Praying mantis care guides.
Everything we tell new keepers in Discord, written down once, accessible forever. A field guide, protocols, species-specific tips, and real keepers' worth of edge cases.
Before your mantis arrives.
Tick these off the day before the box lands. Skip handling, prep the enclosure, line up feeders.
Don't panic. Don't handle. Don't overfeed.
Don't shake the cup. Let the animal acclimate in low light for 30 minutes before transferring to its enclosure.
Mist the enclosure walls and a leaf or paper towel. Don't mist the animal directly — it'll drink from droplets on its own time.
Don't rush it. Offer appropriately sized prey in 12–24 hours. Can refuse food after transit for 1–2 days; totally normal.
Refusing food, hanging upside down, swollen abdomen, less movement — all normal molt signs. Stop offering food.
Resist handling for 5–7 days. Post-L3–L4 nymphs that feel stable and have been fed may be gently handled briefly.
- —Take clear photos with date + enclosure as the background.
- —Bookmark the species care guide.
- —Mist enclosure walls, not the animal.
- —Offer prey sized to ⅓ body length max.
- —Handle immediately or every day.
- —Panic if it skips food for 24–72 hours.
- —Leave large prey loose in the enclosure overnight.
- —Mist directly onto a molting mantis.
Tall, ventilated, simple.
- · Vertical container at least 3× body length — avoid big enclosures for nymphs.
- · Mesh top — at least one cross surface for ventilation.
- · A dowelrod or fake plant — one or two perches.
- · No soil, no gravel, no bark. Paper towel substrate is the standard.
- · Clean: I usually wipe it down (no full sanitize) every 3–4 weeks, using a bit of vinegar.
Warm days, cool nights.
- · Day 75–85°F. Most species thrive around mid-high 70s with sun.
- · Night 65–70°F. A 6+ degree drop mimics natural rhythms.
- · Red/UV light pads along morning/evening hours when needed.
- · Direct sun is risky — magnification through plastic builds heat. Indirect light to the max.
- · Under heat lamps, catch thermometer reads every 2–3 days to verify.
Live prey, sized right.
- · Prey should be about ⅓ of the mantis's body length — anywhere from ⅛ to ½ works. Simple as that.
- · L1–L3 — fruitflies/melanogaster. L3 & larger species — hydei/house.
- · L5+ as adult mantids, use roaches, blue bottle, moths, and mealworms.
- · Gut-loaded prey is a bonus. Oat, carrot, or bee pollen.
- · If it hasn't molted — likely premolt. Hold off on food. Wait for a clean molt, then try 24–48hrs later.
Less than you want to.
- · Cool that you care but think of it in terms of: "as low as I can".
- · Make sure mist the walls of the container, and surface perches or leaves.
- · Never mist an animal that is in premolt. The extra wet can disrupt molt.
- · Rapidly misting fast and heavy can flood the container and drown your mantis.
- · If a foam deli cup leaks use sticky wrap from the out of the container to prevent dripping via condensation.
Molting comes first.
- · Pre-molt signs: hanging upside down, refusing food, swollen abdomen.
- · Never disturb during pre-molt. No misting on the animal, no moving the enclosure.
- · Humidity matters most here — soft exoskeleton needs moisture to pull free.
- · Stuck molt? Wait. Add humidity to walls. Don't touch.
- · After molt: don't offer food for 24–48hrs. Body is hardening.
Species matter.
- · Orchid: tropical, warmer, higher humidity. Advanced.
- · Ghost: forgiving, room temp, beginner.
- · Spiny Flower: active hunter, eyespot display. Beginner.
- · Dead Leaf: humid, leaf-mimic display. Intermediate.
- · African Twig: dry, easy, fruit-fly feeder. Beginner.
- · See species cards below for exact ranges per species.
Orchid Mantis
The world's most photogenic mantis. Pink-and-white petal-mimicking limbs, native to Southeast Asian rainforests. Sought after globally for stunning visual displays.
Ghost Mantis
The best "first exotic mantis." Leaf-mimicking camouflage, low cannibalism, and tolerant of typical room conditions. Long-lived for a mantis.
Spiny Flower Mantis
Walking artwork. Two yellow-and-black eyespots on the wings flash open in a deimatic display that startles predators. Beginner-friendly with a showstopping threat pose.
Dead Leaf Mantis
A walking torn leaf. Wide shield-shaped pronotum, deimatic death-feign defense, and stunning patterning. The species that proves nature is the best costume designer.
African Twig Mantis
If you've never kept a mantis, start here. Bark-textured camouflage, will chase its food, tolerates dry indoor air, and lives a full year. The forgiving exotic.
Double Shield Mantis
The aggressive eater. Stocky, mottled, with a uniquely constricted "double shield" pronotum and bright blue inner-arm markings. For keepers who want a mantis with attitude.
Feed by size, not by hunger.
| STAGE | SIZE | FEEDER | FREQ | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | < 3mm (pinhead) | Melanogaster fruit flies | Daily | Too small to eat hydei. Dust with calcium. |
| L2 | 3–6mm | Hydei fruit flies | Every 2 days | Slightly larger. Can start to handle variety. |
| L3 | 6–10mm | D. hydei + small crickets | Every 2–3 days | Match prey to 1/3 body length. |
| L4-L5 | 10–20mm | House flies, small roaches | Every 2–3 days | Blue bottle flies are great at this size. |
| L6+ | 20mm+ | Blue bottles, roaches, moths | Every 3–4 days | Gut-loaded prey preferred. Watch for overfeeding. |
| ADULT | 30mm+ | Large roaches, moths, waxworms | Every 4–5 days | Reduce frequency. Obesity shortens lifespan. |
| GRAVID ♀ | Variable | As above, higher volume | Every 2–3 days | Increased feeding supports ooth production. |
The part beginners panic about.
Every captive mantis molts 6–9 times in its life. Most go fine. A small number go wrong. Knowing the signs is the difference between a calm week and a panic.
- —Hanging upside down for hours.
- —Refusing food (often 1–4 days).
- —Swollen abdomen.
- —Reduced movement, stillness.
- —Slight discoloration of the exoskeleton.
- —Handle during pre-molt or active molt.
- —Mist directly onto the animal.
- —Move the enclosure or jostle it.
- —Offer food for 24–48hrs post-molt.
- —Touch a stuck molt — wait, add wall humidity.
Ten things that worry new keepers.
Likely pre-molt or post-transit stress. Wait 48hrs. Check humidity, prey size, room temp. If 5+ days, ask Discord.
READ FULL GUIDE →Don't touch. Mist the walls heavily. Add 10–20% humidity. Wait 1–2 hours before any gentle intervention with a damp cotton swab.
READ FULL GUIDE →Provide a vertical surface (paper towel, mesh) to grip. Heavy mist. Limbs may bend permanently if hardened mid-fall.
READ FULL GUIDE →Condensation on walls + lethargy = ventilate. Open mesh wider, reduce misting, wipe walls dry.
Substrate stayed wet too long. Replace paper towel, dry the container, increase airflow. Watch for mantis breathing changes.
Mites, mold, or starved out. Start a new culture from stock today. Keep two cultures rolling at all times.
Could be pre-molt, hot, or sick. Check temp first. Then check for swollen abdomen. Hanging high is normal, low is unusual.
Cold, dehydrated, or post-molt. Warm the room slightly, mist the walls, offer water droplets. Often resolves in 24hrs.
Bloated abdomen + reduced activity = too much food. Skip 2–4 days. Reduce frequency. Obesity shortens lifespan in adult ♀.
Record an unboxing video within 1 hour of delivery, then file your claim at lobomantis.com/claim. Replacement or refund — no haggling. Overnight orders only.
READ FULL GUIDE →Required first. Optional later.
- ✓ Ventilated enclosure3× body length tall, mesh top
- ✓ Feeder cultureFruit fly to start, scale up by instar
- ✓ Misting bottleFine mist spray, no aerosol
- ✓ Climbing surfaceTwig, mesh, or fake plant
- ✓ Species care infoBookmark this page
- ·Decor (silk plants, cork bark)
- ·Thermometer / hygrometer
- ·Heat mat + thermostat (cool rooms)
- ·Backup feeder culture
- ·Full care kit bundle
Where are you in the journey?
I'm buying my first mantis
My mantis is not eating
I want species-specific care
Post the photo.
Someone's seen
it before.
The Discord exists for exactly this. Whatever the issue is — molting, not eating, looking weird — take a clear photo, tag the channel, and someone with more experience will respond.
- —Species
- —Instar / age if known
- —Temperature (day + night)
- —Humidity / misting routine
- —Last fed
- —Last molt
- —Clear photo of enclosure and mantis