My latest project

[Kelly_Aquatics]

hello my latest project is a diy monarch butterfly enclosure to raise caterpillars it was a hobby of a freind of mine who moved away and so I thought I would try it im also pretty good at carpentry so I thought Id make it my goal was to spend no money on this all the wood are scraps I got as off cuts from home hardware I alread had the screen from diy divider projects of course I had the drill screws staple gun and staples so that was no extra cost and the bottom liner is two layers of garbage bags it is a 14"x14" cube Its not huge but itss just to grow catipilars and release butterfly's I originality was going to do 18"x18" but was just short on wood here it is all that is left is paint and lids

 

[Ulu]

Maybe this would go in the DIY section? My wife used to have this caterpillar enclosure in her kindergarten class and it was pretty neat.

Every year she used to raise silk worms.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

so here in ontario monarch season is pretty much over so im going to try and raise a mantis here it is I also need suggestions on how to raise humidity in a screen enclosure probaly not possible with out changing the room he it is!

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

here are some more pics I think its a male had help from The Masked Shadow to detemine gender he is very calm and likes to perch on my hand

 

[The Masked Shadow]

What do u feed him. Seems like a male.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

I just caught him he is not eating yet but mealworms and crickets is what I plan on feeding him im not sure if the enclosure I made him would be better than a spare 10 gallon im just worried humidity wise for molting

 

[The Masked Shadow]

Yeah. Did u catch him, or pick em up at a pet store? Each praying mantis needs a cage of at least 1 square foot. Whatever u think is better

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

yes I did catch him I think he is a sub adult 2-3 months give or take and I think I will go with the 10g just so humidity is not a problem
I have always wanted one I think I was menat to have him as I just finished building the enclosure and opened my garage doors and he was sitting on my drive way he crawled on my hand when I put it near him he is definitely a cool pet

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

I would have preferred getting one from a petstore but it is not illegal to keep wild ones and he is a European mantis which is pretty hardy

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

here he is eating and his new enclosure I know its hard for them to find food in larger setups but I am feeding him with tongs and will eventaily train him to eat on top of his cage or on my hand I am using potting soil and coco fiber to retain humidity