Spiny Flower Mantis Care Sheet
Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii · Beginner care · East and southern Africa
Setup
| Daytime | 75–80°F |
|---|---|
| Night | 70–75°F, not below 68 |
| Full range | 70–80°F |
| Humidity | 40–60% |
| Misting | Light wall mist every other day, not daily |
| Adult size | ♀ 5 cm · ♂ 4 cm |
| Stage | Enclosure |
|---|---|
| L1–L2 | 16-oz deli cup, mesh lid, dry coco fiber |
| L3–L6 | 32-oz deli cup or medium enclosure, 10×8.5×15 cm |
| L7–adult | large enclosure, 12×10×20 cm; 30 cm is roomy |
Height at least 2.5× body length (3× if you can), 2× clear drop below the perch, width 1.5×. Move up when the mantis is a third of the height.
Heat: most homes need help reaching the high 70s: 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: dry coco fiber, mostly dry between mistings, never damp for more than 24 hours. Ventilation: mesh top plus a screened side wall; stagnant air traps humidity. Decor: silk flowers (yellow and black suit it), thin twigs, cork bark.
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 | 4–6 | every 2 days |
| L5–L6 | Houseflies, green bottles; blue bottles from L6 | 2–3 | every 2–3 days |
| L7–L8 / adult | Bottle flies, moths, small dubia roaches | 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. A sit-and-wait hunter: if a meal is ignored, offer it from tweezers in front of the mantis.
Handling and molting
Handling is fine from day one; the only time to leave a mantis alone is around a molt. Nervous of hands: approach slowly and treat it as a display animal; it never fully tames. Adult males fly, so handle a male over his enclosure. Constant provoking of the eyespot display shortens lifespan.
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 on a perch
- Slight darkening of the abdomen
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 mo | ♀ 6–8 · ♂ 3–5 mo | 6–12 mo | ♀ L8 · ♂ L7 | 4–6 wk |
Females live about 9–12 months from hatch, males 6–9; most of the gap is the adult stage. Females molt 7 times, males 6. Nymphs ship unsexed; the stage you receive varies with each hatch.
Do not
- House two together. Solo from L2; cannibalism is severe.
- Let a molt dry out. In premolt hold the top of the 40–60% range; small nymphs dry out fastest.
- Stop misting in a humid room. Droplets are how it drinks.
- Sex it by the eyespots; both sexes have them.