Meet the animal
This profile covers Rhombodera extensicollis. A broad green shield behind the head does not independently confirm the species. Ask for the scientific name and culture history rather than applying advice for every Rhombodera to your animal.
Before you choose one
Keep one mantis and ask for its instar, meaning developmental stage, and sex if known. Precise lifespan evidence is limited. A growing nymph and a winged adult have different needs and remaining growth; neither a trade size nor an estimated birthday settles those questions.
Set up its home
Fit secure ventilation, stable stems and reliable overhead grip. AES recommends a clear hanging drop of at least four body lengths. For a large mantis, a 30 cm tall box may be too cramped after furnishing. Measure the free space below the actual perch and leave room for limbs and wings.
Temperature and safe heating
The breeder gives about 21–29°C, a single-source husbandry range rather than a tested optimum. Discuss the actual culture with a knowledgeable supplier and measure the enclosure. Keep it away from direct sun and uncontrolled heating; a small container can change temperature quickly.
Daylight, shade and UV
Provide a day-night rhythm and shaded cover. The reviewed evidence does not establish a species-specific UVB target. Choose observation lighting that does not heat the container or leave the animal continually exposed.
Water, moisture and airflow
The breeder suggests 60–80% relative humidity, but fine drinking droplets, airflow and drying between wettings matter too. Do not make the bedding permanently wet to reach a percentage. Check the animal’s stage and the actual culture’s requirements with the supplier.
Food and nutrition
Start small nymphs on small cultured flies and increase prey size gradually. The breeder’s suggestion of prey below about half the mantis’s body length is a handling guide, not a complete diet formula. Observe capture and abdomen condition. Remove biting insects when food is refused or a moult approaches.
Behaviour and handling
Keep the enclosure still during moulting and let the new body harden before feeding. For necessary transfers, encourage the animal onto a branch or container. Never pull gripping legs from mesh. Adult wings mark the end of normal growth moults, so adults cannot repair damage through another juvenile moult.
Health and life stages
Repeated falls, failed grip, visible injury or a failed moult need experienced invertebrate advice. Do not peel away old cuticle or attempt home surgery. A mature female may produce an egg case, called an ootheca; ask about mating history and plan for any offspring before pairing animals.
Buying and keeping records
Keep identification, origin and feeding records. Do not assume an imported mantis is exempt from movement controls. Confirm current requirements before an overseas order, and keep animals, egg cases and cleaning waste contained. Never release them outdoors.
Your care routine
Before arrival, confirm the species and prepare stage-appropriate prey. Check overhead grip, clear moult space, moisture and ventilation. Remove waste without disturbing a hanging animal. Arrange holiday care with someone who knows when to leave the enclosure alone.
YOUR CHECKLIST
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Shield mantis — Rhombodera extensicollis
Care hub: wildformexotics.co.uk/animals/mantises-animal-10/
Ticks are kept only while this page is open. Print or download a copy before leaving. Completing the checklist does not establish that an animal is well or an installation is safe.
Use these reminders alongside the full guide. Adjust feeding and maintenance to your animal’s condition and measured enclosure conditions.
Sources
- Rhombodera extensicollis (Mantodea Species File)
- Giant Asian shield mantis (Fatal Mantis)
- Praying mantid caresheet (Amateur Entomologists' Society)
- Import of pet invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles: IIN (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
- Guidance on section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (GOV.UK / Defra)
- Import or export endangered species: check if you need a CITES permit (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
Equipment checklist
Equipment examples for Shield mantis, grouped by care need. Read the checks before choosing. Shop links are Amazon affiliate links. Items without a verified Amazon match have no shop link.
Plan the whole setup: These examples cover only part of the setup. Meet every care need and test the finished enclosure before arrival. Suitable equipment you already own may meet the need; optional tools are labelled.
Check each item for your animal’s size and life stage, safe access, compatible controls and measured conditions. The list does not certify an installation.
Contained habitat
Essential care need
Secure ventilation and gaps smaller than the animal or nymph
Plan first: Check escape points and whether the animal needs height, floor area or substrate depth.
Also plan for: Choose housing with at least 40 cm of unobstructed hanging drop for the reported 10 cm adult, plus room for substrate, secure roof grip and food stems. Measure usable space after furnishing.
Moisture and monitoring
Essential care need
A species-specific damp refuge or drinking access with airflow
Plan first: Check the places your animal uses and how they dry between wettings. A single humidity reading cannot describe the whole enclosure.
Alternative equipment
Exo Terra Mini Mister — 0.5 L
PT2489; 0.5 L hand spray bottle. The Amazon title uses 16 US fluid ounces; this is not the conflicting 1.5/2 L pressure sprayer.
Use an existing suitable fine sprayer if you have one. Follow the individual wet-dry cycle; do not spray the animal, soak every surface or substitute misting for drinking water.
A manual misting tool only where the individual care plan calls for it. Use clean water, keep the bottle hygienic and free of chemicals, and do not spray directly at the animal. Check substrate/refuge moisture and drying/airflow rather than misting to a universal schedule.
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model: PT2472
Measure air temperature at animal height. Take independent warm and cool readings where the care plan needs a gradient.
Fit check: The remote probe measures air at one location. Keep it away from direct lamp heat, secure it safely and keep the display outside. Use separate probes for warm and cool areas where needed. Minimum/maximum readings help track changes; this device does not measure surfaces or control heating. Use a water-rated thermometer for submerged readings.
Food and maintenance
Essential care need
Clean continuing food supply and a way to remove spoilage
Plan first: Select tools and food for the exact species and life stage; do not substitute generic reptile supplements.
Also plan for: Start small nymphs on small cultured flies and increase prey size gradually.
Moulting structure
Essential care need
Overhead grip and clear space below at least several body lengths
Plan first: Keep food plants and prey from blocking a hanging moult; screen any open water vessel.
Exo Terra Jungle Vines Large
Model: PT3086
Add climbing stems leading to a separately fitted grippable moult ceiling.
Fit check: PT3086 is about 182 cm long and 1.5 cm across. Check that the animal can grip it, secure it against movement and avoid trapping gaps or unsafe falls. Add broad resting cover where needed. It cannot replace food stems or a secure ceiling grip for moulting.
Also plan for: Fit a secure grippable overhead surface and measure the free drop below it. The climbing vine alone does not complete the moulting structure.
Live prey
Essential care need
Prey smaller than the nymph can safely overpower
Plan first: Remove leftovers, especially before moulting; avoid a fixed feeding schedule across stages.
Also plan for: These small flies are a young-stage option. Select suitably larger cultured prey for an adult.