Care Guide - Ghost Mantis

Cost to keep-

Distribution- The are found through out most of south africa but distributions tend to lean towards south east africa.

These mantids have been observed in two distinct environments. The first is an urban area in the heart of Johannesburg, where they are typically found in roadside trees and open spaces created by human habitation. In contrast, Kruger National Park offers a more natural habitat, with dense foliage and bushy vegetation that serve as ideal homes for these fascinating insects.

Rating - (Ease of care) - Beginner - ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Incredibly low-maintenance, they require minimal effort to care for, and the necessary conditions are simple to achieve and maintain. 

Setup Requirements:

If you’re keeping a ghost mantis as a pet, it’s best to house it individually. A glass enclosure measuring 30x30x30 cm provides plenty of space for the mantis to live comfortably throughout its entire life. However, if you’re planning to breed ghost mantises, you can house up to 10 individuals together in a larger enclosure, such as a 45x45x60 cm space. Detailed guidelines on co-habitation, including the dos and don’ts, are covered in the breeding section of this guide.

To ensure the safety of your mantis, replace the metal mesh on top of the enclosure with tulle fabric. Prolonged contact with metal can cause the mantis' leg hooks to wear down, reducing their ability to grip surfaces and making them more vulnerable over time.

Substrate Options and Decor

For substrate, you can use either pure coco coir or a mix of coco coir and peat. If you're planning to include live plants, the mixed substrate is recommended as it provides additional nutrients for plant growth. Ensure there are plenty of sturdy sticks or branches for the mantis to hang from, particularly if you are housing multiple mantises together. This helps minimize the risk of conflict by providing adequate space for each individual.

Proper use of sticks, twigs, or similar decor is essential for these mantises. Additionally, creating hanging areas is highly beneficial for their well-being. Aim for a habitat that is about 50% covered with foliage or decor and 50% open, allowing you to observe them while also giving them space to molt safely. Be sure to include areas where they can hang at least twice their body length to reduce the likelihood of molting issues.

Heating and Lighting

Proper temperature regulation is essential for maintaining your pet's health and comfort. During winter, aim to keep your room heated to at least 22°C during the day and avoid letting it drop below 18°C for extended periods. In summer, temperatures between 25°C and 30°C work well, providing a naturalistic temperature gradient similar to what they experience in the wild. I’ll go into more detail below about achieving accurate temperature gradients. Be sure to avoid drafts, as they can cause unnecessary stress, especially during molting periods.

If your room isn’t consistently heated, you can use specialized equipment to maintain the right temperature. This includes a reptile dome lamp holder and a basking lamp, both attached to a dimming thermostat for precise control.

Diet and Nutrition

To ensure optimal growth, start by feeding young mantises (during their first few molts) a simple diet of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies. Offer 10-15 flies per feeding every 2-4 days until they pass their third molt. After this stage, transition to Drosophila hydei fruit flies, providing the same amount (10-15 flies) every 3-5 days.

As they approach adulthood, typically around Instar 5 or later, you can introduce larger prey items such as small locusts, green or blue bottle flies, and soldier flies. One effective method is to allow calci worms to hatch before feeding them. Occasionally, you can also treat them with wax worms or a small dab of honey on a toothpick as a special supplement.

Avoid feeding crickets whenever possible, as they can sometimes carry bacteria that may be lethal to mantises. Only consider crickets in emergencies to prevent starvation, and even then, proceed with caution.

Behaviors - 

Ghost mantises are truly fascinating to observe, especially when it comes to how they hunt. If you offer them food using tongs, they will remain still, carefully watching and tilting their heads to assess the prey. Then, in a sudden burst of movement, they lunge forward, swiftly capturing their meal with their arms.

Generally, ghost mantises are slow-moving creatures, but don’t be fooled—they can move incredibly fast when disturbed or motivated. During their first instar, they mimic the appearance and movements of ants. Their crawling behavior closely resembles that of ants, adding an extra layer of intrigue to their early development.

If you’re keeping ghost mantises in a cohabitation setup, observing their interactions with one another is both fascinating and insightful. Occasionally, you may notice them testing each other’s boundaries. When one mantis gets too close, they won’t lunge at the other as though it were prey. Instead, they issue a warning by whipping their arms forward, as if to say, “Back off, or face the consequences.”

Day and Night Cycle: A simple 12-hour day and night cycle works perfectly for these creatures, allowing them to thrive without any complications. However, if you’d like to mimic their natural patterns more closely, you can refer to their habitat in Hoedspruit, a region within their range. During the summer months, daylight there can extend up to approximately 14 hours, while in winter, it averages around 12 hours.

Data collected from https://www.timeanddate.com

Common Health Issues

Stuck Shedding - This is a very common issue that can often be prevented by maintaining proper humidity levels in the enclosure. Aim for a humidity range of 60% to 90%, with consistent fluctuations achieved by misting the enclosure twice daily—once in the morning and once in the evening. However, failed sheds are not always avoidable and may sometimes be attributed to genetic factors.

Bacterial Infections - These infections may occur when a mantis is fed an improper diet over the long term. For example, some crickets may carry harmful bacteria in their guts that can severely impact an otherwise healthy mantis. To prevent this, ensure a varied and balanced diet for your mantis.

Fall Injuries - A mantis can occasionally lose its grip on a branch or twig and fall, potentially injuring itself on hard surfaces. In severe cases, falls can be fatal. You can greatly reduce this risk by using soft materials for the enclosure's substrate layer and avoiding hard objects like rocks or ceramic decorations.

Missing Appendages - Sometimes, shedding problems can lead to the loss of an arm or leg. This can impact the mantis's mobility or feeding ability. In such cases, you may need to assist the mantis with eating. Fortunately, this issue is often temporary, as lost appendages usually regenerate during subsequent molts before the mantis reaches adulthood.

Dehydration - Dehydration can be a serious problem for mantises. It’s crucial to mist the sides of the enclosure daily or every other day, depending on the environmental conditions and humidity levels. These water droplets are essential for the mantis to stay hydrated. Without them, a ghost mantis may become weak and eventually die. Establish a consistent routine to prevent dehydration.

Cleaning - Use tweezers or tongs to remove any leftover dead insect parts from the enclosure. Clean the glass occasionally to eliminate water stains, ensuring a clear and better view of your mantids. Replace the substrate rarely; you can mix the top layer occasionally to refresh it. If you have springtails in the substrate, frequent cleaning is unnecessary as they help maintain its cleanliness throughout its lifetime.

Breeding - Breeding ghost mantises is a straightforward process, but there are a few helpful tips and tricks that can make the experience much smoother and more enjoyable. These are insights I wish I had known earlier. First and foremost, it’s essential to prepare 12 oz cups well in advance. Below, I’ve outlined simple instructions to help you get started.

Step One: Gather the necessary materials: 12 oz cups with flat lids, tulle fabric, and a hot glue gun.

Step Two: Using scissors, carefully cut a hole at the top. Then, cut a square piece of tulle that is large enough to cover the hole, leaving an extra 1 cm around the edges.

Step Three: Secure the tulle over the hole using small dabs of glue. Apply 8-12 dabs evenly around the edges to hold it firmly in place.

Step Four: Place the lid back onto the cup, and you're done! You've created a compact enclosure for the nymphs to hatch. On average, you can expect between 10-36 nymphs per ootheca, so plan the number of enclosures accordingly.

Before getting started, it's essential to have a clear plan for what you'll do with the nymphs. Are you planning to sell them, give them to friends or family, or keep them yourself? Reaching out to local pet shops is a great starting point. Personally, I’ve sold quite a few over the years, and many are eager to stock them.

Now, let’s discuss a more debated topic: co-housing Ghost Mantises. Ghost Mantises are one of the few species where people have successfully kept them together, and I’ve done it myself. There are both advantages and disadvantages, which I’d like to share. On the positive side, co-housing can be an enriching experience as a keeper. Observing them hanging out in their individual spots has a certain charm. Additionally, housing them together simplifies feeding, and as long as they are sub-adults and well-fed, the risk of cannibalism is significantly reduced. Lastly, it saves space compared to keeping them individually.

However, there are downsides to co-housing, especially as they reach maturity. Once females and males pass their final molt, the dynamic changes. Females become far more likely to eat the males, especially since males can be relentless and may pester them. At this stage, I strongly recommend separating males and housing them individually. Only reintroduce the males when you’re ready for them to breed; any other interaction at this point increases the risk of aggression.

Once they’ve successfully bred, the female will lay an ootheca, which will take anywhere from 3–6 months to hatch, depending on the conditions. Cooler, room-temperature environments tend to extend the incubation time. While some claim it can hatch sooner, in my experience, around three months is the norm.

Availability -

These mantids are widely available and can be found at most retailers that specialize in invertebrates. They typically cost between £5-10 and are commonly sold at instar 2 or 3. However, they are more seasonally available compared to other species, with higher availability during spring and late summer. When purchasing, it's important to ensure the mantids are at least instar 2 (i2) and well-established. Be cautious when buying online, as some sellers may misrepresent the instar stage. For example, I’ve had experiences where sellers claimed the mantids were instar 3 (i3), but they arrived as instar 1 (i1) nymphs. Fortunately, I was able to successfully rear 4 out of 5 of them.

Here are some reliable sellers that usually stock these mantids:

• Bugzuk.com
• TheSpiderShop.co.uk
• MantisDen.co.uk
• MantisNI.co.uk

References-

Gallery -

Enjoy The Guide, have some feedback, feel free to comment and rate below.