Stick Insects and Praying Mantis Care

Taking care of stick insects and praying mantis is easy and this is one of the reasons they are becoming so popular as pets.  This is probably when they are popular with many people as pets. 

They do not require elaborate homes but you must make sure it is the right size to accommodate them and their home must be well ventilated.   Stick insects do well when they are kept in pairs or groups but you must only keep one praying mantis in a container as they will eat each other if they are in pairs.

Whatever type of container you sue it is important to make sure that it will give the insects plenty of height so they can shed their skins properly.  They need to hang down to molt so a good general rule is to give them three times their length from the perching point to the base.

The temperature for stick insects and praying mantis but it is usually around 77 degrees with a fairly high humidity.  There are exceptions to this so it is a good idea to check out the requirements for the species you are getting.

A great diet of stick insects is bramble.  Oak, privet and hawthorn can also be fed to many of the species including the popular Indian stick insect and the Australian Giant Spiny stick insect.  Whatever you decide to give your pet stick insects to eat you must make sure it is fresh and well washed to remove any pesticides and pollution.   Stick insects are particularly susceptible to pesticides and pollution so it is better to be safe than sorry.

Taking care of praying mantis is fairly simple so feeding them is not difficult.  They are very efficient predators and good at catching other insects.  They will eat anything they can catch and hang on to.  Suitable food for praying mantis includes fruit flies and crickets.  When you feed them wild caught insects are sure the insects do not have any pesticides on them as pesticides will kill your praying mantis.

Stick insects lay eggs which they will deposit on the ground.  They will bury their eggs or hide them.  Many of the larger Australian varieties bury their eggs so they will need a deep layer of a suitable material on the floor of their container.  You will need to put 2 inches of a damp potting compost and this will make a perfect place for them to bury their eggs.

Stick insects and praying mantis both make fun pets.

Article sources:

http://www.keepingexoticpets.co.uk

http://www.healthcaresuccess.com