Origin: Malaysia and Indonesia
Length: males up to 3 cm, females 6-7 cm
Age: +- 12 months
The Orchid praying mantis is a species of grasshopper that originally (as the name suggests) occurs in Malaysia and Indonesia. This species actually looks more like an orchid than a grasshopper, the species is very similar in shape to a flower and also has striking colors and bulges on their legs. They are often beautifully colored, but can also occasionally turn green. There is a clear size difference between the males and the females. Females of this species are fat and larger. The males are narrow and have long wings, with less flower.

Care
Experience: Novice/intermediate insect keeper
Food: mainly flying insects, crickets, bees, hoverflies and pollen grains
Feed adults: crickets, bees, hoverflies and pollen grains
Feed young: crickets, bees, hoverflies and pollen grains

Nutrition
The orchid grasshopper eat wild bees, hoverflies, pollen grains and occasionally crickets. pollen grains is good for the orchid grasshopper, this ensures that the grasshopper grows well and provides more offspring. You can buy this food at a special pet store

Water
It is important to spray a portion of the grasshopper's enclosure with water about twice a week. The orchid grasshopper removes a lot of moisture when it has just been sprayed. An enclosure with young orchid locusts may be watered more often per week (make sure it is not too wet, because young animals can drown in too large drops).

Cleaning
The easiest way is to cover the surface of the enclosure where you keep the Orchid Grasshopper with kitchen roll. It is best to replace this kitchen roll every other week. Once the grasshopper has reached adulthood, it is also possible to distinguish between the excrement of the animals and the eggs on the kitchen roll. If you are going to clean the accommodation, do not do this with detergent, grasshoppers are very sensitive to this and can become very sluggish or even die. If you do use cleaning products, rinse the accommodation well. Young grasshoppers really are masters of escape, so be careful that they cannot escape.

Handling
Orchid grasshoppers are generally very easy to handle. Always lift the grasshopper gently, taking care not to pinch any of its limbs. They will generally remain fairly quiet when handled, but adult males may still attempt to fly away. Therefore, always close windows and doors properly when handling or cleaning the locusts.

Housing
Minimum stay size per adult stick insect: 30*20*20 cm
Day temperature: 25- 30C
Night temperature: minimum 18oC
Humidity: 60-80%
Ground cover: Cocopeat, kitchen roll, newspaper, etc.

Design
The layout of the enclosure for the orchid grasshopper is quite simple. The grasshopper must have access to food at all times. It is therefore best to put a jar of water in the accommodation. The bottom of the enclosure must be easy to clean, because the grasshoppers relieve a lot of stress (this easily goes moldy when it gets damp in the enclosure). When purchasing an enclosure, make sure that there are not too large cracks and/or seams, since young animals can easily escape through this, because they can flatten themselves and crawl through the smallest cracks or holes. The accommodation must also have at least one ventilation grid.

Behaviour
Diet: small flying insects, spray water and pollen grains
Lifestyle: Tree/shrub dweller and twilight/night active

Character
Once it starts to get dark, this species starts to become more active and you can hear them eating. Young animals can sometimes run around the enclosure all day and night, this is nothing to worry about.

Points of attention
Good ventilation in the Orchid Grasshopper's enclosure is very important. Make sure there is fresh food available at all times for the grasshoppers to eat. Adult females eat quite a lot to produce eggs and will therefore have to be provided with fresh food more quickly.

Cost and Purchase
Legislation: You do not need CITES or transfer papers to own Orchid Grasshopper.
One-off costs: This includes the costs for accommodation, lighting, heating and any decoration. This can cost several tens to hundreds of euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Are there any costs besides water and electricity?
Unexpected costs: Are there hardly any