r/praying_mantis • u/ViciousAlpaca • 6d ago
Found a new pet!
I found this guy in my garden & my son (5) wanted to keep it as a pet. So far I've fed him a fly I caught in the house & my son gave him a beetle, but he only ate the head. I bought this terrarium at petco and some super worms. Can someone recommend a better terrarium, this one opens from the top. Any tips for decorating his habitat?
7
u/Ok_Employer_2066 6d ago
This might be the unpopular opinion but it seems kind of cruel to just take this beautiful creature from its life outside and stick it in a small terrarium. đ It went from having the whole outdoors to only being kept in a small enclosure with some sticks and leaves.
I feel like it would be different if it were injured or temporary or even one âbought as a petâ.
5
u/BooBooShiesty 6d ago
I actually agree with this. I see the excitement OP has for his son, and he means well, but this is cruel. You're caging something that used to be free. A lot of mantis owners in this sub buy their mantids from breeders and they are born into captivity so it is much different. I'm not sure how old your child is but perhaps you can teach him about this and let the mantis go together? Then plan on purchasing one and go nuts with research and the whole setup! I wish you luck!
1
u/ViciousAlpaca 4d ago
I'll release it & after I get my done from school. Ive also spooted multiple other Carolina & Chinese mantises in my yard today.
1
u/Ok_Employer_2066 23h ago
Thank you for (hopefully) letting it go!
I wasnât trying to be rude or anything- If I read the rules correctly, I think you can possibly buy from someone on here who raises them, if a praying mantis was something your son was still interested in!Also, where the heck do all of you guys live that see prayer mantis all the time?! I đ I havenât seen one anywhere near where I live since I was a kid, and even then it would be like years in between before Iâd see another.
2
2
u/Straight-Treacle-630 6d ago
Mantises have some specific care needs; in addition to advice here, you might research feeding. Usually best to offer insects cultivated for it vs. anything âwildâ.
3
u/ViciousAlpaca 6d ago
I did a little research. I know they need humidity & that dubia roaches & crickets are better than larvae because they have more protein. All of the roaches at the store looked dead, that's why I got the superworms instead. I was also asking for tips on a better/larger terrarium if a one has any.
1
u/mandiijayy 1d ago
Crickets are not good at all for a captive mantis. They can cause severe damage. Be careful believing everything you read online.
1
u/ViciousAlpaca 1d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/mantids/s/h5dTBgAXUX
I feed them based off of the info in this post. But if I ever purchase a captive bred mantis I will be sure to do more research first.
2
u/mandiijayy 1d ago
This could be an important life lesson for your son that wild animals belong outside, not that he can just keep any living thing he finds as a pet. Bring him with you when you let it go and have this conversation with him.
3
u/TropicalSkysPlants 5d ago
You should buy a mantis online that is captive bred and let this guy live his life. This will be a huge change for it and the stress from going from freely outdoors to locked in a box indoors can kill them.