Confidence Booster

[minomantis]

I'm sure you all know, just like the next person that mantids sometimes struggle to catch food. Whether they are afraid of it, catch it and then 2 seconds later let it go, or just having a bad day and can't catch anything. Sometimes I'll notice my mantids try several times to catch an insect that is a decent size for him and his brothers/sisters do a fine job at catching their meal but for some reason there is that one that is struggling.

I have four L1 Chinese nymphs at the moment and they are doing fine. Eating a great amount I might add. I managed to find four leaf hoppers and dropped them in the respective containers. They all were doing fine except for one. I saw him stalk it, strike over and over at it, until ultimately he became afraid and anytime the hopper was close, went the other way.

I felt his moral was low so I proceeded to catch a couple fruit flies (something I know he could catch (which he did)) in an attempt to raise his confidence and say hey I can do this too. Part of me felt bad that he failed and I just wanted him to get back to the grind. I know the mantis doesn't experience moral fluctuations but the human in me felt it. Do you all sometimes notice your mantis is struggling with prey and in an attempt to "raise moral" give him a bunch of smaller/easier prey to eat? Just curious.

 

[ShieldMantid1997]

What i usually do is hand feed. I will take, for this example a cricket, in my hands. Then I remove its head. This allows for the meaty and juicy parts to be exposed. Then I hold it to the mantis' mouth. It will taste it, realize its food, and take it after a couple seconds of eating it no-hands. Of course this usually doesn't work too well with the skittish L1's. It sounds morbid but I see it as a favor to the prey. I think i'd rather have a quick beheading than get eating alive.

 

[LAME]

I have had the same situation, I too use hand or tweezer feeding with a decapitated prey item.

 

[DETHCHEEZ]

If I had one like that

I think I would separate it from the group

So it would have less compassion

As in like less moment distractions from other more aggressive siblings

My guess would be that once they start to grow / molt a bigger more aggressive / confident one will probably take it out