Nowadays, mantises are increasingly being kept as pets. Such insects do not emit unpleasant odors, do not emit annoying sounds. They do not need a lot of space in the apartment. Let's find out what the content of a mantis suggests at home? What are the subtleties of caring for such a pet?
Where to get a mantis and how much does it cost?
Before we figure out what are the features of keeping a mantis at home, the photo of which can be seen in our article, let's find out where to get such an unusual pet. These predators can be seen in some stores selling exotic animals. An alternative is buying online.
People who previously did not contain insects should pay attention to the African mantis, which is unpretentious in care and will cost relatively inexpensively - about 500 rubles. For comparison, the same orchid mantis costs about 3,000 rubles. The most beautiful, unusual and expensive is a view called a bloody flower. The price of such a pet is from 10 thousand rubles.
What do mantis eat?
What is keeping and feeding a mantis at home? Of particular importance is proper feeding. In the warm season, moths, butterflies, grasshoppers can be food for such a pet, which you can independently catch on the street. As for the natural habitat of these predators, here they do not disdain even stinging insects, such as wasps and bees.
Keeping a praying mantis at home in winter requires the purchase of feed at a pet store. Potato larvae, all kinds of crickets, caterpillars, cockroaches, bloodworms will do. Some of these insects should be cultivated at home. However, you should not catch ordinary Prussians for a mantis, since they can be infected with chemicals. Spiders are often dangerous for such a pet, since some of them are poisonous.
Feeding Features
It is immediately worth noting that the process of eating a praying mantis is an entertaining sight. This predator prefers to carefully disassemble the victim in parts, slowly chewing on individual pieces and casting hard chitin aside.
You can offer your pet food in several ways: launch victims in his home or serve with tweezers. If preference is given to the first option, in this case, the insect, which is used as a feeding, must be slightly pressed in advance. Thus, it will be easier for a praying mantis to catch movable prey. Be that as it may, for this predator it is imperative that the prey be alive.
Be sure to check whether the pet eats all the food offered. For example, bloodworms and caterpillars dry too quickly. Their rotting remains can cause the spread of infections. Therefore, all the insect scraps must be removed from the home of the mantis.
An important principle of keeping a mantis at home is its restriction in food. Adults are extremely gluttonous. Gorged mantises can die as a result of damage to the abdomen. It must also be taken into account that the more food such a predatory insect consumes, the less its life will last.
Where to put the pet?
Keeping a mantis at home requires the preparation of a special home. The most suitable option is a terrarium with good ventilation. The minimum parameters of such a container should be 15x15x20 centimeters. The inner space should not be empty. All kinds of branches should be placed here. After all, a mantis needs objects to crawl over. A good decor would be artificial or living plants.
The content of mantises at home suggests the presence of a soil layer at the bottom of the dwelling. As a soil, you can use a coconut substrate. Well-shredded foliage is also suitable. In no case should you cover the container with floral soil, since it may contain microscopic parasites. It is important that the litter is well ventilated. The accumulation of moisture and the formation of mold is unacceptable when the mantis is kept at home.
The most simple and affordable housing for such a pet looks like a regular plastic container. You can also use a glass aquarium. In the latter case, it will be possible to freely observe the behavior of the insect. If you plan to keep the mantis at home with a view to breeding them, you need to take care of the preparation of several terrariums. After all, these predators are able to demonstrate rather aggressive behavior towards relatives.
Mantis love warmth. In their home, a comfortable temperature should be maintained at a level not lower than 23 ° C. A normal lamp, which will also serve as lighting, will become a good heater. If you wish, you can spend money on buying a heating pad. However, one must keep in mind that heat is also detrimental to praying mantises. It is important that the temperature in the insect's housing does not exceed 30 o C. To control the situation will allow the use of a small thermometer, which can be mounted on the wall of the terrarium.
How to drink a mantis?
Like any other living thing, this insect will need access to moisture. For this purpose, you can use a container with a spray, with which it is enough to spray water on the walls of the pet's home. In addition, so that the mantis does not feel thirsty, a small lid filled with liquid should be put in the terrarium. Next to such a drinker should be placed a few sticks, for which the insect can hold.
Is a mantis dangerous to humans?
Despite their predatory nature, such pets are not able to harm the owner. Praying mantises are absolutely not poisonous. Only in some cases, these insects can perceive the human finger as potential prey. However, their jaws are too weak to bite through the skin and cause significant pain.
Useful Tips
There are several tips for keeping an ordinary mantis at home:
- Care should be taken when handling your pet. In no case should the insect fall from a high height. Otherwise, the mantis can get injuries that will lead to its death.
- The more often people will be near the terrarium, the faster the insect will domesticate. So that such a pet does not show aggression towards others and does not feel fear, it must be picked up periodically.
- It is necessary to ensure that excess liquid does not accumulate in the mantis's dwelling. This omission can lead to the development of pathogens in the substrate and attract small pests.
- It is much better to spend energy on self-growing a pet than to acquire an adult. In this case, keeping a mantis at home will bring much more pleasure.