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If I were going to try to feed my mantises things that aren't actually bugs, what would be a good shot? I'm a high school student, no steady income, and the moths have stopped turning up at the porch light, so I figured this might be a good option for the winter. Is it a lousy idea, or are there...

I used a lacewing and two moths, as of the last couple of nights. It worked perfectly - thanks, @MantisGirl13! And. . . @Rotsuoy I had no trouble getting her to eat even though the prey was completely still. She hadn't eaten in about a week. I ended up crushing the heads with a rock. . ...

Okay. . . thanks for the tip. I found an anecdotal story on some site about someone successfully keeping a fairly messed up mantis alive into November via spoon feeding (although I wonder why the mantis concerned couldn't hunt; its walking legs were defunct, not its claws), so that's what I...

Oh, good. That'd help explain why she doesn't act like she's starving. . . what about the fact that she also tries to get away at the same time? It doesn't make much sense to me. . . then again, I got pretty well reminded this morning that I've been in this hobby for four years and managed to...

She's European, she last ate. . . I don't really know. The last time she caught prey and ate it was. . . she molted on the 22nd, so the night before that. I can't post a picture; a friend is borrowing the camera. It's not the wings I'm concerned about, and that's the visible problem. She doesn't...

I have a disabled mantis. She molted into adulthood a few days ago and her wings are oddly crumpled, also her claws seem to be immobilized. She is one of my most wild mantises and doesn't really trust me, certainly not enough to take food from me, but she can no longer hunt. I was wondering if...

Last night, I came home from a church activity and found my European nymph Kayleigh completely still in 1/2 in deep water. I'd put the water there to keep the ants out - it was something I did last year with my adults and I guess I wasn't thinking about the fact that Kayleigh is much smaller...

What do you mean specifically by overcaring? Like, I'm overfeeding the one I like best or something like that? (It's not that. On food decisions I go by the mantid's size.)  Also my favorite mantis is rarely the smallest. I tend to prefer large females. . . the smaller ones basically get ignored.

Thanks. . . I'll remember that.  Is it possible to kill a mantis via handling it too much? My mom and I were talking about Nansen and I noted that it's always my favorite mantis that dies. My oldest mantis has been basically ignored for two months and he's still here, and I do tend to...

It's a moot point now. . . some ants decided to attack her. I really wasn't expecting that. . . I did get her to hang upside down in a mostly stable position. One of her tarsi was bent. She lives in a cardboard box.  Doesn't really matter now though. I think she's dead. . . she was still moving...

My current favorite mantis, Nansen II, is acting kinda strange. It's similar but also dissimiliar to how Patricia Mindelle behaved right before dying. 1. Patricia Mindy lost her ability to climb. A couple hours ago, I noticed Nansen hanging on two legs. Since MantisGirl13 diagnosed Mindy's...

I have almost nothing to say here, except that you sure as anything shouldn't try breeding Europeans. I've been trying for years and I still haven't succeeded. Plus every L1 European I've ever had has died. If you ever find a secret way to raise Europeans without killing them, though, you should...

I live in a small town in rural Idaho and my parents don't use pesticides on the yard. . .  It's still possible though. The lacewings could have been picking up chemicals in the neighbors' yards.  Not sure if this is a lousy thing to say here, but there's something I find a bit morbidly...

? You sure? I admit to having very little experience here, I've only ever seen two mantis pairings, but I'm starting to doubt that the female (in European mantises anyway) takes a swipe at the male when she wants the attention and has plenty to eat. I have seen the female try to take a bite when...

Yuck. I admire your nerve. . . I kind of want to make a point of dissecting my mantises after they die, so I can learn what they are supposed to look like inwardly in the case of age deaths or young accident victims, maybe even figure out what causes some of these mantis diseases and find...

I've had a few mantises die young recently, and one of the things I noticed in every case was that, while they were still moving, and definitely alive, I could always find those little black eye dots. After I knew for certain they were dead, I couldn't find them from any angle. Is there a...

I wouldn't know. The way I obtain food for my mantises is to turn on a light on the front porch and wait for moths and lacewings - mostly lacewings, since they move around a lot more when introduced to the mantis's cage - to show up. Those bugs could be anywhere during the day for all I know. 

Yes. That's all I feed them. . . wild caught moths.  I pronounced her dead this morning, but I'm still wondering about the cause, so if that confirms it I'd like to know.

THAT MANTIS IS BEAUTIFUL.

No there's no metal mesh. She's not in an enclosure anymore either. She's barely moving at all, I have her lying on a tissue on top of a bookshelf. . . I don't have any pictures. . . there's no visible injuries anyway. Sorry. . .