# Easiest Food



## TySAAAN (Sep 2, 2012)

I say the mealworms. Pop a potato slice and refrigerate.


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## brancsikia339 (Sep 2, 2012)

crickets or fruitflies

just feed them and give them the water meal

fruitflies are already taken care of for life


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## TySAAAN (Sep 2, 2012)

brancsikia339 said:


> crickets or fruitflies
> 
> just feed them and give them the water meal
> 
> fruitflies are already taken care of for life


But don't alot of the crickets get loose? And how big of a cage do you need to keep it in?


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## sueb4653 (Sep 2, 2012)

I find flies and crickets have been the best for me, flies I dont need to stun with the front open enclosures just open the door open the container and let a bunch fly in

crickets I have had a few get loose but it is usually from me dropping them not getting loose from container

I have had more fruit flies than anything else get loose from trying to get from one container to the next


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## TySAAAN (Sep 2, 2012)

sueb4653 said:


> I find flies and crickets have been the best for me, flies I dont need to stun with the front open enclosures just open the door open the container and let a bunch fly in
> 
> crickets I have had a few get loose but it is usually from me dropping them not getting loose from container
> 
> I have had more fruit flies than anything else get loose from trying to get from one container to the next


How big is the container you keep them in? and what is it?


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## sueb4653 (Sep 2, 2012)

its just a container like this one


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## TySAAAN (Sep 2, 2012)

sueb4653 said:


> its just a container like this one


I heard they could get out of the cage by climbing onto the plastic. Also you don't separate the big ones from the small ones?


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## sueb4653 (Sep 2, 2012)

I haven't had any trouble with escapees from this container and I have 2containers one for large and one for small. Seems to work for me


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## Rick (Sep 2, 2012)

Mealworms may be easy, but they're a poor choice for mantids.


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## TySAAAN (Sep 2, 2012)

Whats the best by the way?


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## patrickfraser (Sep 2, 2012)

Blue bottles are easy. Just hatch and feed off. I keep mine and feed them up with honey, but some people just throw the pupae in the enclosure and have them hatch into a mantis treat.


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## Krissim Klaw (Sep 3, 2012)

Crickets are the easiest staple diet to me. I have a breeder tank going and I produce more crickets than I need. I have my ten gallon set up with them at the moment. I like a proper tank because the walls are high enough you can get in there, and do things without worrying about escapees.

All time easiest feeders in my opinion would be waxworms. You don't need to feed them, store them in the fridge until use, and I can get them at a local pet store so I don't need to order anything in. I use them as a treat to add in some variety along with things I can catch outside.


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## TySAAAN (Sep 3, 2012)

Hmm. Have you tried the trick where you put tape at some point? They say that the crickets can't climb/stick so they fall


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 3, 2012)

I have had a life long fear/disgust of crickets.

Especially the cave crickets from your basement.

AhhHHHHhhh!

But I have bought them, and offered them but none of my guys have eaten crickets or meal worms.

Not interested.


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 3, 2012)

roaches with forceps!


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 3, 2012)

never seen a cave cricket, will see if I can find a cave later today to crawl around in.


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## sueb4653 (Sep 3, 2012)

hibiscusmile said:


> roaches with forceps!


cant get my head around roaches ewwww


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## petoly (Sep 3, 2012)

I second the roaches nice juicy and super nutritious


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## Krissim Klaw (Sep 3, 2012)

TySAAAN said:


> Hmm. Have you tried the trick where you put tape at some point? They say that the crickets can't climb/stick so they fall


Won't they get stuck to the tap? Not to mention all the other stuff that will get stuck to the tape. That just sounds messy. Besides, crickets don't climb up slick surfaces like glass or plastic. If they are getting out it is because they can jump and reach the top. Tape won't prevent that.


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## TySAAAN (Sep 3, 2012)

No, the sticky side is stuck to the cage. And my friends crickets can climb glass.Maybe they are super crickets!


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## petoly (Sep 3, 2012)

You need to use the glossy packaging tape. I use vaselline though. It works much better. Just smear a thin layer around the top inner sides of the bin. Reapply if it dries out. Quick simple barrier. Not super messy either


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 3, 2012)

That means the glass is dirty if they can climb it, crickets can't climb smooth clean surfaces.

I agree with Patrick flies are easy to keep and I've never seen a mantis that won't eat them, but some won't eat crix or roaches like most flower mantis and some others as well.


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## brancsikia339 (Sep 3, 2012)

Rick said:


> Mealworms may be easy, but they're a poor choice for mantids.


Agreed. They never provide enough nutrients


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## Krissim Klaw (Sep 3, 2012)

angelofdeathzz said:


> That means the glass is dirty if they can climb it, crickets can't climb smooth clean surfaces.


This, I have never had any of my crickets be able to climb up slick surfaces. Even with all the sticks I have in the cage for perching areas, I still rarely have an escapee. Not like an escaped cricket is even that big of a deal. They are easy to catch.


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