Dead Leaf Mantis Care Sheet
Deroplatys gorochovi · Intermediate care · Southern Vietnam
Setup
| Daytime | 77–85°F |
|---|---|
| Night | 72–76°F, never below 72 (tropical) |
| Full range | 72–85°F |
| Humidity | 60–80% |
| Misting | Mist the walls daily |
| Adult size | ♀ 8 cm · ♂ 6 cm |
| Stage | Enclosure |
|---|---|
| L1–L2 | 16-oz deli cup, mesh lid |
| L3–L6 | 32-oz deli cup or medium enclosure, 10×8.5×15 cm |
| L7–adult | 25–30 cm tall minimum (8×8×12 in or bigger); adult females need the height |
Height at least 2.5× body length plus one body length for the wide pronotum (aim for 3.5–4×), 2× clear drop below the perch, walls not close to it.
Heat: if the room runs cold, a low-wattage heat emitter above the mesh or mat on a side wall, on a thermostat; never underneath, no heat lamps on plastic, no UV. Substrate: 2 inches of moistened coco fiber or sphagnum, lightly damp, never waterlogged. Ventilation: mesh top plus a screen side panel; cross-ventilate so misted walls dry within hours. Decor: cork bark, dried oak or magnolia leaves, thin twigs.
Feeding
| Stage | Feeder | How many | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1–L2 | Melanogaster fruit flies | 4–6 | every 1–2 days, keep a few present |
| L3–L4 | Hydei fruit flies, occasionally a small housefly | 4–6 | every 2 days |
| L5–L6 | Houseflies, green bottles, 1/4-in dubia; blue bottles from L6 | 2–3 | every 2–3 days |
| L7+ / adult | Bottle flies, moths, small to medium dubia | 1–2 | every 3–4 days; gravid female 2–3 |
Prey no more than a third of body length; err smaller. No wild-caught insects, no crickets. Takes flying and crawling prey at larger sizes; if a crawling feeder is ignored, try a flying one.
Handling and molting
Handling is fine from day one; the only time to leave a mantis alone is around a molt. A look-but-don’t-touch species. Reaching in triggers freeze, then a wings-open display, then playing dead, a stress response; move away and it resets within a minute or two. Males fly, females do not.
Premolt fast: 2–7 days for nymphs, 1–2+ weeks before the final molt. Humidity at the top of the range; never spray the mantis; remove every feeder.
- Refusing prey 24 h+ and staying still
- Hanging upside-down for a long stretch
- Twisting movements
After any molt, hands off until hardened (moving normally, gripping firmly, color back up): about 24 h for a nymph, 48+ for an adult. No food until then; first meal slightly smaller.
Lifespan
| Nymph stage | Adult stage | Total from hatch | Adult at | Ootheca hatches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–7 mo | ♀ 4–6 · ♂ 2–3 mo | 8–13 mo | ♀ L9 · ♂ L8 | 5–8 wk |
Females live about 10–13 months from hatch, males 8–10. Females molt 8 times, males about 7. A kinked pronotum after a molt means too little clearance. Nymphs ship unsexed; the stage you receive varies with each hatch.
Do not
- House two together, even as young nymphs; cannibalism risk is high for life.
- Skimp on height. The wide pronotum snags in a short enclosure.
- Let humid air sit still; it invites mold.
- Pull at a stuck molt. Raise the humidity around it and leave it.