand. You can even take it out when you’re not cleaning the cage. Praying mantises have wings once they’re adults, meaning that they can fly. If you want to hold it, close all the windows and doors before removing it from its home. Don’t touch your mantis if it’s molting. You could hurt it!
It’s best not to use any detergent, but if the cage is very dirty, you can add a drop or 2 of dish soap. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly. Once done, dry the cage and put in new substrate.
You can find these online or in reptile stores.
If your mantis has wings, it’s reached the final stage of molting and won’t shed its skin again. If you think your mantis is about to molt, make sure to remove any insects, as they could feed on the mantis skin or knock it off its perch.
If you think your mantis is dying because it’s only half-emerged from the shed skin, you can place it in the freezer to humanely euthanize it.
