# Hand Feeding



## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

My mantis refuses to return to the bottom of the cage ever since he reached the top. Do you think that i should put a cricket in my hand and put my hand close to him and see if it catches it and its just him not wanting to be on the bottom of the cage?


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## Mantis_Whisper (Sep 8, 2007)

Mantids like to be on the top on the cage almost all the time. I have mine in a fabric mesh cage so the food just climbs up to them.

I think you could possibly hand feed them if the food can't get up to the top. What kind of cage do you have him in?


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## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

its a like 10 gallon glass tank with a metal top.

likes the hang upside down &gt;_&lt; he has just been walking around the top and watching me play games and post here &gt;_&lt;


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## Mantis_Whisper (Sep 8, 2007)

If you have some branches or plants in there the food should be bale to reach him. If not, just make sure it stays on the screen.

Mantids love to hang upside-down for some reasn. it's funny.  

I take my female chinese out and let her hang out on my laptop. She attacks the videos I watch. :shock:


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## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

I dont have any branches or any thing that are big enough to reach the top or stay still without falling. So thats another reason.

He gives me a hard time when trying to put him back in the cage.


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## Mantis_Whisper (Sep 8, 2007)

You should go in your backyard (if you have one) and look for them. I get most of my sticks from my backyard.

As do mine, but the go back quicker then any of my others.

What type of mantis is he? Do you know his instar or wahtever they call it.


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## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

Uhh i think he might be chineese :?

Not 100% sure though. My brother found him a couple days ago i think its an adult now. I got a peice of bamboo to stay up (i got it from my brothers who have gecko's so they sue bamboo.) the crickets crawl up the hole in the bamboo and exit the other side at the top of fake leaves. My mantid would go for it but i put my fan on low and breeze option so i made artifical wind like i read and he swayed and go it. Not that im sure hes hungry and will eat i just tossed two more crickets in there.

Oddly enough he doesn't try that hard to escape for a wild caught and is very curious in my actions.

EDIT: Ill take some pics with my crappy digicamera since my bro took the good one to Albany. I don't promise quality pics.


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## Andrew (Sep 8, 2007)

Handfeeding works great, but you might want to use some tweasers or something to hold the cricket with.


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## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

Well to name a few recent actions that he did. He crawled down and now refuses to leave his cage. I tried taking him out but he just crawls back into the cage. Hes been watching this cricket for an hour now.

and why tweasers? does he hurt or something if he hits you or something?


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## joossa (Sep 8, 2007)

Keep in mind that crickets are mischievous little things and are known to disturb mantids (to say the least) :twisted: . I say that if your mantis is hungry enough he’ll go for the cricket; but if he’s heck-bent on not coming down, use tweezers to hold the cricket by a leg and hand feed it.

Using tweezers is effective and allows the mantis to get the cricket with a very small chance of it getting away. If by any chance you decide to leave the cricket in there with the mantis, make sure keep a close on them especially if the cricket has nothing to eat...


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## buddhistsoldier88 (Sep 8, 2007)

im guessing the prey is too big. maybe use something that flies if hes wont come down


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## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

He just came down for a bit and ate them but that was because i gave him a cricket and he ate.

Hes just hanging out now.


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## Mantis_Whisper (Sep 8, 2007)

Ohhhh, he's a lazy little bug ain't he?

The bamboo should be fine. What does the mantis look like? Cuase usually Chinese mantises are a brown colour with a ring of green around thier wings.

Careful not to leave too many crickets in there. You might come back to a half eaten mantis. (  It happened to my european.... not fun.) Give him one cricket a day, if you see that he eats them as soon as they go in you might have to throw another in.

My mantises love the top of thier cage too, but they come down often. They also let me take them out. It's weird for a wild mantis to be so calm. I think they just want free food and rent.


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## ShibaTheFox (Sep 8, 2007)

Im not too worried about the crickets hes much bigger then them and im sure if he doesnt want to be bother he can hang out on the top.

The crickets are noobs too they dunno how to escape or protect themself (Atleast the ones my bro buys)

Today i put one in to see if he would eat and he did so i tossed a couple more in he got em both and is looking for more. Unfortuantly there isnt any more in his cage. I dont wanna overfeed him. &gt;_&lt;

EDIT: Then hes not chineese

For a basic discription Hes Green. and has yellow like eyes. Hes about 3-4 inches big. Im not too sure he wont let me get a good pic because he wont come out of the cage.


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## Precious (Sep 8, 2007)

> Im not too worried about the crickets hes much bigger then them and im sure if he doesnt want to be bother he can hang out on the top.The crickets are noobs too they dunno how to escape or protect themself (Atleast the ones my bro buys)
> 
> Today i put one in to see if he would eat and he did so i tossed a couple more in he got em both and is looking for more. Unfortuantly there isnt any more in his cage. I dont wanna overfeed him. &gt;_&lt;
> 
> ...


Worry about crix. They are murderers. If your mantid is a male, he should have wings and if he doesn't, he may be a subadult subject to moulting at which time he'd be murdered. Even if he doesn't moult, crix can gang up. Use moths and flies. You can catch them yourself or order pupae online. Mantids usually prefer them and they're not only fairly safe but will fly up to your guy. I have an old male. He's gotten slow and falls sometimes but if I put a moth in there he perks right up and snares it out midair. :wink: I use crix, but I handfeed ("tweezers", it's just easier) or put in only one crik at a time. I lost a lovely mantid to crix. They are a necessary evil, but watch 'em.


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## Devarin24 (Sep 8, 2007)

actually, i've been doing a lot of research with them ( recently got a mantis myself) and i have found this http://www.mantisplace.com/mantisgeneralsupplies.html

its the second and third one down and most the food can climb on that and get closer to the mantis


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