Breeding praying mantises is another step forward from just keeping! This can be very interesting and educational, but also much more difficult than just keeping one or more individuals as pets. For breeding, you need one or more opposite-sex pairs that have reached the imaginal stage at about the same time. Then you need to make sure that the female does not eat the male before mating occurs. Once the fertilized eggs are laid in the ootheca, you need to take care of them to make sure healthy nymphs hatch.
The complexity of breeding and raising nymphs varies greatly from species to species. Some species breed relatively easily, while others can only be propagated by very experienced terrarium keepers. In the species description section, you can read about the difficulties and features of specific species.
Getting a pair (male and female)
To get offspring, you need a male and a female. Female stick insects, aphids and some other insects are able to produce viable eggs without the participation of a male (parthenogenesis), but almost all praying mantises require fertilization to develop eggs. How to determine gender, you can read.
To ensure mating, the male and female must molt into adults at about the same time. The old male is often unable to properly mate with the female. For most species, getting a mate within a few weeks of age provides them with the opportunity to mate, but for others it doesn't work. In some species, such as Hymenopus coronatus, a big difference in the development of males and females. Males and females from the same ootheca mature in different dates, sometimes the difference is months. The male will already die of old age before the female is mature.
How to pair
For most species, you can follow the following "recipe" to ensure cannibal mating.
- The male and female must have reached the adult stage at least 2 weeks ago.
- Both partners, especially the female, must be very well fed.
- Place partners in a very large terrarium, the largest you can find.
- Make sure the female doesn't run into the male, but he sees her.
- Feed the female a large food item, such as a cockroach.
- Don't disturb them.
- Watch if the female behaves aggressively, how she turns, moving towards the male, if she attacks him. See if the male is trying to run away or fly away. If one of these things happens, remove the male and try again the next day.
- Once a male has mounted a female, it can take many hours before he starts mating. Just leave them, don't disturb or feed them.
- When the male gets off the female, remove him from the terrarium.
For species that are not (very) cannibalistic, such as Phyllocrania paradoxa, you don't have to do anything other than put the partners in the same terrarium.
You cannot know for sure if a female has been fertilized. She will lay ootheca even if she has not mated. When the female's body has processed the male's spermatophore, you may find a small white spermatophore released from her body a few hours or a day after mating. If you see this, the pairing was probably successful, but even then you can't be 100% sure.
Once a female has mated, she will remain fertilized for her entire life! It is prudent to mate her again with a male if she has produced a lot of edema (say 4-5 pieces).
Preservation of a live male
When mating, the male may be eaten by the female. This can happen before, during or after the process. You will have to deal with this, especially if you keep species that are prone to cannibalism, but there are ways to reduce the likelihood of male death.
- Give the female REALLY a lot of food before introducing the male.
- Make the female eat the prey when the male appears.
- Place the pair in a large container or even in a room so the male can escape. Usually they see the intentions of the female.
- Make sure both partners are calm and unstressed by your manipulation of them.
- Place the male in the evening, not in the morning or afternoon.
If you breed praying mantises this way, even the most cannibalistic species will kill no more than 10% of your males. And even when the male is killed during mating, the female can still be fertilized.
Demo video on how to prevent a male from being eaten by an aggressive female:
The praying mantis is a charming insect that is widespread in the world. He is an excellent choice as a pet. Even people who don't like bugs can be persuaded to enjoy the antics of the praying mantis. For example, did you know that it turns its head to look over its shoulder (it's actually the only insect that can do that!)? Praying mantises come in many colors, such as pink as a flower (orchid mantis - Hymenopus Coronatus) and white, although most are brown or green. The type of praying mantis you can keep depends on where you live and whether you got a praying mantis from the street or purchased it from an exotic pet store. Raising a praying mantis is quite simple and a lot of fun. You will probably learn much more about this unique and interesting insect just watching his daily antics.
Steps
Part 1
Find the praying mantis- Look in places where there are many green bushes, crickets and butterflies. These are some of the favorite dishes of praying mantises.
- Watch carefully. These little insects are masters of disguise. Most of them are long and green. Some of them may be thick and gray or even have a pinkish tint. Some look like flowers, but these species are most commonly found in Africa and Asia. Try to imagine how the mantis is pretending to be part of a plant, and that way it will be a little easier to find.
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Purchase a mantis container. Buy a small container, plant a praying mantis in it as soon as you find it. The container doesn't have to be very large - a 15 x 15 cm square container should fit most praying mantises. The container should be well ventilated and preferably made of mesh or wire mesh so that both the praying mantis and its prey have something to cling to. It must also be protected from above. Never use a container that has had chemicals in it.
Catch a praying mantis. You probably won't need gloves if you don't mind touching insects. Simply place the open container in front of the praying mantis. Move the insect into the container with a twig or your hand if you are comfortable with this. Soon the praying mantis should willingly enter the container. Cover the top of it, as praying mantises are smart and will use every opportunity to escape.
Buy a praying mantis. If you can't find a praying mantis, or if they just don't live in your area, visit your local pet store and ask if they can get a specific praying mantis for you. It can give you more wide opportunities in choosing a species - it all depends on the legislation of your country regarding the importation of insects and their keeping as pets.
Part 2
Prepare a dwelling for the praying mantisPart 3
Feed your praying mantis properly-
Feed your praying mantis properly. The nutritional requirements of the praying mantis vary depending on their growth stage, although, in general, they don't need much food.
Spray water around the praying mantis to provide it with water. Take a spray bottle and spray the grills of the mantis cage. If the cage is not wire, then simply pour water into the cap of the bottle - let the praying mantis drink from it. Remember, praying mantises love to hang from things, so stick a stick or something like that next to the water bowl.
Remove leftover food from the praying mantis dwelling. Praying mantises are not the tidiest eaters, feeding them will leave debris including legs, wings, tough parts that insects don't like, etc., all of which need to be cleaned daily. If debris builds up, it can stress your pet and make them unable to survive in the built environment.
- When cleaning out leftover food, also remove the mantis feces (in the form of pellets).
Part 4
Keep your praying mantis properlyPart 5
Treat your praying mantis properly-
Handle insects with care. The praying mantis is a fragile insect, no matter how strong it seems. Be careful when picking it up as there is some risk of crushing the insect with an overly enthusiastic squeeze. In addition, the praying mantis can defend itself by sticking its paws into the host. This will probably surprise you more than hurt you, but this is certainly a stressful situation for the insect in which it can become defensive. The solution is to stretch out your palm, finger, or upper arm and let the insect rise at its own pace. Be patient!
- When cleaning the mantis cage, don't be afraid to pick it up. If you want, do it with gloves.
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Don't be afraid to play with the praying mantis and stroke it. Some praying mantises, by the way, love it when the owners stroke their abdomen (thorax, to be more precise, the place where the limbs are attached to the body).
Part 6
Know how to breed praying mantises- Some online stores sell a bag of eggs that can be placed in the garden to hatch the larvae. This allows you to increase the local population of praying mantises, reduce the number of insects and makes it possible to observe them in their natural environment.
- Praying mantises have a very fragile egg shell, so be very careful.
- In no case do not touch the praying mantis when he is shedding!
- Praying mantises are harmless to humans, although they are terrible enemies for other insects.
- Use a fluorescent light above the vivarium if you want to see your praying mantis at night. This will also provide light to live plants you may be growing and they will appreciate it.
- With proper care, praying mantises can live up to a year and a half.
- Always handle any insects carefully and wash your hands after handling their cages and accessories.
- Do not pick up an animal unless you are sure that it will not bite or scratch you.
- It may be preferable to simply observe praying mantises in the wild rather than keep them in captivity. They are so nice to look at. They will look at you too. The visit of the praying mantis is good luck. Killing a praying mantis can bring you bad luck.
- Contrary to popular belief, mantises are not endangered. If you kill one, you won't get in trouble with the law. But that doesn't mean it should be done!
- It is better to buy a praying mantis in a pet store. Caught wild praying mantis can endure severe stress, which is fraught with the death of the insect.
- Buy a container that is ventilated from above and below.
- Always treat any animals with care!
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Find a praying mantis. The praying mantis is found in many parts of the world, some species were brought to Russia and the CIS countries and have since begun to adapt to new conditions. If you know they exist in your area, try looking for a wild praying mantis. Praying mantises are typically about 7–8 cm long, mostly brown or green in color, and look just like sticks and leaves, making them blend in well with their surroundings.
The home praying mantis is a very unusual pet to keep at home. This insect is graceful, quick-witted and very interesting to watch. In addition, it is a dangerous predator for insects living in your home, such as cockroaches and crickets, because praying mantises belong to the class of carnivorous insects.
Most praying mantises live on tropical continents, but sometimes you can meet some representatives in the northern parts of the earth. Grasshoppers and stick insects are related to them. All these species of insects, including praying mantises, are subject to several stages of metamorphosis, which turn them into an adult. The home praying mantis is a rare pet even in the homes of extravagant breeders, but today we will talk about him. So, let's highlight a few main points that should be considered when keeping a praying mantis at home.
A little about the insect
An adult praying mantis can be quite large - his length may be ten and more centimeters.
The color of this insect can be yellow, green, light brown or other, V dependencies from environment a habitat. Having ability To mimicry from nature, mantis Maybe merge with branches, plants And stones having a similar color, and therefore it will be very difficult to notice it.
It has a triangular, highly movable head, with which it can rotate 180 degrees. The front paws with sharp spikes are well developed, with which he captures his prey and holds it while eating. The praying mantis also has wings, but it flies very poorly, so most often it sits motionless in one place, waiting for prey.
The lifespan of a domestic praying mantis is about two months, but some species, according to some sources, can live up to a year.
Temperature regime
Since insects are tropical inhabitants, it is necessary to keep the praying mantis at home in temperature regime from 20 to 25 ° C, while also observing the required humidity regime. Maintaining humidity in the praying mantis cage is not difficult, just spray water over the cage once a day, this will be enough.
How does a homemade praying mantis eat
How to feed a praying mantis at home? Such pets prefer aphids, flies, as well as other insects that are suitable in size. Young individuals grow very quickly, provided that the owner feeds them well.
Many representatives of mantises can be aggressive towards their relatives, so cannibalism is quite possible, especially if there is a significant difference in size between individuals. Domestic praying mantises may also consume insects of the same size, or perhaps even larger than themselves.
Praying mantises in most cases do not drink water, however, you should place a container of water in the place where they are kept. It will also serve as a source of moisture to maintain the desired microclimate. In the absence of a container, a necessary condition will be to spray water to ensure humidity.
Living conditions
In the stages of its development, the praying mantis tends to shed its skin, thus increasing in size. For individuals that have just been born, a small container will be an excellent housing, but for teenagers, you can use a jar or something similar in size. The temporary dwelling of young praying mantises should be covered with a film, after making a hole in it for feeding. Necessary condition is the presence of branches in the container, which should be exactly three times larger than the young.
Reproduction features
The young praying mantis, when kept at home, has almost no gender difference, however, adults can be easily recognized due to the fact that males have eight lobes on the abdomen, but females have only six. Before the insects begin to mate, they must be fed a large amount of food, while separating from each other. In order for the male not to become food for the female, a container is needed large sizes where the breeding process will take place. The whole action may take several minutes or days, but the presence of food is required. After mating is over, the male is separated from the female.
The female can produce eggs in quantities from 30 to 300 pieces. The larvae will be born in the interval from 3 to 6 months, while hatching, they may not all at once.
The main nuance for keeping praying mantises at home is the presence of a large container for their habitat, in which live food must be present without fail, as well as the ability to hide its inhabitants. By observing these requirements, cannibalism will be excluded, however, after the insects shed several times, they must be seated.
If you want to get yourself an unusual insect, then a homemade praying mantis is ideal. This insect is undemanding in content and does not take up much space. Such a pet can be caught in the wild or purchased at a pet store.
And if you have not yet chosen a pet to match yourself, pay attention to the terrible - the hero of Hollywood horror films or his eternal enemy -.
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The size of which depends on the size of the praying mantis, but all terrariums should be well ventilated, with transparent walls (2-3 walls should be completely transparent), mesh should be glued on the walls and lid. At the bottom of the terrarium, it is advisable to fill the soil 2–3 cm ( coconut flakes) to retain moisture in the terrarium, this is especially important for larvae that will molt. If the soil is not placed in a terrarium, then it should be slightly moistened with water from a spray bottle once every two days. It is important that during the day all the water evaporates from the walls of the terrarium. Well, if the terrarium has twigs that connect the bottom to the lid, it will be more comfortable for the praying mantis to go down and up the twigs. Praying mantis feels comfortable with room temperature 22–26°С and humidity 40–60%. Praying mantises do not need additional lighting, but if you install an incandescent lamp or another lamp, this will not harm the praying mantis, the main thing is that he has the opportunity to crawl away from the lamp to a certain distance, where the lamp does not heat up so much. Do not leave the praying mantis terrarium on a straight line. sunshine, this can lead to overheating and dehydration of the praying mantis. In no case do not use an electric mosquito fumigator in the room where you have a praying mantis!
Feeding
It is necessary to feed the praying mantis to a state of satiety. A hungry praying mantis has a flat, leaf-shaped abdomen (photo 1). When the praying mantis is full, its abdomen is swollen and resembles a swollen bud of a tree (photo 2). When feeding the praying mantis, try not to allow uneaten insects to remain in the terrarium, which can interfere with the praying mantis when molting. In no case do not feed the praying mantis with red cockroaches caught at work, in the dining room or at home, these cockroaches are poisoned and the praying mantis will die from such food. Praying mantises can be fed grasshoppers, flies, and other insects collected from the wild. Adult females can cope with any insect, and can also eat a small frog (photo 3), a lizard or a newborn mouse.
Photo 1. Hungry praying mantis
