Small deli or smoothie cups are excellent enclosures for small mantis nymphs. Pictured are 200ml, 300ml and 500ml cups adapted with poot holes, silk & plastic foliage or anti-slip mat strips. All have plant fleece netting on the top held in place with an elastic band or smoothie cup lid (with the dome trimmed off). Cotton wool pads or tissue on the bottom help hold humidity and are easy to clean.
Deli cups and tubs can be easily stored in mushroom crates.
Use plastic yogurt insert trays from any supermarket, of similar size to your deli cups and trim the edges and rows to fit in the crate.
The smaller cups can fit 20 per tray and the larger cups fit 12 per tray.
This stops the cups falling over in the tray and still allows ventilation when stacked.
Larger deli or pantry tubs are perfect for larger mantis nymphs or adults. Pictured are 1 Litre and 5 Litre tubs adapted with poot holes, silk & plastic foliage or anti-slip mat strips. Both have plant fleece netting on the top held in place with an elastic band or matching lid (with cut out holes/vents). A tissue liner on the bottom helps to hold humidity and is easy to clean.
Insect Mesh Pop Up cages are also great for nymphs or adults and are readily available online. They are particularly good for species that need plenty of ventilation or are not able to hold on to smooth plastic surfaces. They are also very useful when a mantis is due to moult as all sides are easy for the mantis to get a foothold.
Clip lid tubs are slightly more expensive but are ideal enclosures for mantids. Pictured is a 3.7 Litre tub which we have fitted with circular plastic & mesh fabric vents fitted to opposite sides for cross ventilation. As with almost all of our enclosures, we have fitted a poot hole for easier feeding. We also cut out various sized areas of the lid for extra ventilation. These tubs are available in various sizes, as seen below, and are worth investing a little more time and effort to fit the vents. They can be adapted with a variety of foliage and surfaces for the mantis to roost and moult from.
1.4 Litre Clip Lid Tub
1.8 Litre Clip Lid Tub
2 x 3.7 Litre Stacked
11 Litre Clip Lid Tub
20 Litre Clip Lid Tub
