How to Care for a Praying Mantis

The praying mantis is a captivating insect found across the globe, making it an excellent choice as a pet. Even those who typically avoid insects find the quirky nature of the mantis appealing, especially since they are the only insect capable of turning their head over their shoulder to look at you! Praying mantises come in various colors, such as pink (which resembles a flower, like the orchid mantis – Hymenopus coronatus) and white, though most of them are brown or green. The type of mantis you can adopt depends on where you live and the natural environment they thrive in, as well as whether they are available from pet stores before bringing them home. Keeping a praying mantis is simple, fun, and you can learn a lot about this unique and charming insect just by observing their daily activities.

Finding a Praying Mantis. Praying mantises are found in various parts of the world and were introduced to the U.S. in the early 19th century, where they have since become established in the wild. If you know that mantises live in your area, you might consider catching them in their natural habitat. Typically, a praying mantis measures about 7.5 cm long, with most species being brown or green, and their shape resembling a stick or leaf, which helps them blend into their surroundings.

• Look in tree canopies where other insects like crickets and butterflies reside. These are favorite prey for the mantis.
• Pay close attention. These tiny insects are masters of camouflage. Most mantises have slender green bodies, though some may appear rounder and have shades of gray, or even a hint of pink. Some look like flowers, though the majority of mantis species are found in Africa and Asia. It helps to imagine what a mantis might look like when it disguises itself as parts of plants, which will make it easier to spot them.

Choose a container to house the praying mantis. Find a small box to place the praying mantis in once you've caught it. The box doesn’t need to be too large – around 15 x 15 cm will suffice for most species. It’s best if the box has ventilation, ideally made from mesh or wire mesh so the mantis and its prey have something to grip onto. The box should also have a secure lid. Never use a container that has previously stored chemicals to house the mantis.

Catch the praying mantis. Usually, you won’t need gloves unless you’re afraid of touching the insect. Simply place the box in front of the mantis, and use a stick or your hand to gently guide it into the box, if you’re comfortable doing so. Before long, the mantis will willingly walk into the container. Remember to close the lid tightly, as praying mantises are clever and will seize any opportunity to escape.

Buy a praying mantis. If you can’t find one where you live, visit a pet store and ask if they have any mantises available. This option provides you with more choices regarding the types of mantises, depending on the laws of your country concerning the importation of insects as pets.

• If you purchase a mantis, it will usually be sold as a nymph. Each nymph is kept in a small box.

Prepare a suitable environment for your mantis. Praying mantises require a healthy habitat to thrive. Choose an appropriate enclosure, such as a terrarium. It should be spacious enough for a developing mantis if you bought it as a nymph, and must maintain a temperature of around 24°C, with cooler nights.

• Provide items for climbing, as mantises enjoy perching on things like sticks, branches, and small posts.
• Decorate with foliage, twigs, and other natural elements that allow the mantis to climb. Some people even plant greenery inside the terrarium, as mantises like resting on plants.
• To maintain warmth for the mantis, you can use a heat lamp or heating pad. Check with your supplier to see what options would work best.

Feed the praying mantis properly. The dietary needs of a praying mantis vary depending on its growth stage. Generally, mantises don’t require much food.

• For nymphs purchased from pet stores: Feed them fruit flies, small crickets, mosquito larvae, aphids, and other small insects.
• For mantises that have grown and are molting: Begin offering larger insects and continue feeding normally after each molt, but remove uneaten prey, as mantises may not eat during molting periods.
• For fully grown mantises, feeding can become more demanding: Catch butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers, or even flies. In the wild, mantises eat any insect they can catch and hold. They can even prey on honeybees, wasps, or small birds, though you probably won’t want to deal with such food for them.
• You don’t need to purchase crickets from pet stores, although some say feeding wild-caught crickets might make the mantis sick. This may or may not be true for store-bought mantises, but it’s likely not good for wild-caught ones. However, many pet stores neglect proper cricket care, so diseased crickets can infect the mantis. If uncertain, try feeding your mantis both pet store and wild-caught crickets for a few days while ensuring they have high nutrition to manage bacteria in the mantis’ gut, and they should be fine.
• Don’t feed mantises prey that’s larger than them, or they could end up being eaten instead.
• Mantises won’t eat dead insects.

Mist to provide water for the praying mantis. Get a water spray bottle and mist the mantis’ enclosure (if it’s a mesh box). Alternatively, pour water into a bottle cap and place it in the box for the mantis to drink from. Remember, mantises love to climb, so provide sticks or perches for them to stand on while drinking.

Clean up leftover food from the praying mantis in the enclosure. Praying mantises aren’t particularly tidy eaters; they’ll leave behind bits like legs, wings, or other tough parts they don’t want to eat. You’ll need to clean up these scraps daily. Piles of leftovers can stress the mantis, and it won’t adapt well to the artificial environment.

• When cleaning the leftovers, also remove their feces (the fecal pellets).

If you plan on keeping multiple praying mantises, separate them. Praying mantises are aggressive feeders, including feeding on each other. They are the number one predators in the insect world and will patiently wait for the right moment to strike. Therefore, don’t let them have the opportunity to harm each other. Provide each mantis with its own separate living space.

Be careful when handling a praying mantis. They are fragile, even though they may seem strong. Avoid picking them up, as this could lead to harm: you might accidentally crush them, or they might strike with their forelegs in defense. While it will likely only startle you, your mantis will definitely become stressed and defensive. The best approach is to let them climb onto your hand or fingers when they are calm. Patience is key!

• If you need to clean their enclosure, don’t hesitate to handle them, but wearing gloves is an option if preferred.

Don’t be afraid to gently stroke your mantis. It seems that mantises enjoy having their upper thorax (the area between the forelegs and body) stroked.

• When mantises become adults, they develop wings, meaning they can fly. If you want to handle them, make sure to close all windows and doors before taking them out of the enclosure.
• When the mantis is molting, leave it undisturbed. It will shed its old exoskeleton and grow a new one. You can handle it once the new exoskeleton has fully hardened.

Maintain cleanliness. Be sure to wash your hands after handling the mantis, its enclosure, or any objects inside the enclosure.

Consider breeding the praying mantis if you want to raise more in the future. The praying mantis has a short life cycle: it takes 6 months from when it is a nymph to become an adult, and another 6 months after it reaches maturity. If well cared for, a mantis can live up to one and a half years in a comfortable indoor environment. First, you need to determine the gender of the mantis – females have 6 segments under their abdomen, while males have 8. If mating occurs, the female will lay several egg cases (ootheca), and may even consume the male (though females that do not mate can still lay eggs, but they won’t hatch).

• Prepare for the nymph care if you allow the female mantis to mate. The female’s abdomen will enlarge, and it will lose the ability to fly. Females typically lay eggs in early fall or late spring. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for the eggs to hatch the following spring.
• The egg cases of the mantis have a ridge down the center, which may look quite intimidating, but don’t let that scare you!
• When spring comes, the eggs will hatch, and the mantis nymphs will emerge from tiny holes in the egg case. Be cautious – they may cannibalize each other if not separated, and when it’s time for molting, many mantises will stop eating for one or two days to make it easier to shed their skin.
• Feed according to the guidelines above.
• If you no longer wish to keep certain mantises, you can release them into the garden.

• Do not touch the mantis while it is molting.
• The mantis egg case is very fragile, so handle it with care.
• The mantis is harmless to humans.
• Check the list of mantis species on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mantis_genera_and_species if you want to learn more about different species.
• Contrary to popular belief, mantises are not at risk of extinction, and killing them is not illegal. However, that does not mean you should do so. In the United States, you may not be allowed to release non-native species into the wild; check local regulations where you live.
• Do not handle a mantis unless you are sure it won’t bite or scratch you.
• Each egg case can contain between 75 and 250 mantises.
• Do not cut the wings of a mantis.
• If you’re raising mantis nymphs, make sure to provide them with water daily.
• Do not handle a pregnant mantis.
• Feed the mantis before handling it; this will help calm it down and reduce the likelihood of it attacking you.
• If pesticides are used in the garden, you may not find any mantises.

• Housing two or more mantises in the same enclosure is a very bad idea. Adult mantises rarely live peacefully together and may end up attacking and eating each other.
• Do not use any toxic substances (fungicides, pesticides, insecticides) on the plants inside the mantis enclosure as these chemicals will harm or kill the mantis.
• Do not leave mantises outside overnight; they can freeze to death if you live in a cold climate.
• Avoid using any toxic cleaners to sanitize the enclosure. Instead, use warm water and gentle soap if needed. You can also inquire at a pet store for proper cleaning advice for the mantis habitat.
• If you successfully breed mantises purchased from a pet store, do not release them into the wild unless you are certain they are native species. Releasing non-native species can disrupt the local ecosystem and is generally illegal.

• A container for catching the mantis (if necessary)
• A terrarium or suitable habitat for the mantis
• Sticks, branches, etc., for the mantis to climb on
• Prey such as worms, flies, etc., as mentioned earlier
• A heating pad or another heat source to maintain the proper temperature
• Fluorescent lighting, such as LED lights (optional)
• Real or artificial plants and foliage (optional)
• A water-permeable substrate, such as soil
• Gloves (optional)