# -Siverfish Like Mantis Food? Is Fine?



## CockroachYet (Nov 3, 2006)

-Hello all, what is your opinion about using Silverfish (a primitive species of insect frequently find within indoors)??

-They are capable of changing their colour from silver to dark brown depending of the light of the ambient, and theymay liberating a type of "dust" (which are their scales) maybe like a type of defensive tactic, but I dont think about these is dangerous for mantids.

-Also appear to be really easy of culturing it.

-Have you some experience feeding mantids with these insects? and actually you using them like food for mantis?

-Best regards, Roberto.


----------



## Rick (Nov 3, 2006)

I find them in my house and if I can catch them they become mantid food. I have fed them to my mantids many times without any problems. Go ahead and serve em up.


----------



## CockroachYet (Nov 6, 2006)

-Rick: thank you for reply. So I will try for culturing them using the method descripted in the book "Live Food" by Schmidth et al. for culturing "firebrats" (a near cousin of the silverfish). Best regards.


----------



## Rick (Nov 8, 2006)

Never thought of culturing them. Guess I don't want anymore in the house in case they escape.


----------



## Christian (Nov 8, 2006)

Hi.

Try to culture firebrats. It's the best mantid food ever! Silverfish should be more difficult.

Regards,

Christian


----------



## CockroachYet (Nov 8, 2006)

-Rick &amp; Christian: thank you for reply.

-Unfortunatelly I dont know where I can collecting firebrats here in my country (I need indagate where may habit this species here).

-But here in mexico city silverfish maybe is the most common pest-insect, inclusivelly more common than the typicals pest-roaches. Within buildings and homes where roaches cant be fund, sure can be funding there silverfish (for example in my home are not pest-roaches but yes are here silverfish almost inside any big gap like closets).

-Righ now I have ready for use a heavy duty bucket with vent windows for culturing silverfish (I use these same type of buckets: one for my culture of hisser roaches and one for my Acheta domestica culture). I using petrolatum jelly along windows and borders for avoid some possibles scapes.

-Thank you both for you help. Best regards.


----------



## francisco (Nov 10, 2006)

Hello ALl,

Hola roberto,

When I find silverfish I jus put them on a plastic cup 32oz and put some paper in it, add once in a while some food, so they can eat and leave them alone. you should be able to get them going as it happen to me, without any other efforts.

regards

Fco


----------



## yen_saw (Nov 10, 2006)

I have tried to culture silver fish before, it takes a long time to have an established culture but after than they will keep breeding in massive amount. Dry fish food is probably theur favorite and they do well with it.


----------



## CockroachYet (Nov 10, 2006)

-Francisco &amp; yen_saw: thank you for reply and for the hints for culturing silverfish. I will take advice of these. Best regards. Roberto.


----------

