Heterochaeta orientalis

African giant stick mantis

Big fun in group

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Check care & food further down
Detailed species information in the Mantis lexicon.

Scientific name:	Heterochaeta orientalis
Common name:	African giant stick mantis
Distribution:	Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania
Habitat:	Branches and shrubs
Size:	Female up to 15 cm Male little less
Livespan:	Female up to 2 years Male up to 1.5 years
Colour variations:	None
Aggressivity:	Low*
Difficulty:	Middle (needs a lot of space)

*Group-keeping in all stages possible (However, cannibalism always possible! Especially adult females always feed well.

Enclosure (LxWxH):

Single-housing: from 30 x 30 x 40 cm
Group-housing: from 40 x 40 x 50 cm for 2 paires
Small nymphs can be reared in smaller enclosures (for moulting they need twice their body length free space downwards)

Two ventilation areas (gaze at top + front) adviced to prevent waterglogging.

Temperature:
Day 25 – 30 °C, night room temperature (below 18°C no problem)

Relative humidity:
Days ~ 40 – 60 %, nights higher

Set-up:

Substrate: Soil, sand, kitchen paper, gravel, coco humus etc. (animals seldom stay on the ground)
Branches (also horizontal/bent)
Living or artificial plants (Beware of pesticides!)
Clean with vinegar or biodegradable glass cleaner (afterwards rinse with clear water)

L1	Small fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)
L2-L4	Big fruit flies (Drosophila hydei)
L4-L6	Greenbottle flies
L7 to adult	Bluebottle flies

African giant stick mantis