Keeping Praying Mantises: Basics for Beginners

Keeping praying mantises is all about choosing the right species and a well-prepared terrarium. These animals need live prey, safe places to perch, and a climate suited to their species. With these basics in mind, you can determine before making a purchase whether caring for them fits into your daily routine.

Which praying mantis suits you best?

Don’t base your decision solely on color or size. First, check the temperature in your room, the available space, and the availability of suitable food sources. Some species do well in a typical living space, while others require much more specialized conditions.

A ghost mantis is a good option to start with, provided you can meet its specific needs. The product card below shows current availability. Be sure to read the care guide before making your decision.

Keeping Praying Mantises: Terrarium and Climate

Accommodations	For home care, we recommend keeping the animal as a single pet
Size	At least about three times the body length in height; allow for the space needed for molting
Ventilation	Safe air exchange without live feed escaping
Temperature	By species and life stage—there is no single figure for all mantises
Humidity	Species-specific, with air drying instead of constantly humid air

Set up the terrarium completely before your pet moves in, and check the temperature where it will be placed. A heater is only necessary if your room doesn’t reach the required temperatures. Direct sunlight can also cause an unheated terrarium to heat up dangerously.

Twigs and suitable gauze provide support. There must be enough space under the animal’s favorite spots so that it can slither down out of its old skin. A few well-placed branches are more helpful than a densely packed decoration.

Feeding Praying Mantises: Finding Suitable Prey

Mantis eat live prey. Small juveniles need correspondingly small prey; later, depending on the species, larger flies may be suitable. Observe whether your mantis can grasp and subdue its prey confidently. A fixed amount of food based on the larval stage does not work for all mantises.

Choose live prey based on the actual size of your mantis. Young nymphs should be fed small fruit flies; as they grow, larger fruit flies and, later on, golden flies or blowflies are suitable. Larval stages are only a guideline, not a fixed portion size.

For larger animals, goldflies and blowflies are useful food sources. Start by adding just a few and observe how they are caught. Remove any uneaten insects, especially before a molt. A well-filled abdomen is not a reason to continue feeding immediately.

If a mantis refuses food for an extended period, first check whether it is about to molt and whether the environmental conditions and prey size are appropriate. Remove any excess or disruptive prey. Dietary supplements for reptiles are not generally applicable to mantises.

Molting and Daily Checks

Keep an eye on your pet’s posture, abdominal circumference, and activity level. Mantis often stop eating before molting. During this time, they need rest, open space, and secure surfaces to cling to. Do not touch or move them while they are molting.

Also check for leftover food, water droplets, and to make sure the ventilation is working properly. Spray as appropriate for the species and let the surfaces dry again. A quick daily check is more helpful than constantly tampering with the setup.

Keeping praying mantises and breeding them later?

Make sure you have enough rearing spaces and plenty of tiny food animals before you attempt mating. With mantises, cannibalism can occur, even during mating. Some species can also reproduce without a male. Therefore, be sure to research the specific species you’ve chosen.

Discover More Mantises

Here you’ll find a selection from our store. Before purchasing, make sure the specific species’ needs are compatible with your terrarium.

Still unsure? Feel free to ask us your question in the comments section below the article.