Can a mantis eat a pill bug?

[Quake]

I have seen many sights selling pill/sow bugs as feeders, and I give them to my frog sometimes, but I hear they carry a poison? Is this true, should I give it to my mantid?

 

[Quake]

Also, as a safer alternative, I was thinking of using dead crickets, they are more convenient than keeping live ones.

Will a mantis accept a dead one of I put it in her hand, or will they reject it?

 

[idolomantis]

mine reject corpses.

 

[Rick]

Dangerous? How is a pillbug dangerous? I have fed one to a mantis however they don't have much interest in something like that that crawls along the ground and hides.

 

[Quake]

I figured I'd try out the can crickets, mine rejected the corpses too. I even tried wetting them a little and moving them around. They didn't buy it. Although both mantids have taken a liking to me, and every time they see my hand, they reach for it and swing their arms. They do the same for their new homes, if I let them wander my dresser they reach for their containers and gladly crawl back inside.

 

[Rick]

I figured I'd try out the can crickets, mine rejected the corpses too. I even tried weeting them a little and moving them around. They didn't buy it. Although both mantids have taken a liking to me, and everytime they see my hand, they reach for it and swing their arms. They do the same for their new homes, if I let them wander my dresser they reach for their containers and gladly crawl back inside.

Lol. Nice to think they do those things because they like us or their homes huh? Don't waste your time with canned crickets. They need live insects.

 

[OGIGA]

Dead crickets? Sometimes, crickets die because of disease. You don't want your mantis getting the same disease, do you?

 

[MantidLord]

Yeah. I don't see a point in feeding them dead crix. If that was the case, I wouldn't even keep mantids.

 

[Quake]

They are completely healthy crickets, but frozen, coated in vitamins, and dried. Kind of like beef jerky haha

I didn't plan on keeping a regular thing, but something to hold them over until I got some live ones, on account of they grew out of fruit flies.

 

[MantidLord]

They are completely healthy crickets, but frozen, coated in vitamins, and dried. Kind of like beef jerky hahaI didn't plan on keeping a regular thing, but something to hold them over until I got some live ones, on account of they grew out of fruit flies.

Well then, by all means use them for a little while. I know what your talking about, because I used those for my bearded dragon for a short period. Just hold the cricket, and wave it in front of the mantis. Or put the antennae of the cricket up to the mantids mouth. The mantis will usually start chewing on the antennae, and it will lead to the crickets main body (at this point the mantis should have grabbed the cricket).

 

[Rick]

If you are out of food go outside and catch some live crickets or other insects. It's not hard. You couldnt pay me to feed those canned insects to my mantids or any of my reptiles.

 

[collinchang635]

I feed my nymphs which are too small to catch their own food 'paralysed' mosquitoes. First I catch some mosquitoes in some containers. They are still flying when I catch them and they are still flying when they are in the container. I shake the container until the mosquitoe becomes dizzy and cant fly anymore. The mosquitoe also stops moving depending on how long and how hard you shake them. I drop the mosquitoe right in front of the mantid and when the mantid looks at it, they run up to it and catch it. BTW, I didn't know there was a such thing as canned insects. Why would people buy them?

 

[idolomantis]

i get wild grasshoppers so easy here, makes fine food.

 

[MantidLord]

I feed my nymphs which are too small to catch their own food 'paralysed' mosquitoes. First I catch some mosquitoes in some containers. They are still flying when I catch them and they are still flying when they are in the container. I shake the container until the mosquitoe becomes dizzy and cant fly anymore. The mosquitoe also stops moving depending on how long and how hard you shake them. I drop the mosquitoe right in front of the mantid and when the mantid looks at it, they run up to it and catch it. BTW, I didn't know there was a such thing as canned insects. Why would people buy them?

I only got them because my aunt didn't want to buy live crix. I didn't know they existed before that. My lizard didn't eat them unless they were moving (when I accidently poured too much water on the sand it it moved the cricket). I don't see any point to it though. Just if you catch wild crix, make sure no pesticides were sprayed.