[Devi]

This message will no doubt sound a little inexperienced, but I'm rather new to this.
I used to look after mantis in a zoo a long while ago and they were target fed, mainly with baby roaches. I rather liked them and decided now was the time to get one of my own.
I got my first mantis of my own tuesday and considering the species was told they'd eat anything. I decided not to target feed as most care sheets seem to suggest not to, not entirely sure why, but thought I'd go with the flow. So first I tried a couple of garden woodlice just to see, they dug into the substrate and haven't been seen since. I got some micro crickets and tweezers and tried to target, but after losing 3 on the carpet I figure crickets are harder to get in the tweezers than baby roaches! So I dropped one of them in free, and that dug into the substrate too.
As far as I know the feeder insects are all in the substrate and the mantis hasn't fed.
The mantis is about 2 inches long, should I be trying different prey? or removing substrate? or something different?
Or should I stop worrying and give the poor thing more than 48 hours to settle in?

 

[stienbabe]

Feeding roaches pretty much doesn't work if you're using substrate. The best way is to pop the mantis into an empty tub just for feeding so that it can find the roach easily. Crickets are not recommended for mantids unless you have no alternative, opinions differ on this issue, but the consensus seems to be that they can spread disease and may attack a mantis that is in shed.

 

[billsy]

i feed mine small locusts, they always want to climb so they always come across the mantis at some point.

: victory:

 

[garlicpickle]

try locusts or get some bluebottle casters from a fishing shop. You can keep the casters in the fridge, then just take a few out at a time, and leave them in the mantis enclosure. When the flies hatch she will have a good old time hunting them.

I don't use substrate for mantids, they are messy eaters and poo a lot, and I used to get mould. I just use kitchen roll which can be changed out when it gets soiled.

 

[Devi]

I can definitely get locusts, but at L5 would they not be a bit big? I'm a bit conscious of size because my friends flower mantid was attacked by a cricket. I have no idea where I'd find a fishing shop.
Th crickets I have now are the micro crickets, will they eventually climb the sticks I have in there or would normal crickets be better? I expected them to jump around, not burrow down.
I'm keeping my eyes out for moths, but it's not really the right time of year for them.

 

[CrabbyPatty]

Locusts and crix are completely different. Crickets are a no go with mantids, they will readily chew or even kill a moulting mantis, they're just a general nuisance. Stick with flying insects as stated, bluebottles or greenbottles being the best food source for them, although small locust hoppers would work too. Waxworms mealworms etc.. are also other good options, in the warmer months you can pretty much get all your food for nothing in the form of moths, house spiders, different types of flies you can find in the garden etc..

 

[Devi]

Locusts and crix are completely different. Crickets are a no go with mantids, they will readily chew or even kill a moulting mantis, they're just a general nuisance. Stick with flying insects as stated, bluebottles or greenbottles being the best food source for them, although small locust hoppers would work too. Waxworms mealworms etc.. are also other good options, in the warmer months you can pretty much get all your food for nothing in the form of moths, house spiders, different types of flies you can find in the garden etc..

I can't get flying insects. I researched my species well because I knew I could only get crickets, locusts or mealworms, every care sheet I've read says that they'll be fine with any of these. Surely spiders would be more likely to attack my mantis than crickets anyway??
I can try getting mealworms, but surely these are just as likely to hide in the substrate. Would I be better getting rid of the substrate altogether? I didn't want to go the kitchen roll route as it wouldn't look as attractive, but I guess I could if needed? I did fancy a nice display though.

 

[Spikebrit]

I have fed all my mantids over the yaers on various things including crickets.

Just tweezer micro crcikets, hold in front and they are usually taken. In god know haw amny yaers i've never had a problem. Some of the more difficult mantids will only take flie, i.e. violins, however most will happly take crickets.

Like others have said i would just keep it on paper towls rather then a loose substrate.

Jay

 

[Devi]

Just tweezer micro crcikets, hold in front and they are usually taken. In god know haw amny yaers i've never had a problem. Some of the more difficult mantids will only take flie, i.e. violins, however most will happly take crickets.

Like others have said i would just keep it on paper towls rather then a loose substrate.

I did try with the tweezers and just can't get a grip, losing a few on the carpet, any idea what I'm doing wrong?
As for the substrate, could I use something more attractive? Like Astroturf?

 

[Spikebrit]

I did try with the tweezers and just can't get a grip, losing a few on the carpet, any idea what I'm doing wrong?
As for the substrate, could I use something more attractive? Like Astroturf?

You could you asttrturf if you want. It just measn the food can't hide.

Get some better tongs/tweezers i use 8 inch kinked metal tweezers. Just pick up the cricket in your fingers, put its head/abdomin/whatever in the tweexer leaving enough accesable for the mantid, and then hold it there for mantid.

simples
Jay

 

[The Rook]

My Flower Mantis takes Fruit Flies at the moment, I throw in wuite a few every couple of days & she munches away perfectly well. I have had to feed her crickets on a couple of occassions (it was all I hd at the time) so I twezer fed them by the hind legs, brushed them against the twig in front of the mantis to induce movement, droped them in front of her & she snatched them up right away.
I suggest you remove all the substrate until you're giving a foodsource which isn't so small it can hide away (locust, moths e.t.c.)

 

[Devi]

Ok, well after my worrying, I put another micro cricket in today and she hunted it down, now happily munching away. She's decided not to kill it but instead to eat all it's legs first, how gruesome. Poor cricket. Happy she's eating now though.

 

[emma-marie]

I've kept several sphodromantis lineola and they're absolute machines.

I fed them in the winter on crix - never had a problem.

Fed them in the summer on spiders, bees, flies - and especially butterflies.

God did they love butterflies.

Tell you, in the insect world, the Mantis is king. I put in housespiders bigger than the mantis itself and they lasted seconds at most.#

----- GazzyG on emma_maries account, forgot to log her out, haha.

 

[topov001]

I've always fed my mantis micro crickets and never had a problem. ive also thrown the odd small spider or fly in.... didnt think about butterflys and moths... but they'll be going in now too.

 

[GazzyG]

I've always fed my mantis micro crickets and never had a problem. ive also thrown the odd small spider or fly in.... didnt think about butterflys and moths... but they'll be going in now too.

Yeah, they love them.

Particularly Cabbage Whites etc, in the summer/autumn - I think the big, flappy wings make them really easy to catch.