# Canned mealworms



## mykey14 (Apr 15, 2012)

Hello all,

All my local pet stores are out of live mealworms so i decided to try something else: Canned mealworms!

I opened the can and they look fine.

Can i feed them to my mantids?

They are farm raised and they smell surprisingly tasty.


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 15, 2012)

Maybe, mealworms aren't the best food source to begin with and the canned are probably not as nutrious as live. The last time I bought canned insects it all molded down 2 days after opening. Cut them in half, sqeeze some juices out, and touch them to the mantid's mandibles and see if it takes it.


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## mykey14 (Apr 15, 2012)

i was wondering if it was safe for them to eat.

i know they'll eat it.


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## CoolMantid (Apr 15, 2012)

The canned mealworms dont move right? It is pretty much a waste of time, it is faster if they hunt it. Dont you agree? Yes, the should not be toxic, but still it can take a while for them to hold the prey that is if they cooperate


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## mykey14 (Apr 15, 2012)

Hertarem45 said:


> The canned mealworms dont move right? It is pretty much a waste of time, it is faster if they hunt it. Dont you agree? Yes, the should not be toxic, but still it can take a while for them to hold the prey that is if they cooperate


if you drop food in front of mantids, moving or not, they will snatch it up.

you have to drop it from above where they cant see and try to make it land right in front of them.

i guess the sudden appearance of food signals to them recent movement so they attack.


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 15, 2012)

Does it work for yours? Dropping food in front of a mantis has never worked for me unless it was an aggressive species like T. sinensis.

Still though, mealworms, especially dead and preserved, don't make very good food sources.


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## Rick (Apr 16, 2012)

mykey14 said:


> if you drop food in front of mantids, moving or not, they will snatch it up.
> 
> you have to drop it from above where they cant see and try to make it land right in front of them.
> 
> i guess the sudden appearance of food signals to them recent movement so they attack.


Generally they see it moving. Mantids don't really recognize a non moving object as food. They don't eat dead organisms. Mealworms are a very poor food choice in the first place and dead ones are even worse.


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## Psychobunny (Apr 16, 2012)

I agree with Rick, mealies are convience food!!

Besides fat, they have little nutients and can not be gut loaded like cricks.

Flies have the remarkable ability to convert decomposing nasty stuff into

nutients and carbohydrates.

So they are good feeders.


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## rs4guy (Apr 16, 2012)

I use freeze dried crix and mealies to my beardie, but not my mantids. I would suggest live crix, mealies, and flies for them as stated.


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## Mvalenz (Apr 16, 2012)

I feed my mantids dead insect on occasion. The other day I had a bunch of flies that died recently. Instead of letting them go to waste I throw a few in with my mantids and tilt the enclosure upside down so the dead flies roll down the side right past the mantis. They think it is alive and crawling. The mantids can not resist and strike right away and diner is served. Both my Idolos and H. Majusculas eat them like this. As long as they haven't been dead for more than a day or so I don't see anything wrong with it. I never tried canned feeders though. Sometimes my mealworms are not moving so much so I move them around with a bamboo skewer. My H. Majusculas don't pay much attention to the skewer just the mealworm and they eat it up. My Idolos don't want anything to do with mealworms.


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## mykey14 (Apr 16, 2012)

well mealies sounded alright for my mantids at first.

crickets kill mantids with their mouths and their stomachs.

havent tried flys yet because id have to give my adults or larger nymphs like 10 - 20 flies plus i have not idea how to raise em.

i like mealworms because they dont smell, they dont bite, super easy to care for, slow moving, large.

they seem like the perfect food source, but now that you guys are saying they are nothing but fat im starting to think about keeping bb flies.

i have absolutely no clue whatsoever on how to begin.

it sounds like a hassle because i have to order the flies pay for shipping, pay for fly food (or whatever they eat), somehow house them, and cross my fingers for no dieoffs.

and now i feel stupid for just now remembering that their is a fly culture tutorial at the top of the food and feeding page :sweatdrop: 

but if anyone has any tips please feel free to share. :helpsmilie:


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## Krissim Klaw (Apr 16, 2012)

Eww canned mealworms doesn't sound very appetizing. I would worry about any of the freeze dried feeders since their would be no moisture in them and the mantises do pull a good portion of their water intake from their food. I am also not a fan of feeding anything that has died. Insect innards seem to rott so quickly and I also find myself questioning if there might have been something off to cause the death in the first place.


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 16, 2012)

mykey14 said:


> well mealies sounded alright for my mantids at first.
> 
> crickets kill mantids with their mouths and their stomachs.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure what species of mantid you have, but you don't need to bother with flies if they are a large species. Though crickets have gotten a bad rap, they aren't THAT bad. If I had nothing but mealworms and crickets to feed my mantids, I'd pick crickets as a staple, without too much regret. The chances of a cricket harming a mantis is VERY, very slim. An experienced adult or large juvie should have no problem catching and immobilizing crickets, and even if bitten, the injuries should not be dire and should heal with the next molt if not an adult. It's more risky with a younger nymph, or especially if you leave crickets in with a mantis who is going to molt. (Which will at that point eat no food) As far as crickets killing mantids with their bacteria, or the black liquid the mantis pukes up after eating one, you shouldn't have to worry about it too much unless you buy storebought crickets or do not keep them in good conditions. You can buy some from the store and keep them clean and well fed off healthy foods, as well as removing frass and the dead. After a week or two they should be more than fine to feed to your mantids. Another option is ordering the crickets from ghann's cricket farm. Apparently, they now carry the newer, somewhat larger, and much more robust and resiliant Gryllus assimilis.


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## Mvalenz (Apr 16, 2012)

mykey14 said:


> well mealies sounded alright for my mantids at first.
> 
> crickets kill mantids with their mouths and their stomachs.
> 
> ...


First off my mantids don't give the crickets enough time to do any damage. They are eaten right away. I would only worry about crix eating my mantids during molts when vulnerable. If I throw a cricket in the enclosure and they don't go after it in a few minutes I take the crick out because it usually means a molt is due.

Secondly; my idolos eat a lot and they are L-5ish and they eat maybe 4 flies per day not 10-20.

Thirdly; I just put fly pupae in a Tupperware container with a hole in the side for a water bottle for extraction. Tupperware has a screen on top for ventilation. I put a drop of honey and spray some water on the screen to feed them. Bottle of honey has last me months and i still have about half a container of honey.

You can ship flies priority and order a lot. Fly pupae is inexpensive. Shipping will cost the most, but not too bad. In addition, you will have dieoffs with any feeders. It just comes with the game.

But when I run out of flies I feed everyone crix. I have never had a problem with crix and any disease. I just bought 1,000 crix from a reptile swap the other day and so far they all look very healthy and don't smell. Dead crix smell, so if they are removed they don't really smell that bad. Just remove them if your mantids are showing signs of molting soon.


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## Rick (Apr 17, 2012)

mykey14 said:


> crickets kill mantids with their mouths and their stomachs.


Funny, I've never seen that. Don't believe everything you read. Crickets are a far better choice (if healthy) than mealworms.


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## mykey14 (Apr 17, 2012)

Rick said:


> Funny, I've never seen that. Don't believe everything you read. Crickets are a far better choice (if healthy) than mealworms.


lol

my friend had a small chinese and a cricket nawed its legs off and chewed through its abdomen, killing it.  

my lil budwing vomited after eating a small cricket from the store.

I ve experienced crickets killing and making mantids sick.

Howa bout roaches?

They seem like nice feeders.

how are they when it comes to caring for them?


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 17, 2012)

mykey14 said:


> lol
> 
> my friend had a small chinese and a cricket nawed its legs off and chewed through its abdomen, killing it.
> 
> ...


I think you need to read through my post again.

I'm not sure what species of mantid you have, but you don't need to bother with flies if they are a large species. Though crickets have gotten a bad rap, they aren't THAT bad. If I had nothing but mealworms and crickets to feed my mantids, I'd pick crickets as a staple, without too much regret. The chances of a cricket harming a mantis is VERY, very slim. An experienced adult or large juvie should have no problem catching and immobilizing crickets, and even if bitten, the injuries should not be dire and should heal with the next molt if not an adult. It's more risky with a younger nymph, or especially if you leave crickets in with a mantis who is going to molt. (Which will at that point eat no food) As far as crickets killing mantids with their bacteria, or the black liquid the mantis pukes up after eating one, you shouldn't have to worry about it too much unless you buy storebought crickets or do not keep them in good conditions. You can buy some from the store and keep them clean and well fed off healthy foods, as well as removing frass and the dead. After a week or two they should be more than fine to feed to your mantids. Another option is ordering the crickets from ghann's cricket farm. Apparently, they now carry the newer, somewhat larger, and much more robust and resiliant Gryllus assimilis.

As far as roaches, you live in Florida, it's just about down right immpossible to get any roaches shipped here, since it's illegal. There are some native species legal to be ordered in, but even then I've had people refuse to sell me any. The natives/establised non natives are - Panchlorea nivea, Blaberus discoidalis, Hemiblabera tenebricosa, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, and a few others that aren't popular in the hobby or I can't remember.


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## Mvalenz (Apr 17, 2012)

I gave my friend two Blue Flashes. They were like L-1s. They molted once and they took a 1/4 inch cricket each. Hunted it and murdered it in cold blood. I am going to film it this weekend and post it. It is hilarious how small these guys are and they tank crix. Bring a toilet cuz your gonna s**t.


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## gripen (Apr 17, 2012)

Myrmecologist2 said:


> I think you need to read through my post again.
> 
> I'm not sure what species of mantid you have, but you don't need to bother with flies if they are a large species. Though crickets have gotten a bad rap, they aren't THAT bad. If I had nothing but mealworms and crickets to feed my mantids, I'd pick crickets as a staple, without too much regret. The chances of a cricket harming a mantis is VERY, very slim. An experienced adult or large juvie should have no problem catching and immobilizing crickets, and even if bitten, the injuries should not be dire and should heal with the next molt if not an adult. It's more risky with a younger nymph, or especially if you leave crickets in with a mantis who is going to molt. (Which will at that point eat no food) As far as crickets killing mantids with their bacteria, or the black liquid the mantis pukes up after eating one, you shouldn't have to worry about it too much unless you buy storebought crickets or do not keep them in good conditions. You can buy some from the store and keep them clean and well fed off healthy foods, as well as removing frass and the dead. After a week or two they should be more than fine to feed to your mantids. Another option is ordering the crickets from ghann's cricket farm. Apparently, they now carry the newer, somewhat larger, and much more robust and resiliant Gryllus assimilis.
> 
> As far as roaches, you live in Florida, it's just about down right immpossible to get any roaches shipped here, since it's illegal. There are some native species legal to be ordered in, but even then I've had people refuse to sell me any. The natives/establised non natives are - Panchlorea nivea, Blaberus discoidalis, Hemiblabera tenebricosa, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, and a few others that aren't popular in the hobby or I can't remember.


Dude don't go giving flies a bad rap! Some sp. need flies!


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 17, 2012)

gripen said:


> Dude don't go giving flies a bad rap! Some sp. need flies!


Huh? lol, I didn't mention flies being bad in my post anywhere, I love them, it's just like the OP seems like he has a larger species of mantis (Chinese? He still never mentioned the sp.) which would be a bit harder to fill up on flies. Between crickets, mealworms, and roaches, crickets are his best option for stuffing larger species needing larger crawling prey. Roaches are hard to get in Florida, took me 1 1/2 years to find a colony of dubia within the state, and even then their tendency to play dead doesn't make them the best feeders at times. Mealworms are good for the occasional treat to vary their diet, but their tough exoskeleton and high fat content doesn't make them nutritious, making canned mealworms pretty much just fillers. So in conclusion - Stick with crickets mykey14.


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## mykey14 (Apr 20, 2012)

alright

ill stick with crickets

but im going to give roaches a try.


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## Myrmecologist2 (Apr 20, 2012)

mykey14 said:


> alright
> 
> ill stick with crickets
> 
> but im going to give roaches a try.


Where do you propose you'll get them?


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