Orchid Mantis, or Hymenopus coronatus, is a beautiful pink and white mantis with lobes on its legs that look like flower pentals. Although this species does not live on orchids, it does look remarkably well like a flower or orchid. This species is very popular and loved as a pet because of its beautiful bright colors and amazing camouflage.

Size
An adult female is approximately 6 to 7 cm long, while the male is only about 2,5 cm.

Lifespan
Males molt only five times throughout their life span and they live only for 5 or 6 months. Females on the other hand molt seven times and have a longer life span than males, about 8 months.

Diet
Orchid mantis’ are carnivorous and have a diet consisting of live insects. The core of the livefood diet should be high in protien and relatively easy to digest. We have found that brown crickets are the most readily accepted. As a small mantis 1 or 2 appropriately sized crickets should be fed every other day. As they get bigger they may be able to take a third but you need to make sure none are left inside for long periods of time as they may try to attack your mantis.

Housing
Orchid mantis do well with a glass terrarium as their enclosure. This is because glass is great at allowing heat to escape ensuring that the enclosure stays cool enough. Other enclosures such as wooden vivariums are far too efficient at retaining heat. The manits terrarium should be at least 200mm in length and 300mm in height

Temperature and Humidity
Orchid mantises are native to the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, so they generally need warm, humid conditions to thrive. The ideal temperature for an orchid mantis is 25 – 30 degrees C, but they can tolerate a range between 70 degrees F and 90 degrees F. Humidity should be kept between 60% and 80% relative humidity (RH). Younger nymphs seem to be less tolerant of lower humidity levels than adults. Nymphs should be kept at the higher end of the humidity range, between 60% and 80% RH, otherwise they will have trouble molting successfully.

Substrate
The cage should have substrate such as peat moss, soil, or coconut fiber in order to maintain the high humidity level.

Handling
Your praying mantis is delicate no matter how strong she appears. Avoid picking her up as there are several risks involved; she might be crushed by an over-enthusiastic grip, or she might defend herself against your attempt by stabbing you with her forearms. It will probably surprise you more than hurt you but it will definitely stress her and put on the defensive. The answer is to allow her to climb onto your outstretched palm, finger, or top of your hand, at her leisure

Please note: We don’t ship live animals. They are click and collect only!