# Baby Praying Mantis Care



## JustJoshinYa (Mar 25, 2006)

i found a baby praying mantis on my homies computer and i put it in a jar and i would like to know what to feed it and general care for a baby praying mantis, it is around 1/4" its green with a brown underside, right now there is just moist dirt in a jar i had handy







with holes poked in the lid. any help ?
thanks, Josh


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## jmax611 (Aug 6, 2006)

i caught one when i was younger and it layed a cacoon and had tons of babys i had it in a 29g tank for a while but i dont know much when its comes to careing for them because they all died


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## wabash420 (Feb 27, 2007)

Mantid Physiology

All mantids have six legs, the smallest pair of which function like arms and is used to grab prey. While waiting for prey, these "arms" are folded in front of the body, giving the praying mantis its name. Most mantids, including the type on this website, have short wings and can fly if necessary, although scrambling on branches is typically preferred.

One of the most notable characteristics of these insects is their large-eyed triangular heads. Mantids are the only insects that can turn their heads to see over their shoulders, and this, coupled with their sharp eyesight, is ideal for hunting.

Egg Case Care

Praying mantis egg cases are created when the females deposit a foamy, egg-filled mass on a branch. The foam dries to a stiff shell, protecting the eggs inside as they develop. When looking at the egg case, you'll see a line that runs from top to bottom down the center. This area is normally softer and can have small openings in it, making it the preferred exit site for the hatching young. Make sure this line is facing downwards when you attach the egg case to a branch outside.

To attach, find a twig or branch a few feet off the ground in a warm, half sun location and secure your egg case using a twist tie or super glue. A hanging egg case is safer from ants than one left on the ground. Typically it takes about 10 to 20 days of warm weather for the baby mantids to hatch. After hatching the long legged, well-camouflaged young disappear into the vegetation, effectively becoming invisible as they begin to hunt.

Praying Mantis Diet

Mantids are aggressive hunters and will eat a wide range of garden insects including aphids, mosquitoes, caterpillars, beetles, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, leaf hoppers, moths and many others. These predators customarily perch on a branch and wait, perfectly still, for their prey to come within range. They then strike out with incredible speed, grab the hapless insects and devour them.

Preferred Mantid Habitat

Any area that offers sufficient vegetation to protect your praying mantis from hungry birds will provide suitable habitat. This includes most gardens, shrub borders and even areas of tall grass. Virtually all outdoor area will provide enough food unless insecticides have been used recently. Do not place your egg cases where insecticides have been sprayed as these chemicals will kill your mantids.

How Many Egg Cases Are Needed?

We recommend allowing two egg cases for every 4,000 square feet of garden area. If you attach your eggs cases at opposite ends of your landscape, your mantids will spread out and eat destructive insects across a large area.

Tip

When baby mantids hatch they look and act much like tiny adults. And they start hunting right away. If the only available food is a smaller sibling, well, don't tell Mom the unhappy news. We strongly suggest providing fruit flies or other small insects for food if you plan to hatch and keep your praying mantis indoors.

U ARE WELCOME


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## JustJoshinYa (Mar 25, 2006)

would he be able to eat an ant at this size it would be hard to get fruit flies, i have rosebushes whose leaves may have affids would that be better? hes just chilling in the jar hanging upside down from a leaning toothpick lol


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## NeXuS (Aug 16, 2006)

i use to have a mantis for a while was awsome watchin him chow down on bugs and stuff then one day it went to the top of its 10g cage and never wanted to come down then it died


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## baddfish (Feb 7, 2003)

If you are not able to attain baby crickets from your lfs, take a small portion of ANY size cricket or other insect, introduce a piece of it to the baby mantids mouth at the tip of a toothpick. You can use a small tweezer and rip a leg off an insect (fly) and bring it to the mantids mouth. I ASSURE it will grab it and eat it on its own. Ive done that MANY times successfully.


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