Perhaps the most beautiful insect on earth — a pink-and-white mantis with petal-shaped legs that mimics a flower to ambush its prey. A stunning, more delicate display species.
🟡 Intermediate🌸 Flower mimic👀 Display beauty⏳ ~1 year
Care difficulty
Intermediate
Animal cost
£20–£50
Full setup
£40–£150
Adult size
3–7 cm (females larger)
Lifespan
~1 year
Min. enclosure
Tall 20×20×30 cm+
📋At a Glance
The orchid mantis is a living flower — pink and white with flattened, petal-like legs, so it can sit camouflaged among blooms and ambush pollinators. Females are much larger and showier than males. It's a bit more delicate and humidity-sensitive than a giant Asian mantis, so it's an intermediate species and very much a display beauty rather than a handling pet.
Best for: keepers wanting the most beautiful mantis as a delicate display.
💷Costs & Getting Hold of One
The animal
£20–£50.
Full setup
£40–£150 (a tall, ventilated, lightly planted enclosure).
Ongoing costs
Very low — live insects (especially flying prey).
Availability
Fairly easy through specialists; captive-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, intact nymph/adult. Females are the large, dramatic ones; keep singly.
🏠Enclosure & Where to Keep It
A tall, ventilated enclosure with height at least 3× body length for moulting, lightly planted for camouflage.
Single
A tall enclosure from 20×20×30 cm.
Height
At least 3× body length of clearance for safe moulting.
Furnishing
Twigs, silk/real flowers and a grippable lid.
Housing
Always alone — cannibalistic.
Height for moulting is essential, and they need warmth and humidity — a bit more delicate than a giant mantis.
🌡️Temperature, Lighting & Humidity
Temperature
25–28 °C; warm and stable.
Lighting / UVB
Bright, indirect light suits this day-active flower-mimic.
Humidity
Moderate–high (60–70%) via misting.
Bedding / substrate
A little substrate to hold humidity.
🍽️Diet, Supplements & Feeding
A visual ambush predator favouring flying prey (it mimics a flower to catch pollinators).
Staple
Flies especially, plus other appropriately sized live insects.
Frequency
Every 1–3 days; nymphs more often.
Method
It sits flower-still and ambushes — a mesmerising watch.
Water
Light misting for droplets.
Flying prey (flies, moths) suits its natural hunting style; feed prey no bigger than the mantis.
✨Grooming, Shedding & Additional Needs
No grooming; it moults hanging — height and humidity are critical.
Never disturb a mantis about to moult; humidity must be correct or the moult fails.
🖐️Handling & Interaction
A display species — more delicate than a giant mantis and best not handled. Enjoy its extraordinary looks and flower-mimic hunting.
How to handle
Interact by observation. If a move is unavoidable, let it walk onto your hand gently, low and brief.
✅ Do
Enjoy it as a stunning display.
Keep warm, humid and bright.
Feed flying prey.
House it singly.
Wash hands after any contact.
⛔ Don't
Don't handle routinely — delicate.
Don't disturb a moult.
Don't let humidity crash.
Don't house two together.
Don't feed oversized prey.
🦎Fun Facts
Mimics an orchid flower to ambush pollinating insects — camouflage that also lures prey.
Legs are flattened into petal shapes.
Females are far larger and showier than males.
Often called the most beautiful insect in the world.
Native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia.
⭐Overall Verdict
A breathtaking, flower-mimicking mantis — arguably the most beautiful insect you can keep, and a fascinating ambush hunter. A little more delicate than a giant mantis, so an intermediate display species. Keep it warm, humid, tall and solo, and admire rather than handle.