Blue flash with monster appetite

[Lylelovett666]

I have a L5 Blue Flash that seems to have a limitless appetite.Yesterday he ate a damsel fly and then what I thought would be a cricket that might be beyond his capacity.Today while attempting to feed my Bud Wing a huge cricket accidentally dropped into his enclosure.Before I could even move to take the cricket out my mantis had pounced on him and started devouring the cricket.His abdomen is bigger than I have ever seen and I'm a little worried that he may die.Should this be a concern?

 

[PhilinYuma]

I have a L5 Blue Flash that seems to have a limitless appetite.Yesterday he ate a damsel fly and then what I thought would be a cricket that might be beyond his capacity.Today while attempting to feed my Bud Wing a huge cricket accidentally dropped into his enclosure.Before I could even move to take the cricket out my mantis had pounced on him and started devouring the cricket.His abdomen is bigger than I have ever seen and I'm a little worried that he may die.Should this be a concern?

No.

 

[Rick]

Will be fine.

 

[ismart]

No worries!

 

[Lylelovett666]

I got up ths morning to find that a cricket I had put in with my bud Wing had somehow made its way into the Blue Flash side of the tank and had been eaten.In the past 24 hours he has now had a damsel fly and 3 very large crickets.He seems very lethargic and tried to crawl up the glass only to slide back dawn to the floor.His abdomen looks like a over inflated balloon.I know Bud Wings will eat them selves to death but what about Blue Flash?

 

[patrickfraser]

In this case, making it "pop" is not a good thing. Better restrict intake at this point.

 

[Lylelovett666]

I'm truly amazed by the size of crickets this guy is able to take down.He's eating crickets 1/3 of his size or better.

 

[PhilinYuma]

I got up ths morning to find that a cricket I had put in with my bud Wing had somehow made its way into the Blue Flash side of the tank and had been eaten.In the past 24 hours he has now had a damsel fly and 3 very large crickets.He seems very lethargic and tried to crawl up the glass only to slide back dawn to the floor.His abdomen looks like a over inflated balloon.I know Bud Wings will eat them selves to death but what about Blue Flash?

Kova

This and the idea that mantids can eat so much that they literally burst, are such popular myths that the subject comes up here every few months.

The bursting myth is the easiest to explode (get over it!). The gut of insects is a tube open at both ends. Mantids have a particularly large crop or foregut which has a muscular valve or sphincter at the far end to prevent food from passing into the midgut for digestion until it is ready.Like humans, mantids have appestats which stop them from wanting to eat when they are full, but if they do overdo it, they hurl that nasty brown liquid which causes many hobbyists so much concern. However, if a mantis in this state is dropped or if, like yours, it falls while trying to climb, it can burst on impact.

By the same token, a mantis that is overfilled needs a nice shady hideaway close to ground level where it can let its food digest. This can be hard to find in a 32oz deli cup or a badly set up 12" cube for that matter, and the mantis may die after a fall even if it doesn't burst.

I hope that this helps and I have marked it so that next time (soon!) I can just give the link!

 

[Lylelovett666]

Thanks Phil,

His abdomen has actually shrunk a bit in the last 24 hours and he appears to be much less lethargic.I think I'll wait a few days before feeding him again.