Your mantis just arrived in the mail. The box is sitting on your porch. Now what?

I ship live mantises every week, and the first 30 minutes after delivery are the most important. Here’s exactly what to do — and what not to do. New to ordering live insects? Skim our praying mantis buying guide and are praying mantises legal? before your box ships.

Step 1: Get the box inside immediately

Mantises ship in insulated boxes with heat or cold packs depending on the season. Those packs have a limited window. If your box has been sitting on a hot porch or a cold doorstep for hours, the temperature inside may have drifted outside the safe range.

Don’t leave the box outside. If you’re tracking delivery, bring it in as fast as you can — within minutes in extreme heat or cold, and within 30 minutes otherwise.

Step 2: Start filming before you open anything

This is the most important step for your Live Arrival Guarantee. Before you cut the tape, start a video on your phone and keep it running through the whole unboxing — the sealed box first, then every layer, down to the mantis in its cup, in one continuous take. Without a sealed-box-first video, a genuine dead-on-arrival can’t be told apart from an animal that was handled wrong after it arrived. Film it even if you’re sure everything is fine — you’ll almost always delete it, and the one time you need it, nothing else will do.

Step 3: Open the outer box, slowly — on camera

Cut the tape. Open the flaps. You’ll see insulation (usually styrofoam or insulated liner) and a deli cup or container inside. The mantis is in that cup.

Don’t shake the box. Don’t flip it. Don’t rush. The animal has been in transit for 12-20 hours and may be stressed, cold, or in an awkward position.

Step 4: Open the cup and check the mantis

Open the deli cup near your prepared enclosure and look the mantis over. Most will be hanging from the lid or the mesh inside the cup. A cold mantis can look sluggish or even dead — don’t write it off; warm it gradually at room temperature and give it time.

If it arrives genuinely deceased, stop — you already have the continuous video, so don’t handle or transfer it. File your claim within 24 hours of unboxing at lobomantis.com/claim (more below).

Step 5: Let it settle, then transfer

If it’s alive, let the cup sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes so it adjusts gradually from shipping temperature — longer if it arrived cold, and keep it out of direct sun. Then move it near your prepared enclosure.

Don’t grab the mantis. Tilt the cup so it can walk out on its own, or gently guide it onto your hand or a dowel and into the enclosure. If it doesn’t want to move, give it a few more minutes.

Some mantises come out swinging — threat displays, quick movements, trying to bolt. That’s normal. It’s been in a dark cup for a day. Let it be dramatic. If you’re new to keeping and want a species that’s calm out of the box, our Ghost Mantis and African Twig Mantis tend to be the most relaxed after shipping — see our roundup of the best pet mantis for beginners for more.

Step 6: Mist and wait

Once in the enclosure, mist the walls lightly. Not the mantis — the walls. It’ll drink water droplets on its own time.

Don’t feed it yet. Wait 12-24 hours before offering food. Many mantises refuse food after transit, and that’s completely normal. Pushing prey on a stressed animal just adds more stress.

Step 7: Take a photo

Photograph your mantis with the date visible. This is your arrival record. If anything goes wrong in the first 48 hours and you need to contact us, this photo helps.

When something looks wrong

Mantis isn’t moving. Give it time. Cold mantises are sluggish. If it’s been at room temperature for 30+ minutes and still hasn’t moved, gently mist near it (not on it). If there’s still no response after an hour, contact us.

Missing a leg or antenna. This can happen during shipping. It’s not ideal, but mantises can regenerate limbs during future molts if they’re still in juvenile instars. It won’t affect feeding or quality of life in most cases.

Mantis is on its back. This might be a molt in progress — do not touch it. If it’s been on its back for 30+ minutes and isn’t molting, gently offer a surface to grab onto (finger, paper towel, twig).

DOA (dead on arrival). It happens rarely, but it happens. This is why you filmed from the sealed box (Step 2) — that one continuous take, from sealed box through to the deceased mantis clearly visible in its original shipping cup, is exactly the proof a claim needs. Don’t handle or transfer the animal; file your claim within 24 hours of unboxing at lobomantis.com/claim. We’ll send a replacement — or refund the animal’s price if we can’t restock soon. The guarantee covers dead-on-arrival on Priority Overnight orders only (post-arrival death isn’t covered); see the full Live Arrival Guarantee terms.

Your enclosure should already be set up

Don’t unbox your mantis and then scramble to set up the enclosure. Have it ready before the package arrives: correct size, mesh top, a perch, humidity dialed in, temperature in range. Every mantis from our shop ships with a species-specific care card so you know exactly what to prepare.

Not sure how to set up? Read our complete care guide or check the species-specific guide for whatever you ordered:

Also see our dedicated shipping & arrival guide for the full protocol.