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One of the most beautiful and unusual creatures in the world of bugs, the praying mantis makes a great pet. Catching and keeping one is fun and easy. Just grab a jar large enough to accommodate a mantis and drop it in. Make your new pet comfortable by providing it with a large enclosure and an adequate amount of food.
Steps
Section 1 of 4:
Catching the Mantis
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Look for a praying mantis in flowering shrubs and near woody plants. It’s impossible to know exactly where you might find a praying mantis, but they tend to favor areas with flowering shrubs and woody plants. Look closely at shrubs and plants near you, since the spindly bodies and green color of praying mantises allow them to easily blend into their surroundings. [1] X Research source
- Look around your house, making sure to check humid places and plants or other greenery.
- Look in places with lots of insects and bugs, especially areas where you’ve seen praying mantises before.
- Be sure to wear gardening gloves before catching your mantis. Praying mantises aren’t poisonous, but they do bite.
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Simply hold your hand out to the mantis. It should climb right on. Make sure not to pinch it. [2] X Research source
- You could use gloves to pick up the praying mantis. [3] X Research source
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Let your praying mantis into a jar. A large empty jar that can hold 16 fluid ounces (473 mL) or more should work nicely. Place a piece of plastic cling wrap over the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber band. Punch several small holes in the plastic wrap to allow the mantis to get fresh air. [4] X Research source
- A large peanut butter or kimchi jar should work nicely.
- Use a plastic jar if possible, as it is less likely to break than glass. [5] X Research source
- When you’re out in the wilderness capturing your praying mantis, you can temporarily keep it in a small jar. For long-term care, however, it will need a larger habitat.
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Section 2 of 4:
Preparing the Habitat
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Provide an enclosure with a length of at least three times the length of your mantis’ body and a width of at least twice the length of its body. An enclosure of this size will guarantee that your mantis has enough space to move about. An aquarium cage with a mesh top will probably be your best option since an enclosure of this sort will allow for proper ventilation. [6] X Research source
- Additionally, the height of the enclosure should be at least three times the length of your mantis. [7] X Research source
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Add a substrate to your mantis habitat. You could use shredded tissue paper, vermiculite, potting soil, sand, woodchips, or shredded bark. These materials will readily absorb water and release it slowly, ensuring the humidity of the mantis habitat remains relatively stable. [8] X Research source
- There’s no one “right” volume of substrate you must add to your mantis habitat. 1 inch (2.5 cm) or 2 inches (5.1 cm) of substrate should be enough to keep your pet healthy and happy.
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Place plants and twigs in your mantis’ habitat. Add plants like those that you found your mantis among to its habitat. [9] X Research source In addition to small plants, you could add twigs, reeds, branches, artificial plants and flowers, or decorative plastic branches. [10] X Research source
- Artificial plants and branches are often used in lizard habitats and should be available at your local pet store.
- If you use artificial plants or branches, ensure they are free of glue and insecticides.
- Add at least one branch to the habitat that measures three times the length of your mantis’ body. Your mantis will use this branch when shedding its skin. [11] X Research source
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Section 3 of 4:
Caring for Your Pet
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Maintain the appropriate temperature and humidity. The appropriate levels of temperature and humidity vary depending on the particular species of mantis you’ve captured. Place a thermometer and a hygrometer in or near your mantis habitat to ensure that you’re housing it within ideal environmental conditions. [12] X Research source
- If your pet is housed in a room that is too cold or too hot, consider moving it to a different space where the temperature can be more easily regulated.
- To increase the humidity, spray the substrate with water. The more you spray it, the more the humidity levels of the habitat will increase. You can also increase the humidity level by reducing the amount of air ventilation at the top of your mantis’ enclosure.
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Feed your mantis flies and other insects. Praying mantises love eating flies, roaches, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and other small insects. You can drop these bugs into your mantis’ habitat. Alternately, feed them directly to your mantis by gripping them gently with tweezers, then presenting them to your mantis. [13] X Research source
- Your mantis won’t accept dead bugs, so you will have to buy live insects from a pet shop or catch some yourself. You can find these bugs in the woods or on farmland.
- If you feed your mantis live bugs, wait until you see it actually catch and eat them. Otherwise, the bugs might escape and die, and your mantis will go hungry.
- The amount of food your mantis needs depends on its species. Some species only need to eat once every four days, while others need to eat once each day.
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Clean your mantis’ habitat once a month. Remove your mantis to a small jar of the same size you used to capture it initially, then dump all substrate out of its habitat and wash it with hot water. Don’t use detergent, as it might harm your pet. Add new substrate and replace the shrubs and branches. [14] X Research source
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House your mantis alone. Praying mantises are not social creatures. If you house two together, they will attack each other. [15] X Research source
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Section 4 of 4:
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Identify your mantis species based on your location. Different mantis species have different natural habitats. For instance, the Carolina mantis will not be found in England, since it only lives in the U.S. Consult a book of praying mantis species and their known native habitats to discover which of the 2,400 species your praying mantis belongs to. [16] X Research source
- The Carolina mantis is found in the U.S. from New York south to Florida. It is found from the east coast through Utah, Arizona, and Texas.
- The black barrel or eight-spotted mantis is native to Australia and New Guinea.
- Theopropus elegans is a species native to Singapore, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
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Measure your mantis. Use a ruler to measure your mantis’ length. Different species tend to have different body sizes. For instance, the Chinese mantis reaches 4.5 inches (11 cm), but the Carolina mantis reaches only 2 to 2.5 inches (5.1 to 6.4 cm). Using a book describing the differences between the many mantis species, compare the length of your mantis against the lengths of the other mantis species in order to identify which one your mantis belongs to. [17] X Research source
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Don’t try using color to determine which species of mantis you have. Mantises are typically green or brown, but even mantises of the same species often have different colors. [18] X Research source
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Ask an entomologist. Entomologists are bug experts. If you’re having trouble identifying your mantis’ species, a trained entomologist could help. Contact entomologists at your local university or entomological society and ask if they would be willing to help you identify your particular mantis species.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I tell if a praying mantis is dead or just molting?Community AnswerWhen it is molting, it will be hanging upside down, and you'll be able to see a thin layer of clear-ish "skin" coming off it.
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QuestionAre you sure that I can find a praying mantis near my house?Community AnswerIt does depend on where you live. Check an insect guide for your geographic area to find out which species of praying mantis, if any, live in your area.
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QuestionCan a praying mantis eat a cricket?Community AnswerYes, when they are about medium-sized. They can also eat spiders and houseflies.
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Tips
- It’s better to leave praying mantises where you find them. They provide important benefits for local ecosystems and gardens. [19] X Research sourceThanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Look for mantises in humid, overgrown areas with lots of leaves, branches and flowering plants. Carefully scoop one up with gloved hands or let it crawl onto your hand. Move slowly to avoid startling it.
- Identify species through geographic location, physical traits like size, and consulting insect experts if needed. There are over 2,400 species globally so narrowing it down can be tricky.
- Handle your new pet gently and consistently so it becomes comfortable with you. Never squeeze or injure it. With regular, delicate handling, mantises relax and will crawl onto your hand.
- Use an escape-proof enclosure at least 3 times as long as the mantis itself, with added branches, plants and proper temperature regulation. Proper habitat setup keeps mantises healthy.
- Mantises are solitary creatures. Housing two together risks them attacking and killing each other. Always keep mantises separate in their own enclosures.
- Feed live insects captured in the wild or bought from a pet store. Mantises only accept living, moving prey. Present bugs with tweezers for convenience.
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Expert Interview
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References
- ↑ https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/caresheets/praying-mantids.html
- ↑ https://www.prayingmantisfacts.net/catching_a_praying_mantis.html
- ↑ https://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/bugfun/collecti.htm
- ↑ https://senecacountycce.org/agriculture/praying-mantis
- ↑ https://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/bugfun/collecti.htm
- ↑ https://www.pests.org/praying-mantis/
- ↑ https://entomology.unl.edu/scilit/praying-mantis-caresheet.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cpp.edu/respect/resources/documents_kinder/pa_lessons_1-3/lesson-1/gr0.kpa_lesson1a_ho1.1_terrarium_and_mantis_care_tm.pdf
- ↑ https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/praying-mantids/
- ↑ https://www.pbspettravel.co.uk/blog/keeping-praying-mantis-as-pets-the-beginners-guide/
- ↑ https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/praying-mantis
- ↑ https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2021/10/should-i-release-praying-mantis-my-garden
- ↑ https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef703
- ↑ https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2021/10/should-i-release-praying-mantis-my-garden
- ↑ https://agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/insects/hornets/faq
- ↑ https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-67
- ↑ https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-67
- ↑ https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/five-things-know-about-praying-mantis/
- ↑ https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Praying-Mantis
About This Article
Article Summary
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If you want to keep a praying mantis as a pet, keep it in an enclosure that’s at least 3 times longer than its body, 3 times taller, and twice as wide as the mantis is long. Place 1-2 inches of potting soil, sand, or woodchips onto the bottom of the habitat, and place small plants and twigs from your mantis’ natural habitat into the container. Once your mantis is established in its home, feed it flies, grasshoppers, and other small insects, and mist the substrate with water to keep your mantis hydrated. Keep reading for tips on how to identify the species of your mantis!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I found out that the temperature I kept it wasn't optimal, and I did not use the right environment. It came to my bed last night so I did not plan on having it as a pet, I keep it in a small jar with an open lid in case it finds it too small until I can fetch a proper keeping environment for it." ..." more
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"I found out that the temperature I kept it wasn't optimal, and I did not use the right environment. It came to my bed last night so I did not plan on having it as a pet, I keep it in a small jar with an open lid in case it finds it too small until I can fetch a proper keeping environment for it."
..."
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"All of this information was helpful for first timers. And also, you can learn from this experience to catch a praying mantis. Also, the questions helped a lot. It was very well planned and I honestly think you guys are so blessed that you have made this site."
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"Looking forward to having a praying mantis as a little pet. The grandchildren and I will have fun making a home and looking for it . Then the thrill of finding one. We will enjoy caring for our little critter now that we have learned how to care for one."
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"I loved all the information I read. I accidentally brought a nymph praying mantis into the house on my clothing. It is brown and only about 1/2 inch long. I placed it into a Mason jar with plastic wrap with holes and bought fruit flies to feed it."
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"While at lunch I found a praying mantis, I've only seen green ones so it was odd for me to see a brown one. They are interesting to watch as I watch this one my whole lunch."
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