Frequently
asked

Live orders default to Priority Overnight and usually arrive the next business day after they ship. We pack the day of pickup, never the night before. Every order ships Monday or Tuesday with an 8 AM PT cutoff: an order placed after the cutoff rolls to the next ship day (after Monday's cutoff, that's Tuesday). Feeders and supplies ship Ground, usually 3–5 business days.

We ship every Monday and Tuesday. We don't ship later in the week or on weekends, because an animal should never sit in a carrier warehouse over a weekend. Order any day; the next available ship date will be in your confirmation.

We pre-check every destination ZIP's forecast for the day your box arrives (for Ground, every day it's on the way). Extreme temperatures don't hold your order; they change how it's routed. Above 85°F, a free ice pack goes in the insulated box. At 90°F or higher, your Priority Overnight box goes to a staffed FedEx counter near you (hold at location) for same-day collection instead of your porch. At 40°F or lower, we recommend that same counter pickup, the first option at checkout; if you choose door delivery instead, it gets a free heat pack. We only hold an order for severe weather or a carrier alert, and we email you if that happens.

Hawaii, no: nothing ships there, supplies included. Hawaii's Department of Agriculture treats any animal not on its approved lists as prohibited, and no mantis is listed. Alaska, supplies only: state rule 11 AAC 34.145 requires a written import permit before any live insect is shipped in, and the transit time and cold make a safe live arrival something we can't promise. The same no-shipping rule covers Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands. International orders are not supported.

Fruit fly cultures and supplies, yes. Mantises, isopods and springtails, no: Florida's Department of Agriculture classes non-native mantises as restricted (institutions only) and non-native isopods and springtails as prohibited (Rule 5B-57.004 and the FDACS import guidelines), so checkout won't offer shipping for those items to a Florida address. D. hydei and D. melanogaster are on Florida's deregulated feeder list and ship normally.

Record a continuous unboxing video, from the sealed box through to the deceased animal in its original cup, and file your claim within 24 hours of unboxing at lobomantis.com/claim, where you upload the video. We'll send a replacement, or refund the animal's price if we can't restock soon. The guarantee covers dead-on-arrival mantises and isopods on Priority Overnight orders only (post-arrival death isn't covered). Late, lost or misdelivered boxes are outside the guarantee, but message us and we'll look at it case by case. Read the full Live Arrival Guarantee terms before ordering.

Start with the African Twig Mantis or Ghost Mantis. Both are forgiving of beginner mistakes, more tolerant of dry air than most species, and live close to a year. Read the Getting Started guide before you order.

Not really. Orchids are picky about prey (flying insects only), need stricter humidity control, and have extreme sexual dimorphism that confuses first-timers. Beautiful — but a better second or third species.

For most species, no — they'll eat each other. The exception is the Ghost Mantis, which can be group-housed past L3 with dense prey availability.

Most species live 6 to 12 months from hatch to death, and a well-kept female Ghost or Double Shield can reach 18; see our praying mantis lifespan by species guide for female vs male and adult-stage figures.

Live insects only — fruit flies for nymphs, then houseflies / bottle flies as they grow. Some species also take dubia roaches at adult sizes. We don't feed crickets at any stage — they're the most disease-prone feeder in the hobby. See the feeding guide for the full prey-by-instar breakdown.

Most likely premolt — they stop eating for several days before a molt (2–7 days for nymphs, and up to a week or more for adults). Other possibilities: the room is too cold, the prey is the wrong size, or it's a species that only takes flying prey and you offered a stationary feeder. See the molting guide.

No, guest checkout works. If you want to track orders and view past purchases, you can sign in with just your email — we send a one-time link, so there is no password to create or remember. It is entirely optional.

All major credit and debit cards through Stripe's secure checkout, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay where your device supports them. We don't accept PayPal, crypto, or wire transfers.

Live animals can't be returned for any reason other than the Live Arrival Guarantee. We don't accept buyer's-remorse returns — please read species care guides carefully and use the ZIP-based shipping check before ordering. Read the full refund policy.