# Easiest way to feed nymphs



## TheKrempist (Jan 2, 2014)

OK so I have heard multiple things. I have heard hanging meat on a string, catching fruit flies. 

The meat seems the easiest, but also seems too simple to work + isnt an insect.

The fruit flies seems great and easy enough, but its winter here. I also cant imagine how to get the fruit flies out in the cage without having some escape somehow. and I hate fruitflies running free in my house. 

Can someone help me out here?


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## Extrememantid (Jan 2, 2014)

TheKrempist said:


> OK so I have heard multiple things. I have heard hanging meat on a string, catching fruit flies.
> 
> The meat seems the easiest, but also seems too simple to work + isnt an insect.
> 
> ...


Buy a fruit fly culture online.. The don't fly if you buy them. And don't do the meat thing


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## kingmatt (Jan 2, 2014)

put a banana in the bottome of a cup put syran wrap over and poke tiny holes in it


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## Vlodek (Jan 2, 2014)

Just like Extrememantid said buy a flightless culture of fruit flies. Since their wings are reduced they can't fly. If there are any flies that escape you can easily hunt them down. :gun_bandana:


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## Extrememantid (Jan 2, 2014)

Vlodek said:


> Just like Extrememantid said buy a flightless culture of fruit flies. Since their wings are reduced they can't fly. If there are any flies that escape you can easily hunt them down. :gun_bandana:


Lol yea it's pretty easy


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## Extrememantid (Jan 2, 2014)

kingmatt said:


> put a banana in the bottome of a cup put syran wrap over and poke tiny holes in it


That's for a treat.. Not a stable diet


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## Falconerguy (Jan 2, 2014)

Extrememantid said:


> That's for a treat.. Not a stable diet


I believe he was talking about a way to catch fruit flies


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## TheKrempist (Jan 2, 2014)

Ok good a meal and a treat too! Sounds like a plan. I am glad I asked.
Im not quite picturing the bannana though. They will crawl down into the cup to ea it? Will they really eat bannana?


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## Extrememantid (Jan 2, 2014)

TheKrempist said:


> Ok good a meal and a treat too! Sounds like a plan. I am glad I asked.
> 
> Im not quite picturing the bannana though. They will crawl down into the cup to ea it? Will they really eat bannana?


They won't go for it.. You have to put it up to their mouths lol.. So yea fruit flies are the best meal for young nymphs


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## Ranitomeya (Jan 3, 2014)

Flightless and wingless fruitflies are the easiest to obtain and maintain a culture of. Do not use meat--it's a source of complex proteins foreign to mantids.
Alternatively, you can use pinhead crickets and crickets small enough for the nymphs to handle or use small feeder roaches.

Fruit flies are easy to manage during feeding once you get the hang of it. Tap the container of fruit flies to get them off the sides and the lid before you open the container, then quickly tip the container and tap out a manageable number of fruit flies into a second container to parse out amongst your nymphs or tap them directly into the container with your nymphs. Do not give them too many--large amounts of fruit flies will crawl on your nymphs and stress them out. If you're worried about escapes, you can feed them in your bathroom in the shower or bath tub and have a handheld vacuum on hand to get any fruit flies that escape.


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## Rick (Jan 4, 2014)

If you're unwilling to use fruitflies you are likely in the wrong hobby.


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## TheKrempist (Jan 23, 2014)

I decided to go with pinhead crickets. They are the only thing available in my area. I will probably buy some flightless ff online. 

Only 15 nymphs came out of my eggs though. Weird. ... also I had some water in the bottom half of the tank from a cup that I put a paper towel in to humidify it. So half of the floor was water and it just happened to be the half they all wanted to jump off into. I was staring at all of the dead nymphs feeling really sad and horrible when I saw one raise it's abdomen in a final attempt and then exhausted, didn't move. I rushed to get a paper towel and scooped him up. I saved it's life! (Ignoring that I caused the problem...kinda) And so I named him Hardcore . 

He seemed to love the banana that I put in while i went to go buy the crickets, but I haven't seen him go for the crickets. Maybe he does when I'm not looking because he is that hardcore.


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## RocknessMonster (Jan 24, 2014)

They have flightless flies at Petsmart and Petco, typically they want them off of the shelves, so instead of the 10 bucks, it'll be 5 bucks and some change.


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## devetaki9 (Jan 29, 2014)

Currently I have cultures of melanogaster and hydei, waxworms, superworms, mealworms and crickets for my nymphs through all stages. Fruit flies will die eventually, that's minimal.

If you're gonna have these little guys have the required food for them, just my humble opinion


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## [email protected] (Feb 27, 2014)

I've had nymphs for 3 days now and they won't eat the fruit fries. I'm thinking of organic sodium free cat food chicken gravy as a last ditch effort, since that is what their mom ate, as she had bad legs and hated water. It worked for her. I just don't know why my babies don't want to eat? A couple are trying, but failing.

How long can they go without eating?


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## Extrememantid (Feb 28, 2014)

[email protected] said:


> I've had nymphs for 3 days now and they won't eat the fruit fries. I'm thinking of organic sodium free cat food chicken gravy as a last ditch effort, since that is what their mom ate, as she had bad legs and hated water. It worked for her. I just don't know why my babies don't want to eat? A couple are trying, but failing.
> 
> How long can they go without eating?


Too large maybe?


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## peterandersen (Mar 1, 2014)

Fruit flies is really the best way to go at instar 1, buy a culture online, if you find it expensive you can very easy create your own culture from the one you bough.

I make all my flies myself only because I cant buy them. The price a culture can be bought for now is so low that I would not bother to make them my self if I could buy them.

It do though give the hobby a bit of a kick when everything is homemade ;-)


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