Do I have to hand my mantid her food? Help!

[markdneck]

I have a nice, luxurious even, habitat for the L4 or L5 Asian I got from "Butterfly". The habitat isn't too large, about 10" high 10" long and 6" wide. It has a nce moss substrait, artficial plants, etc. and I mist it daily here in our dry SoCal climate. I have been feeding crickets. If I put in a few crickets at a time they hop around, one eventually climbs on the faux plants and wham, Jaclie (Butterfly named her, not me!) grabs and devours the cricket. I have seen this happen a couple times.

I was told by some experts not to put too many crickets in at a time lest they gang up on Jackie, maybe when she is molting and not on her game. If I put one cricket in, "Jackie" hangs out at the top of the cage and some less bold crickets don't climb, just hop around the bottom of the cage. How does she get them if they don't hop up to her?

Question; When a mantid gets hungry, do they climb down to catch a cricket? Or do I have to somehow lift the cricket up to her? I haven't seen her climb down but I don't watch 24/7 so I don't know. I don't want her going hungry or anything!!

 

[Asa]

Since you have a Giant Asian, they will hunt for their food if they are hungry, instead of waiting for it like a Ghost Mantis. I don't feed my mantids crickets much because of the reasons you listed. I feed them bluebottles, moths, and other insects I find. If you're going to be anxious about it, then get rid of the crickets and feed it other food. If it is not hungry it will ignore it. Females tend to eat more than males. She will eat when she's ready. You're doing everything right. There is definitely no need to handfeed her!

 

[Rick]

Most of mine will go down after them. Put a rough stick in there for them to climb up to her.

 

[Butterfly]

She might be nearing a shed, She'd sometimes go after them, sometimes wouldnt. If shes really hungry she'll go after them. If not she'll get them the next day or just get them when they get on the stick and go her way.

If she hasnt had a shed since you got her I would assume it's almost time.

 

[Way.Of.The.Mantis]

Its not you who should worry, when your mantid gets hungry those crickets had better watch out..whikle waiting for it to shed they have a brief 'time out' to relax.. :? :twisted:

 

[bluebman52]

A lot of mantids will stalk their pray. I've noticed that a lot with my chinese. I've got 5 or 6 living together in the same tank, so I just dump about 6 or 7 crickets in and they usually just scurry around the bottom. I've seen my chinese come all the way down the side of the tank from the top to grab one of the suckers.

 

[Jwonni]

I have crickets on standby as they are easy to get hold off a live for quite some time

I prefer using a fly (whichever one maggots turn into its one of the blue or green bottle) and locust combination, all my locusts will climb pretty much within a minute of being put in they are much better at going to a mantis than crickets are