Housing
Start with a 60cm x 30cm x 30cm vivarium for 3 or 4 individuals. Use spongy sphagnum or Java moss for the base, which you can place rocks, Bogwood, and branches on top of. Never use cedar or pine shavings (toxic), gravel or astro-turf(abrasive), bark or sand (abrasive and ingestible) as a substrate! A shallow 10cm diameter water pan should be placed to the side furthest away from the light and under- vivarium heater pad source. A few non-toxic creeping house plants such as ivy, bottle ferns, and snakeskin plants can be left in their pots which are concealed with moss but remember that daylight emitting lighting is required for their survival. You can also use plastic plants. The whole vivarium will need cleaning out every 5 - 8 days, with hot water (no chemicals!).
Temperatures
Use an undertank heating pad (never hot rocks or sticks), which covers half of the vivarium base. This is connected to an adjustable thermostat, the sensor of which is raised just off the base of the vivarium substrate (i.e. the moss or foam). Remember at night that all Mantellas naturally experience a drop in temperature by 5 - 15°C.
GOLDEN MANTELLA
Require temperatures around 68 - 70°F. with high humidity and quiet, open, light conditions.
COWAN’S MANTELLA
It prefers slightly higher temps than that described for the golden Mantella.
BLACK EARED MANTELLA
Slightly higher temperatures (70°F. minimum) than the golden Mantella.
YELLOW MANTELLA
Temperatures as low as 62°F.
GREEN MANTELLA
Temperatures in the 72 - 78°F. range during the day and 68°F. at night.
MAROJEZY MANTELLA
Requires a temperature no greater than 74°F. (preferably cooler).
Diet
Pinhead crickets, fruit flies, lesser waxworms, small houseflies, spiders, caterpillars, small beetles, moths and sweepings/termites make up a balanced diet. The crickets should be a given a crumbly mixture of bran, finely chopped lettuce and a multivitamin supplement such as cricket-diet. Mealworms should be avoided due to the fact that they are hard to digest. Offer several small meals per day rather than a single large one. Instead of catching your feeder insects from the wild, buy them from pet stores to eliminate disease. Remove all dead or uneaten food items daily.