# The overfeeding issue again



## sk8erkho (Jan 12, 2008)

Today is the first day I decided to add the meal-worms to my mantids diets. Only the pet shop only had the 1 1/2" size. So I cut the head off and my little dudes went to town on them. I noticed the little fatty fats getting a bit too fat. To the point where my Giant Asians red and black weird lines under the abdomen or what ever are like so exposed it almost looks like they are going to pop! So far they are in tact but I remember a member trying an experiment a while ago where he put this theory of overeating to the test. He took pics of the little mantid with his guts or whatever green ooze hanging out. So, my nephews ask do they know when to stop eating, Auntie?? I go , I hope so or else, Squuush!! Anyway, they are just really plump and sweaty like. They ate the entire worm so I don't think they knew to stop and would have kept on going if the worms had been any bigger. Maybe next time I'll have to cut t in half!! Just to be safe!!!


----------



## macro junkie (Jan 12, 2008)

i dont belive it..the mantid will eat untill its stuffed them stop..them Hierodula species can east alot..im gueesing your giant asian looks like mine..mine is so fat the red and black bits on her belly are stuck right out all the time..when she walks to drags her belly its that fat..mine has been adult since november 14th..its been 8 weeks..!!! 8 WEEKS and she hasnt laid an ooth.she needs a mate badley


----------



## Malnra (Jan 12, 2008)

While I am no expert, I would be surprised it they ate until they exploded. Though I have heard that in dogs, Labradors will eat until they cant force anymore food down, which is likely a bad situation. I would not argue with anyone who said a mantis will eat until it pops, I do question that until someone here who breeds them says yes i have seen it happen.


----------



## macro junkie (Jan 12, 2008)

my giant has eat so much this week today she had full size crikct and after eating 1/3 droped it..she wont take any more food shes stuffed..but my guees is she wil want some more tomorow..lol.pics to come.


----------



## Moosashi (Jan 12, 2008)

well, in humans, there is a certain hormone I remember something about, that is not actually released from the brain (pituitary?) until 15-30 minutes of becoming full when eating, so dieticians always advise to eat slowly and sip water to give your body time to feel full so you don't overindulge in food. Maybe mantids don't have any hormone or similar system to tell them to stop eating? Would be interesting to investigate via controls, etc.


----------



## Mantida (Jan 12, 2008)

There have been some cases when mantids overate, I remember one thread reading that someone put their mantis in a cage with flies and went to chop wood. When they came back, the mantis totally overate, threw up and experienced diarrhea for an hour. Later it was okay.

I've never had an experience when one of mine had an internal explosion from eating so much, maybe once. 'Twas a chinese nymph, ate so much that the middle of its abdomen got bent a little sideways, then I stopped feeding and a day later it was fine. That's about it. All mine just drop their food when they are full. Maybe it has something to do with species/age?


----------



## joossa (Jan 12, 2008)

sk8erkho said:


> Today is the first day I decided to add the meal-worms to my mantids diets. Only the pet shop only had the 1 1/2" size. So I cut the head off and my little dudes went to town on them. I noticed the little fatty fats getting a bit too fat. To the point where my Giant Asians red and black weird lines under the abdomen or what ever are like so exposed it almost looks like they are going to pop! So far they are in tact but I remember a member trying an experiment a while ago where he put this theory of overeating to the test. He took pics of the little mantid with his guts or whatever green ooze hanging out. So, my nephews ask do they know when to stop eating, Auntie?? I go , I hope so or else, Squuush!! Anyway, they are just really plump and sweaty like. They ate the entire worm so I don't think they knew to stop and would have kept on going if the worms had been any bigger. Maybe next time I'll have to cut t in half!! Just to be safe!!!


I don't think anything in nature is designed to eat non-stop until it pops, that just goes against evolution and Darwinian principals. I am not saying it's impossible, though... mantids can take in a lot. As a responsible keeper, one should use some degree of moderation.


----------



## sk8erkho (Jan 12, 2008)

joossa said:


> I don't think anything in nature is designed to eat non-stop until it pops, that just goes against evolution and Darwinian principals. I am not saying it's impossible, though... mantids can take in a lot. As a responsible keeper, one should use some degree of moderation.


This is usually the way I handle my mantids, I'm very cautious. As I stated this is my first time feeding them the worms and am trying to decide one how much they are able to handle. Like whether I should cut them in half or is it safe to leave it up to the mantis. Today it is as MJ stated where they are so fatty fat that the red &amp; black segments are just poking out and they drag their abdomens on the floor!! But, all is well they are in good shape!! So no worries!!


----------



## Malnra (Jan 12, 2008)

I toss in a boat load of flys and tiny crickets ... they eat what they want and it saves me from having to feed them daily. I do look in on them and mist every few days, but there is no way i am going to feed them 1 or 2 flys/crickets everyday.


----------



## Rob Byatt (Jan 20, 2008)

mantida said:


> There have been some cases when mantids overate, I remember one thread reading that someone put their mantis in a cage with flies and went to chop wood. When they came back, the mantis totally overate, threw up and experienced diarrhea for an hour. Later it was okay.


Cage ? Flies ? Mantis ? Wood ?! That must be me  

I got totally fed up with people saying that mantids will eat until they explode, so I put the most greedy mantis I keep in a cage with far too many flies just to show what really happens.

If they ate until they popped then there would be exploded mantids everywhere in the wild  












Rob.


----------



## macro junkie (Jan 20, 2008)

i feed my giant so many massive crickets it made her ill rob..well..im not sure if it was that..it could of been a bad cricket?she started oozing green stuff out her bum and she was sick for a bit..shes sort of ok now..i stopped feeding her for now..adult female giant asian


----------



## tier (Jan 20, 2008)

I've never seen a exploding mantis in several years overfeeding them 

Some mantids barf if they are overfed AND kept to cool.

The Cilnia on the picture above looks like she fall down while adult-molting ( Just look at the angle the Thorax and Abdomen build: It is about 90° but should be about 180°!!!)


----------



## macro junkie (Jan 20, 2008)

tier said:


> The Cilnia on the picture above looks like she fall down while adult-molting


its allready adult isnt it?


----------



## tier (Jan 20, 2008)

yes, sure.

Is it "fell" down, not "fall"? Sorry!


----------



## Mantida (Jan 20, 2008)

tier said:


> I've never seen a exploding mantis in several years overfeeding them Some mantids barf if they are overfed AND kept to cool.
> 
> The Cilnia on the picture above looks like she fall down while adult-molting ( Just look at the angle the Thorax and Abdomen build: It is about 90° but should be about 180°!!!)


Maybe she's so fat and her avdomen's so heavy she can't support her abdomen to that 180 degree angle. Kind of funny and sad at the same time.


----------



## tier (Jan 20, 2008)

Yes, possible. But to me this looks like kind of a "too heavy head".


----------



## Rick (Jan 20, 2008)

I too have fed them way too much and never had one explode.


----------



## Orin (Jan 20, 2008)

I lost my last house and one of my daughters to a mantis explosion. It's not something to joke about.

Ok, maybe it is.

It's somewhat harmful to continually feed mantids till they're overly extended but losses due to excess food are the result of a secondary problem.


----------



## Rob Byatt (Jan 20, 2008)

No mismoult happened with that female - the abdomen was just so full of flies that it hung that way  

Scott - she too was sick but was perfectly fine the next day.


----------



## tier (Jan 20, 2008)

Aha, thank you  

So Mantida was right  

regards


----------



## Birdfly (Feb 5, 2008)

I also agree with Rob, they are real eating machines fertile adult females and although they may not gather as much in the wild they still have good days (eg _mantis religiosa_ waiting at entrance to bee hive and stuffing itself obese on bee's) and need to be able to store/ingest there good fortunes.

If they are not hungry for what ever reason they usually knock prey away or move themselves to cover.

The only real danger with such a heavy mantis is that it might fall on to a hard surface and rupture itself if housed inappropriately or handled badly


----------



## macro junkie (Feb 5, 2008)

Rob Byatt said:


> No mismoult happened with that female - the abdomen was just so full of flies that it hung that way  Scott - she too was sick but was perfectly fine the next day.


well mine had green stuff coming out of her bumb..she died 3 days later.could of been dold age..she never laid 1 ooth..3 months at adult.


----------

