# How many times should a mantis be fed a week?



## Insect-lover (Jan 16, 2011)

Exactly what the title says, how many times should they be fed?

From nymphs to adult, stages, i want to know for these 2 species, The chinese praying mantis and the Budwig mantis if you can!

Thanks!


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## dgerndt (Jan 16, 2011)

I feed my Chinese every other day or so. That would be 3-5 times a week. That's usually the standard for mantis feeding.


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## Insect-lover (Jan 16, 2011)

Deby said:


> I feed my Chinese every other day or so. That would be 3-5 times a week. That's usually the standard for mantis feeding.


Same for the nymphs?


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## dgerndt (Jan 16, 2011)

Yup, pretty much. I just tap a bunch of fruit flies into their deli cup (or whatever I'm keeping the nymphs in) and add more whenever I see most fruit flies are gone/dead. Which is every couple days.

You don't want to do that with crickets, though. Only one or two at a time for those. They can harrass and even kill and eat your mantis!


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## hibiscusmile (Jan 16, 2011)

The nymphs need to be watered and fed every day until adult. The adult females can be fed every day, try not to over feed her, but do give water to. The males need a drink every day and can be fed every other day is they appear to eat when fed, if not, try just three times a week.


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## Insect-lover (Jan 16, 2011)

Thanks alot.


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## cuervo (Jan 16, 2011)

Love these place you learn so much :lol:


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## Rick (Jan 17, 2011)

I feed most mantids every other day. A good gauge is how plump the abdomen is. It should not be thin and it shouldn't look like bursting. Keep it somewhere in the middle. I feed gravid females daily.


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## PhilinYuma (Jan 17, 2011)

Yeah, like Rick., i don't like to overfeed and suspect that a lot of gastric disorders mentioned here are due to just that. Breakdown of proteinaceous waste is a much more energy-consuming process in insects, who produce uric acid as a waste product. than it is in animals like mamals that excrete urea.

In David Yager's mantis lab, "twice a week, each mantis housed individually receives the amount of prey it can consume in one to two days" (Prete Book, p.314). Among the few exceptions to this are adult females who are fed heavily prior to mating and after laying an ooth.


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## PeterF (Jan 18, 2011)

I follow a lazy example of Phil's suggestion.

What's important about Phil's suggestion, things like it, and also Rick's method of balancing the plumpness is that they account for variables.

The two big ones.

1: Molting (they may stop eating just before the molt). Granted Phil's suggestion requires vigilance, you don't want feeders to disturb the molting mantid.

2: Prey size. I don't know, but I assume that multiple moderate feedings per week is better than one huge thankscricket. But what's important to keep in mind here is sometimes the mantids get bigger but their food doesn't. So your meal plan needs to be flexible.

You'll get the hang of it. And it's actually easier starting out with tiny nymphs. Just let them eat fruit flies to their pleasure. As they get bigger, they get a work out catching the tiny flies for just a snack!



Seriously though. Just listen to the suggestions in this thread and be conscious of the possibilities of over and under feeding. If you keep those in mind while considering the suggestions here you will steer yourself fine. And a little temporary over or under feeding won't hurt if it's short term and not excessive. It's an easy to find balance.


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## nebrakacinese (Jan 20, 2011)

I'm pretty new to the game but,subadults or adults I feed every other day unless it's a gravid female.The ghost nymps I have now I put ffs twice a day as they really munch on them ,and so food is continuesally there for them.I'm a newbie but I pay close attention to what I read here.


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