# Feeding in the dark



## Orin (Sep 9, 2012)

Anyone have experiences with mantids eating at night time or in the dark?


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## Mime454 (Sep 9, 2012)

PatrickFraser sent me a cup full of nymphs that had a lot of Hydei in it when they were shipped. None were left upon arrival, and there was only one dead one on the bottom.


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## hierodula (Sep 9, 2012)

Well, im sure they do it, as there are still plenty of insects at night. Although I have seen I vid, although i dont quite remember where, it may have been set up, as the mantids eyes were still green, and not dark brown-black as they become in the night.


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## kotomi (Sep 9, 2012)

hierodula said:


> Well, im sure they do it, as there are still plenty of insects at night. Although I have seen I vid, although i dont quite remember where, it may have been set up, as the mantids eyes were still green, and not dark brown-black as they become in the night.


It might not have been staged...

I hatched an ootheca of tenodera sinensis, and some of my mantises eyes do not ever turn dark. I even have one who has one eye that darkens and one eye that does not. I'm not sure if this is some kind of defect, but my mantises still appear to keep hunting in the dark... even the ones who have eyes that don't ever darken. so who knows... but many times I put food in their houses right before bed that disappear long before it ever starts to get bright outside the next day (I have to wake up ridiculously early for my job, so I'm up long before the sun all too often).


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 9, 2012)

I have a H. multispina female who ate a grasshopper last night while I slept.


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## aNisip (Sep 9, 2012)

Yes, at night I placed an adult male dubia in ny tenodera girls tank and I went to sleep; 2 min later I hear a lot of commotion and turn on the light and she is munching on him....


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## Paradoxica (Sep 9, 2012)

I just got a package a few days ago that had been lost in the mail for 2 weeks! Inside there was just one living mantis and probably 5 dead bodies (there were originally 15 mantises) and a bunch of legs littering the bottom.

:-(

So yes they will definitely feed in complete darkness.


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## brancsikia339 (Sep 9, 2012)

my tenodera girls eat crickets at night and my idolos eat flies during the night


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## sueb4653 (Sep 9, 2012)

Paradoxica said:


> I just got a package a few days ago that had been lost in the mail for 2 weeks! Inside there was just one living mantis and probably 5 dead bodies (there were originally 15 mantises) and a bunch of legs littering the bottom.
> 
> :-(
> 
> So yes they will definitely feed in complete darkness.


ewww talk about survival of the fitess


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## MandellaMandy123 (Sep 9, 2012)

kotomi said:


> It might not have been staged...
> 
> I hatched an ootheca of tenodera sinensis, and some of my mantises eyes do not ever turn dark. I even have one who has one eye that darkens and one eye that does not. I'm not sure if this is some kind of defect, but my mantises still appear to keep hunting in the dark... even the ones who have eyes that don't ever darken. so who knows... but many times I put food in their houses right before bed that disappear long before it ever starts to get bright outside the next day (I have to wake up ridiculously early for my job, so I'm up long before the sun all too often).


 Yes I have some mantids who never get dark, and some who instantly get dark.Mine feed in the dark all the time!


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## mutrok4040 (Sep 9, 2012)

sueb4653 said:


> ewww talk about survival of the fitess


I dont think its gross... its just grossly violent and sad Hope u get replacements Paradoxica


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## Paradoxica (Sep 9, 2012)

mutrok4040 said:


> I dont think its gross... its just grossly violent and sad
> 
> Hope u get replacements Paradoxica


I think that the seller is going to make things right.

At least I know that the one I've got is a survivor at heart.


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## jebbewocky (Sep 9, 2012)

I keep all my critters in the closet, including my mantid. I threw two dubia in for her, and they were gone the next day.


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## psyconiko (Sep 9, 2012)

Deroplatys lobata feeds in the dark.


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 11, 2012)

OMG! They need to eat? That's what I've been doing wrong? But they do seem to do it when I crack a glow stick...


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## aNisip (Sep 11, 2012)

angelofdeathzz said:


> OMG! They need to eat? That's what I've been doing wrong? But they do seem to do it when I crack a glow stick...


+1 ....sooo true!


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 11, 2012)

I do give them infrared goggles at night but they don't remember to turn them off, so the batteries die, is that normal?


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## aNisip (Sep 11, 2012)

I got the Nite7000 goggles for my mantids...it comes wIth a sensor to automatically detect when it is day/night so they turn on/off in their own...


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## Crazy4mantis (Sep 11, 2012)

I have trained my mantids to open the cage and hit the light switch when they get hungry.


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Sep 12, 2012)

Crazy4mantis said:


> I have trained my mantids to open the cage and hit the light switch when they get hungry.


I thought i was the only one!

Sometimes the L1's have trouble with this....


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## Chivalry (Oct 5, 2012)

I have the feeling that some of mine actually prefer to hunt in the dark, or at least at night.


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## Rick (Oct 5, 2012)

I believe they can see in low light conditions. But in total darkness I think a prey item would have to bump into them for them to grab it.


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## Bug Trader (Oct 5, 2012)

I would think that feedings in complete darkness like a shipping box would be a defensive strike based on the possible shipping stress and natural reactions to anything getting bumped into in the dark. I have watched this happen . Thats one reason I try and ship each mantid even nymphs in their own cups.in viv with infared lights and most of it seems to be defensive attacks over hunting.


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## petoly (Oct 5, 2012)

my metalyticus eat at night. they hardly move during the day. I have only seen one eat once in day time and it's almost because I made him. Every morning I find them fat. they are definite night hunters.


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## angelofdeathzz (Oct 5, 2012)

I feed my mantis almost everyday when I get home from work, L2-3 get one BB each L4-6 get 2-3 each and adults get 3-6 each per day depending on the species and even with that much food they still grab them up and eat everything before the lights go out as a rule, if any are left in a multi mantis enclosure they're gone in the morning, so I know they eat at night but I don't think thats their preferred eating schedule?


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## fleurdejoo (Oct 6, 2012)

It's pitch black in their room, I have turned the light on more then once to my Lobata eating a fly.

I believe the Idolo's as well.


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