# If I order L3 Nymphs



## markdneck

Can I just buy crickets or other small "bugs" at PetCo? I really don't want (my wife doesn't want!) fly cultures, etc in the house. We have both PetCos and Petsmarts within a few blocks (I work in the Petco kitten rescue program weekends) so shopping for my mantids' groceries once a week is not a problem.

What do you guys think? I don't mind feeding tuna by hand either. Sounds like fun. Maybe mantids would enjoy cat food tuna and salmon. My cats get the best, $1 per tiny can gourmet wild caught fish. They won't mind sharing

*"Never believe a man who says he is the BOSS in his home ... He probably lies about other stuff too!"*


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## Rick

Nothing wrong with your plan. I wouldn't recommend feeding tuna or anything like that though.


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## OGIGA

I know that PetCo carries fruit flies, pinhead crickets, "large" crickets, and a variety of refrigerated worms. I haven't found any houseflies or blue bottles there.


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## markdneck

They have everything I will need. Live flies of all kinds, crickets, various larvae. They also have "cages", small enclosures for as little as $2.98 and the people working there were able to give advice. Good store!


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## Rick

You're not going to get a lot of advice there when it comes to mantids.


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## markdneck

They don't know Mantids but they do know about all the kind of feeders they sell. It seems they do a big business in lizards and small lizards eat the same meals as little Mantids. I have been in Petsmart often buying cat supplies and equipment for my Beta tank but had never noticed the feeder bug business there until yesterday.

Teens and college kid work at Petsmart and I didn't expect then to know anythng but the store apparently does a good training job. They were pointing out habitats and substrates and feeders, etc. Anything comp;icated I'll buy from one of the dealers I see here on the site but the basi supplies I will get at closeby Pestsmart.

I see many hobbiest here are from the UK (my favorite country to visit. I wonder why that is?)


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## OGIGA

> I see many hobbiest here are from the UK (my favorite country to visit. I wonder why that is?)


That's a good question. I wanna know too. Maybe there are more mantises in UK so UK people see them more often and they like them...?


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## Asa

> Nothing wrong with your plan. I wouldn't recommend feeding tuna or anything like that though.


What's the matter with tuna? My mantids love it.


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## OGIGA

What? Is tuna the staple food for your mantis(es)?


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## Asa

> What? Is tuna the staple food for your mantis(es)?


No, but when I'm waiting for fruitflies, cockroaches, crickets ect. to arrive, that's what they eat.


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## Rick

> Nothing wrong with your plan. I wouldn't recommend feeding tuna or anything like that though.
> 
> 
> 
> What's the matter with tuna? My mantids love it.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't feed mine tuna, if I were out of food I would go outside and find some insects.


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## markdneck

I live in a suburban community. Everyone here sprays their lawns for harmful insects, spray bushes for other bugs and we put down arsenic and other poisons for snails and slugs in flowerbeds. I don't know what mantids' sensitivities to these poisons are compared with pest insects but I would be afraid to feed anythng from the environment lest I poison my "herd". (What is a group of mantids called anyway? Swarm? Gaggle? "Mob of mantids" has a nice ring to it!)


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## pak-40

Just turn your porchlight on. It should attract a TON of moths. You can keep them overnight in a jar. If they are still alive after 6 or 7 hours, you know they are okay to feed to your mantids. If they have been in contact with any pesticide, they wont last that long.


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## OGIGA

> What? Is tuna the staple food for your mantis(es)?
> 
> 
> 
> No, but when I'm waiting for fruitflies, cockroaches, crickets ect. to arrive, that's what they eat.
Click to expand...

Oh I see. Makes sense. I'd like to see what happens if someone does feed their mantis tuna all their life. I mean, if it makes nice healthy mantises, I might as well start doing that too.


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## OGIGA

So you just put the tuna down and the mantises go and feed like a cat? I never thought I could get mantises to eat stuff that's not moving...


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## Asa

> So you just put the tuna down and the mantises go and feed like a cat? I never thought I could get mantises to eat stuff that's not moving...[/quoteWhen they don't, I just spear the tuna with a toothpick and move it around a bit.


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## Rick

> So you just put the tuna down and the mantises go and feed like a cat? I never thought I could get mantises to eat stuff that's not moving...[/quoteWhen they don't' date= I just spear the tuna with a toothpick and move it around a bit.
> 
> So you're saying you just put tuna down and mantids come over and eat it? I find that a bit hard to believe.
Click to expand...


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## Asa

> So you just put the tuna down and the mantises go and feed like a cat? I never thought I could get mantises to eat stuff that's not moving...[/quoteWhen they don't' date= I just spear the tuna with a toothpick and move it around a bit.
> 
> So you're saying you just put tuna down and mantids come over and eat it? I find that a bit hard to believe.
> 
> 
> 
> I suppose it does sound a bit unbelievable, but it's true. The first few times you try it, you really have to move it around. When they finally recognize it as food, you don't have to move it around as much, although some species never learn. Like Mantis Religiosa.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## OGIGA

I really really need to try this one day.............................. It will definitely make feeding a lot easier if it can be done long-term.


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## Asa

Unfortunatly, at least in my case, it can't. Mine will only take it as L2 to L4. After that (at least in my case) they'll only eat live food. Perhaps it's a survival instinct, 'when your young, eat anything and everything you can" :lol:


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## Rick

> Unfortunatly, at least in my case, it can't. Mine will only take it as L2 to L4. After that (at least in my case) they'll only eat live food. Perhaps it's a survival instinct, 'when your young, eat anything and everything you can" :lol:


I don't know. I would have to see it to believe it.


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## Asa

> Unfortunatly, at least in my case, it can't. Mine will only take it as L2 to L4. After that (at least in my case) they'll only eat live food. Perhaps it's a survival instinct, 'when your young, eat anything and everything you can" :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know. I would have to see it to believe it.
Click to expand...

Maybe yours will do it. Go ahead and try it.


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## Rick

I put a piece in the greenhouse nowhere near any mantids. If they actually go to it and eat it I will be surprised.


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## Asa

Well, they won't eat it like that! You have to handfeed it to them. I really don't do it much. Takes too much time and I don't really need to feed them while I wait for other food to arrive since it usually arrives quickly.


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## Rick

> Well, they won't eat it like that! You have to handfeed it to them. I really don't do it much. Takes too much time and I don't really need to feed them while I wait for other food to arrive since it usually arrives quickly.


Well that's what I was asking this whole time! I know they will eat it if I feed it to them. I thought you were saying you just put it in there and they went over and eat it.


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

My nymphs will just 'go over' and eat half crickets that I put in with them..


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## Asa

> My nymphs will just 'go over' and eat half crickets that I put in with them..


Half crickets?! What, do you chop them up with a machete?


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## markdneck

I feel like I am "having my leg pulled"!

It would be a lot easier to drop in a little tuna rather than hassle flys and bugs and my wife would like it better too. Yesterday she asked it the frutflys got out, would then infest, live on outr cats! Guess she didbn't take too many entomology classes in college.

My nymphs are so tinny I can't see them eating anythng anyway. I thought they only ate live stuff. Hw do you feed tuna? Do yu mix it with Mayo and mke tiny little sandwishes or?????

Truth this time, OK?


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## Rick

> I feel like I am "having my leg pulled"!It would be a lot easier to drop in a little tuna rather than hassle flys and bugs and my wife would like it better too. Yesterday she asked it the frutflys got out, would then infest, live on outr cats! Guess she didbn't take too many entomology classes in college.
> 
> My nymphs are so tinny I can't see them eating anythng anyway. I thought they only ate live stuff. Hw do you feed tuna? Do yu mix it with Mayo and mke tiny little sandwishes or?????
> 
> Truth this time, OK?


They do only eat live food. I also thought they were saying they just put the tuna in there and they went for it which isn't gonna happen with tuna or anything else. Mantids will eat things that you put against their mouth. This is hard to do with tiny nymphs.

Your nymphs are small but they can take fruit flies trust me.


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## Asa

Chicken...  

Don't ask.


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## hibiscusmile

:shock: I don't know, my babies were not eating and the other night after reading about the tuna, I decided to try it. They seem to be eating the tuna! I am not sure, but they are droping onto the tuna plate (tiny lid) and staying there for awhile. They are a week old and only a few have taken ff's. I give them water daily, but they are on the tuna. :wink:


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## Asa

> :shock: I don't know, my babies were not eating and the other night after reading about the tuna, I decided to try it. They seem to be eating the tuna! I am not sure, but they are droping onto the tuna plate (tiny lid) and staying there for awhile. They are a week old and only a few have taken ff's. I give them water daily, but they are on the tuna. :wink:


Told ya'. Just kiddin'.


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## Way.Of.The.Mantis

> *They do only eat live food*. I also thought they were saying they just put the tuna in there and they went for it which isn't gonna happen with tuna or anything else. Mantids will eat things that you put against their mouth. This is hard to do with tiny nymphs.Your nymphs are small but they can take fruit flies trust me.


I dont put it anywhere near them, they are just inquisitve. Mine do eat stuff ive killed.



> My nymphs will just 'go over' and eat half crickets that I put in with them..
> 
> 
> 
> Half crickets?! What, do you chop them up with a machete?
Click to expand...

Heh I wish, penknife does the job..


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## Asa

> *They do only eat live food*. I also thought they were saying they just put the tuna in there and they went for it which isn't gonna happen with tuna or anything else. Mantids will eat things that you put against their mouth. This is hard to do with tiny nymphs.Your nymphs are small but they can take fruit flies trust me.
> 
> 
> 
> I dont put it anywhere near them, they are just inquisitve. Mine do eat stuff ive killed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My nymphs will just 'go over' and eat half crickets that I put in with them..
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Half crickets?! What, do you chop them up with a machete?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Heh I wish, penknife does the job..
Click to expand...

But a machete would be so cool!


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## Butterfly

Ive never seen this before but my biggest Chinese (Jackie Chan as I call her) I put 2 large crickets in her cage and she seemed kinda sppoked so I took one out. She caught the left over and kinda ate at his head a bit, then she let him just hang there from her raptor arms for a bit. She ate some more and dropped it. Then as I sat at my computer desk watching her she walked down and grabbe the rest of that dead cricket!

I've never ever seen a Mantis eat something that was already dead.

She didnt actually finish all of him in the end, he was pretty big afterall.

But she gave it her darndest try, lol.


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