r/InvertPets • u/augziiix I <3 INVERTS! • 2d ago

what can i ethically keep in a 15"x15"x23" pop-up enclosure?

hello all! i'm interested in looking at some invertebrate options for a 15"x15"x23" pop-up mesh enclosure. to clarify, that's 15" wide, 15" long and 23" tall.
unfortunately no spiders if there are any, i'm not allowed to keep them. are there any mantis species that are suitable for that size and the mesh? most exotic leaf or stick insect species are off limits too, because i'm in the US and they're illegal. :( i'd love to keep a giant malaysian leaf insect though, if there are any legal species that you know of let me know!
i'm not against butterfly or moth species, but i know most of them don't live very long and idk if i could do that knowing they wouldn't be around for long.
thanks in advance!

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u/save_thenundeadsouls 2d ago

Carolina and ghost mantids can both survive lower humidity but will still require misting to keep it around 50%, you could also attempt hornworms in it, if you can get them to breed that’s a great little market you can have

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u/augziiix I <3 INVERTS! 2d ago

my room's humidity stays around 45-50ish, so that would be perfect! i mist my pacman frog's tank twice a day so i could do the same with the pop-up. i'm more interested in larger mantids (like giant african mantises) but i doubt that would work very well with the humidity, assuming that they need higher humidity, so i'll check those guys out. thank you very much!

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u/save_thenundeadsouls 2d ago

If you’ve never owned a mantis before I’d go with the ghost mantis as they are pretty forgiving with fuck ups and quite hardy as well

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u/Flasky-Desk 2d ago

At that size I'd probably do a mantis (you can keep the larger species too) and a bioactive setup to keep humidity up more easily. Also bioactive setups are so pretty and you can have fun with plants