A large, robust, boldly-hunting mantis that's one of the best beginner species — big enough to be impressive, hardy enough to be forgiving.
🟢 Good beginner mantis🦗 Fierce little hunter🌳 Arboreal⏳ ~1 year
Care difficulty
Easy–Moderate
Animal cost
£10–£25
Full setup
£40–£150
Adult size
7–10 cm
Lifespan
~1 year
Min. enclosure
Tall 20×20×30 cm+
📋At a Glance
Giant Asian mantids are large, sturdy, green-to-brown praying mantids that make an excellent first mantis — hardy, bold feeders with the classic 'praying' stance and swivelling head. Like all mantids they're solitary predators kept alone, needing height to moult and live insect prey. Fascinating to watch hunt.
Best for: keepers wanting an impressive, hardy, beginner-friendly praying mantis.
💷Costs & Getting Hold of One
The animal
£10–£25 (nymphs cheaper).
Full setup
£40–£150 (a tall, ventilated enclosure).
Ongoing costs
Very low — live insects.
Availability
Fairly easy; commonly bred.
These are minimums, not budgets. The low end still has to meet the animal's needs — proper UVB, a heat gradient, space and filtration are not optional extras. A vivarium alone can cost £250–£300+, and a tortoise's UVB lamp alone is often ~£100. Price the whole setup before you commit to the animal.
Buying tip: Choose an active nymph/adult with all limbs. Keep singly — mantids are cannibalistic.
🏠Enclosure & Where to Keep It
A tall, well-ventilated enclosure — height must be at least 3× the mantis's body length so it can moult hanging down.
Single
A tall enclosure from 20×20×30 cm (bigger as it grows).
Height
At least 3× body length of clearance for safe moulting.
Furnishing
Twigs and mesh to climb and hang from; a lid it can grip underneath.
Housing
Always alone — they eat each other.
Insufficient height causes fatal failed moults — this is the number-one mantis-keeping mistake.
🌡️Temperature, Lighting & Humidity
Temperature
24–28 °C; warm and stable.
Lighting / UVB
Normal room light; no special lighting.
Humidity
Moderate (50–60%) via light misting; a little higher around moulting.
Bedding / substrate
A little substrate to hold humidity.
🍽️Diet, Supplements & Feeding
A visual ambush predator — live insects it seizes with spined forelegs.
Staple
Appropriately sized live insects (flies, crickets, locusts) — no bigger than the mantis's body.
Frequency
Every 1–3 days depending on size; nymphs more often.
Method
It ambushes and grabs prey — a superb watch.
Water
Light misting for droplets to drink.
Feed prey no larger than the mantis, and don't feed during a moult.
✨Grooming, Shedding & Additional Needs
No grooming; it moults by hanging upside down — height and humidity are everything.
Never disturb a mantis that's hanging still and swollen — it's about to moult, and a failed moult is usually fatal.
🖐️Handling & Interaction
Can be gently interactive — many will sit calmly on a hand and are curious — but they're delicate and can nip/grab, so keep it brief and let them choose.
How to handle
Let the mantis walk onto your hand rather than picking it up. Move slowly, stay low, and keep sessions short. Never handle around a moult.
✅ Do
Let it walk onto your hand by choice.
Keep sessions brief and low.
Feed appropriately sized live insects.
House it singly.
Wash hands after handling.
⛔ Don't
Don't handle around a moult.
Don't grip or squeeze — delicate.
Don't feed oversized prey.
Don't house two together (cannibalism).
Don't keep the enclosure too short.
🦎Fun Facts
Swivels its head almost 180° to track prey (and you).
Strikes with spined raptorial forelegs in a fraction of a second.
Solitary and cannibalistic — always kept alone.
Lays eggs in a foam case (an ootheca) that hardens.
Native to Asia; one of the larger, hardier pet mantids.
⭐Overall Verdict
A large, hardy, fascinating first mantis — impressive to watch hunt and gently interactive. Keep it alone, warm and tall (3× body length of height), feed live insects and never disturb a moult, and it's a brilliant beginner mantis.