'Cleaning/flushing' feeder crickets' digestive tract

[hysteresis]

Hi! Still a n00b. 

So for store-bought small feeder crickets from a reputable pet store... Feeding lettuce and apple would presumably clear out the crickets for our mantis? 

I've discontinued the use of carrots. 

In addition, I've been rinsing out our cricket container every two days.

I've had six segregated in this manner for five days. They look fairly light in colour. They're all very active. 

Should be good to go? 

Don't want to prematurely kill this mantis. ?

Thanks in advance. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Hi! If you keep them for a few days before feeding them to the mantis, and keep them clean and feed them good foods  (like lettuce and apple) then your mantis should be fine to eat them.

- MantisGirl13

 

[hysteresis]

Thanks @MantisGirl13 

Our new girl took a clean small cricket last night and ate it all up. 

She's happy so far! ?

 

[MantisGirl13]

 Good! It sounds like she has found a good home!

- MantisGirl13

 

[minomantis]

I generally try to stay away from feeding crickets.  Everytime I try, something bad always happens. :/

I would say feed them bee pollen, sweet potatoes, freeze dried apples, spinach.  Goodluck.  I'm sure if you

take the time to feed them properly, they will be fine for your mantids.  Have fun!

 

[hysteresis]

@minomantis 

I bought THIS last batch of crickets 4 days ago.

I've been feeding the crickets apples, and lettuce.

This female European is eating like crazy. So far so good.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Good! I am glad she is eating them well! 

- MantisGirl13

 

[hysteresis]

Yes @MantisGirl13 ?

Now that Lola is "gravid", I'll make sure she always has a free cricket to take at her leisure. ?

 

[MantisGirl13]

? Just make sure they are eaten and not just sitting in the cage loose because they can seriously harm mantids if they get injured or are too close to the ground where the cricket is.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantis Lady]

I stopped using crickets too.  The last box I have didn't go so well. I had a mantis throwing up from crickets. He never got one again in his life. And they stink, despite a lot of cleaning their box. Oh and y hubby complained about the orchestra of cirping males. I had to "surgery" to remove their wings they cirp with.

I use at the moment flies (annoying, they escape so easely and hubby complaining about the escaped flies) grasshopper babies and dubias (small) and fruitflies for the little ones.

 

[hysteresis]

@Little Mantis we get the small crickets (1/2"  /  13 mm) that can't chirp yet. I only get them a dozen or so at a time. I flush those thoroughly with fresh food in a clean habitat for a few days before offering. 

No worries so far. 

The wild-caught male we first had that died after six weeks under our care displayed no vomiting or black oily excrement when it died. We just awoke to a dead male laying on his side. 

People suggested he just died of old age. That's plausible. 

Soooo, these young crickets seem to be okay for our gravid European female. 

 

[Graceface]

I use at the moment flies (annoying, they escape so easely and hubby complaining about the escaped flies) grasshopper babies and dubias (small) and fruitflies for the little ones.

I chill my flies in the fridge for a few minutes first, which helps them be so much easier to deal with. The cold keeps them docile while you put them in the enclosure; I rarely lose one now.  They fall into the container and typically sit for a few minutes to warm up, making it a breeze to get them in an enclosure and put a lid on before they try to escape

 

[Mantis Lady]

@GracefaceI have a few hached flies ready. I will put them in fridge to slow them down.

i had put a few fly pupea in in his home to hatch, but my mantis didn't eat them and I needed to mist, I could catch one, but the other escaped.

 

[Graceface]

@GracefaceI i had put a few fly pupea in in his home to hatch, but my mantis didn't eat them and I needed to mist, I could catch one, but the other escaped.

I see! They are annoying little buggers when they escape. 

I hatch flies in a grow out tank and feed chilled live flies to my mantises. I give them a specific amount of flies and they typically eat them all so I have few escapees. I like my curly flies for this reason; they are easier to wrangle if they escape since they hop and can't fly away. The Blue Bottles are hard to catch when loose.

I find tulle helpful when needing to mist while live feeders are in the enclosure. I keep a layer of tulle under the lid, then I can hold it in place when opening the enclosure. If there is a fly inside, they stay trapped and I can mist though the tulle. If I need to remove the fly, I can place an empty cup inverted on top of the mantis enclosure with the tulle in place, then remove the tulle while keeping the cups over one another. The unwanted fly usually walks up the walls to the inverted cup, which I quickly move and snap a lid on the bottom. This works pretty well, but flies are crafty and still will get loose sometimes.

 

[Mantis Lady]

i have put the box with flies in the fridge yesterday and when they were slowed down, I removed their wings No more flying away.