# Young Orchids food?



## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

I just got three tiny orchids, but I don’t have any food for them. I got some D hydei culture, but due to the 16 days the package was in shipping (delays and all that) I was left with three very hungry orchids and no food for them. I started with some honey water, and a bit of Dubia guts.

what would be the best alternate food source for them? I have a L3 female, and two L5 males.


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## Synapze (Jul 21, 2018)

If you don't have access to hydei, you may need to do it the old fashioned way... a bug hunt.

When's the last time they had a good meal?


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## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

@Synapze

yea, that’s what I’ve been doing. The issue is that they’re so small, and there’s not a whole lot of tiny food options. I tried some tiny green crickets, but they’re even a bit too big. 

They were in shipping 16 days, and as soon as I opened them up, I gave them some water, honey, and some Dubia innards. They are a little, but not enough to fill them up, I don’t think. I’ll attach a blurry picture so you can see. Their abdomens are a bit flat, the one in the picture Ute is the worst. I’m hunting for more food today, but it is raining, so it’s a little challenging. 

here’s true pic:


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## Synapze (Jul 21, 2018)

16 days in shipping! Holy cow. I'm tagging @Predatorhousepet @River Dane on this one. They have much more experience with feeding issues than I do. I was going to suggest ordering a melanogaster fruit fly culture ASAP, since mantids can survive a couple of weeks without food, but in this case I think your need is more immediate. You probably won't have to wait too long for a response.


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## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

I know. It was supposed to be no more than 9 days, and he sent me some fly culture as well, but they got lost or something in shipping, and they were delayed. The fly culture was... let’s just say expired. They are very lively, however, so I think I have a little time, but I obviously want to get it done as soon as I can.


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## Mantis Lady (Jul 21, 2018)

They are indeed very small. you can cut the cricket in 2 pieces mabye they can eat from that. Hold it under your mantis mouth with tweezers, I think they will be eating dircetly when they taste the goo what in cricket body.


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## MantisGirl13 (Jul 21, 2018)

@ausar318 Do you have a pet store near you? Sometimes they have fruit flies. Good luck!


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## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

There are three stores near me, but I’ve checked, and they only sell crickets and mealworms. I think I’ll order some online.


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## Synapze (Jul 21, 2018)

Do you plan to culture your own fruit flies?


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## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

Once I am able to get some, that is my plan. I was going to culture them from the same individual who sold me the orchids, but they perished in shipping


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## Predatorhousepet (Jul 21, 2018)

Even 9 days in shipping is excessive. Most breeders will only ship overnight or 2 day mail. I am extremely surprised one would think 9 days in shipping is ok. Do you live in the US, your profile says Indiana. If so there are many places you can buy hydei cultures and have them shipped to you overnight or 2-day Priority mail. Try mantisplace.com, she sells a wide variety of different types of feeders &amp; is always prompt to ship. Although if you place the order today it probably won't arrive until Tuesday for overnight or Wednesday for Priority and you do need to feed them sooner than that. 

As for the size of prey my L5 males and L3 female orchids were able to eat houseflies with no trouble. You might be surprised the size of prey they can handle if you leave them alone to hunt. See if you can catch some houseflies or you can also try trapping your own wild fruit flies if the houseflies really are too big. If all you have is larger prey cut them up into smaller chunks then feed with tweezers. Make sure to expose the bug guts and touch the guts to the mantis's mouth and this will usually trigger them to start eating. They might eventually try to take the piece from you but if not just hold it to their mouth for them while they eat. Once they get enough food in them to plump their abdomens up they will be fine not to eat again for another 3 days and that will give you time to get some feeders ordered and on their way. Besides being able to order hydei from mantisplace.com you can also order housefly pupae and stable fly pupae which is in between ff &amp; house fly in size to see which size is most appropriate.


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## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

Thanks @Predatorhousepet

Ive been able to feed one of the males, and the female is eating some wild-caught prey by herself. The other male wasn’t strong enough to eat anything, so it passed. I am going to get some cultures from a pet store on Monday, and until then, I’m catching food wild.


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## Predatorhousepet (Jul 21, 2018)

ausar318 said:


> Thanks @Predatorhousepet
> 
> Ive been able to feed one of the males, and the female is eating some wild-caught prey by herself. The other male wasn’t strong enough to eat anything, so it passed. I am going to get some cultures from a pet store on Monday, and until then, I’m catching food wild.


I am sorry to hear you lost one but that is probably not anything you did wrong, after 16 days in shipping with no food I am surprised any of them even arrived alive. Good that you were able to get some food in the other two, hopefully they will be ok.


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## ausar318 (Jul 21, 2018)

Yeah, I’m really hoping so. The two seem to be doing fine, especially after I gave them some water. I only ordered two, and I got an extra, so I’m upset, but not too much, since I didn’t end up paying for it anyway.


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## Predatorhousepet (Jul 22, 2018)

Breeders often include an extra for that very reason, shipping is highly stressful and some die even being sent overnight,  nevermind 9 or 16 days.

It sounds like your other two might be ok, having an appetite &amp; drinking is a good sign. Keep us updated if anything changes.


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## Mantis Lady (Jul 22, 2018)

I hope the others keep eating and survive. They have already showed the will to live. 16 days  without food is very long. (don't know how long a mantis can be out of food.)


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## MantisGirl13 (Jul 22, 2018)

I am glad that you got food into some of them, but I am sad that you lost one    Try this: Tonight, hang up a white sheet outside, and put a strong light behind it. Moths of all sizes will gather there, and you can pick them off the sheet with a tissue gently and put them in the mantis cage.

- MantisGirl13


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## ausar318 (Jul 22, 2018)

Update:

after last night,  the male seems to be doing just fine. I woke up at 4:30 this morning, just to check on him. When I turned the light on, he immediately started moving around. I took him out, and tried feeding him. He instantly started eating on the guts I gave him. 

Everything seems to be doing better at this point, thanks for the help so far!

Heres a pic:


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## Mantis Lady (Jul 22, 2018)

Good to see him eat on the pic?


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## ausar318 (Jul 22, 2018)

Here’s another pic. He’s moved around a lot today!


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## MantisGirl13 (Jul 22, 2018)

He looks happy and fat. Good job!

- MantisGirl13


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## ausar318 (Jul 22, 2018)

Thanks @MantisGirl13

im going to take your advice with the sheet idea. The thing is, though, it’s been raining every evening for the past couple nights. But as soon as it stops, I’ll definitely give it a shot.


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## ausar318 (Jul 25, 2018)

Update (probably final) 

both mantids are are doing great, the female is still very healthy and active, and catching her own food. 

The male, on the other hand, is still very keen on me feeding him. I was able to catch some flies/moths, but he isn’t even interested. He only eats the food that I give him, which I think is adorable. He’s doing great, though. I am very excited, because today, he used his claws to grab the toothpick I use to feed him. It might not sound like anything important, but he hadn’t been moving his raptorals since I got him, and seeing him strike at his prey is very reassuring. I was beginning to believe that he lost the ability to move his claws  

heres a pic of him holding the toothpick as he’s eating:


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## Predatorhousepet (Jul 25, 2018)

Great to hear they are doing well and that the male has started to grab at his "prey." He may eventually take whole or cut up insects from you if you offer with tweezers or feeding tongs.

I have a couple of mantids that prefer to be hand fed rather than catching prey themselves but they will hunt if they get hungry enough.


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## Mantis Lady (Jul 25, 2018)

Good to see they are both doing fine.  It is cute seeing the male eat from tooth pick on the picture.


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## MantisGirl13 (Jul 27, 2018)

So cute. You did a good job.

- MantisGirl13


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