# alternate grub for mantids?



## sk8erkho (Jan 24, 2007)

I remember Reading thread a while back that a member fed his mantid table food. Is it the same principle with table food, mantid knowing what to eat. While I was hand feeding my L3 my nephew, 7yrs old comes over and drops a small piece of corn bread in from of her and she began to nibble t it. Is there a food like starch for example which may prove detrimental to a mantis's health and digestion?


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## OGIGA (Jan 29, 2007)

I just gave my mantis a small piece of an *egg *that I ate earlier. Seems like he/she is enjoying it.

By the way, if the food isn't live, put it up to the mantis' mouth. If it likes it, it'll take it. If you are feeding it an insect, puncture or crush part of it so the juices will come out before giving it to the mantis. And yes, it may get really scared at first if you put something in its mouth.


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## OGIGA (Jan 29, 2007)

The mantis threw it away. I guess it doesn't like my cooking.


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## sk8erkho (Jan 31, 2007)

Yeah. the weird thing is my nephew was eating this corn muffin and he just put the crumb on his little finger with the mantis on the opposite finger and put ir to his mouth and he chopmed away on it. I was a lilttle concerned because I felt like just because it's eating it does not mean it's good for it. But, i'll try it and seem what happens. I have just read different threads about members feeding their mantises hot dogs and hamburger etc.

Regards!

Khori


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## jfmantis (May 4, 2007)

*Apple*. I have four L1 _Stagmomantis californica_ (california mantis) nymphs. they have lots of food in their cage but were not eating it. I had read elsewhere on this site about how they would eat apple, so i put a couple little slices of apple in the cage. About half an hour later I come back and what do you know. The little mantis is digging into the apple. I don't know if it gives them everything they need, but it gives them sugar and water certainly. Apples are also easier to find than some of the other mantis foods. Every grocery store probably sells apples.


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## OGIGA (May 5, 2007)

How funny! Maybe something with lots of protein will benefit it more.


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## captainmerkin (May 5, 2007)

just as long as its not humous or couscous


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## Rick (May 5, 2007)

> *Apple*. I have four L1 _Stagmomantis californica_ (california mantis) nymphs. they have lots of food in their cage but were not eating it. I had read elsewhere on this site about how they would eat apple, so i put a couple little slices of apple in the cage. About half an hour later I come back and what do you know. The little mantis is digging into the apple. I don't know if it gives them everything they need, but it gives them sugar and water certainly. Apples are also easier to find than some of the other mantis foods. Every grocery store probably sells apples.


This was probably because the mantis sensed the moisture on the apple. Mantids don't eat anything but insects in the wild. But if you put stuff up to their mouth they may take a bite.


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## Ben.M (May 5, 2007)

I know that mantids will eat banana because of its high potassium content


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## babynik14 (May 5, 2007)

mine just ate some turkey lol!! not very much but she definetly ate some.. i only tried cause i was reading in here ahaa


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis (May 6, 2007)

I guess if they are hungry and due to their curiousity they will try anything..!


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## OGIGA (May 6, 2007)

Turkey probably isn't bad. It sure has a lot of protein.


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## Peekaboo (May 7, 2007)

I had cake frosting on my finger once, while handling a mantis. The little guy went crazy for it.


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## AFK (May 9, 2007)

> The mantis threw it away. I guess it doesn't like my cooking.


lolUR A HORRIBLE COOK! U SUCK!! if you can't even cook for a mantis, how do you expect to cook for ur kidz?!

:lol:


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## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 6, 2007)

I saw a video of someone feeding a banana to thier orchid. It seemed to enjoy it.

I think I might try apple with my little ghosts.


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## asdsdf (Oct 7, 2007)

I'm not sure exactly that the mantis actually know the nutritional value of a bannana. :lol: 

People can feed their mantis fish, lizards, and all of these other things. I guess it's okay, as long as their aren't any side effects. (Although oily foods may not be good. (Eggs are oily, aren't they?))

My Nigerians hate bannana. Touch it once, and they jump away.


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## Mantida (Oct 7, 2007)

asdsdf said:


> I'm not sure exactly that the mantis actually know the nutritional value of a bannana. :lol: People can feed their mantis fish, lizards, and all of these other things. I guess it's okay, as long as their aren't any side effects. (Although oily foods may not be good. (Eggs are oily, aren't they?))
> 
> My Nigerians hate bannana. Touch it once, and they jump away.


I've fed my chinese mantid a small gecko before, but that was because I was desperately in needs of food... he seemed to enjoy it. :blink: 

I think salt is also bad for a mantis but I have yet to prove this. In the past when one of my mantids started eating some chick-fil-a chicken sandwich meat, her waste was white instead of brown. I don't know if salt affects digestion or not. Or maybe like asdsdf said, the oil wasn't good for the mantis. Either way I stopped feeding cooked things to my mantids after that.

I've tried raw foods a long time ago (what is with me and trying to feed my mantids weird things? :mellow: ) like sea bass and raw chicken. Raw stuff doesn't work unless your mantis is an adult, because the younger ones tend to have a bit of trouble with chewing the meat (since it is rather globular and compressed if any of you guys know what I mean). I heard chicken liver was less compressed and easier to eat for a mantis but I haven't tried it yet and don't think I will in the near future. :lol: If one of you guys wants to experiment with it please let me know your results!

And btw, be careful with feeding fruits like apples and bananas to your mantids since they may contain pesticides!  I would go for organic.


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## OGIGA (Oct 7, 2007)

Maybe the chicken sandwich was white meat so the waste was also white.


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## asdsdf (Oct 7, 2007)

OGIGA said:


> Maybe the chicken sandwich was white meat so the waste was also white.


My mantids poop pink poopies when eating fruitflies, and black when eating flies. :blink:


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