Dubias for Violins?

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MantisGirl13

MantisGirl13

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I have two adult female violins who need to eat. I will be getting flies soon, but I am yet my to fatten them up a bit for ooth laying and they only take about 5 flies at a time before getting bored. Is it ok to feed them healthy dubias? They have taken them before, but I don't want to risk eggbinding my other female so I don't want to feed her anything I'm not sure about. Thanks!

- MantisGirl13

 
You can feed the dubia with tweezers, let them taste to goo and most of mantids like it🤔 I feed dubia goo if there are no flies hatched yet.

 
Little Mantis said:
You can feed the dubia with tweezers, let them taste to goo and most of mantids like it🤔 I feed dubia goo if there are no flies hatched yet.
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The problem is they're very skittish and turn away. Guts or no.

Its almost like professional boxing. The violins bob side to side avoiding, then they turn away and wobble off. 🤣

 
They need to learn to eat it from tweezers, but I don't know if every mantis species can get used to that. Aurene learned it👍

 
Little Mantis said:
They need to learn to eat it from tweezers, but I don't know if every mantis species can get used to that. Aurene learned it👍
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My thistle RIPS food out of tweezers. She has since day 1!

My orchid girls are a little more cautious, but they definitely can be hand fed. It's even easier just to drop a larva right in front of them, They hit it right away if they're hungry.

The violins.... BRUTAL. LoL. They can just stuff their little faces with hydei until my flies are ready.

 
My Violins all take from the tweezers and have eaten Dubias in a pinch but they aren't really excited about them like flying prey. I had one that only ate a few bites and tossed it. But @Little Mantisis right, they have to get used to taking food from you otherwise in the beginning, they will wobble and walk away-snubbing your attempts.

 
hysteresis said:
They stuff their faces full of hydei.

They're still i6. Hopefully my Black Soldier Flies emerge.

Errrmmm. Eclose?
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My guys didn't like the BSF so much, they ate the heads off then threw them away (the eating heads only is a theme in my household for some reason). It is weird. The good thing is they are huge so if they take them then it is such a good food source. Good luck!

 
Yup, ive heard the same. Messy feeder because of the leftovers.

I will try to find a US source for fly pupae. Winter overnight courier shipping makes it expensive.

Spring summer fall should make it easier.

If they like the BSF then I'll deal with the mess. I know my bleph, venosa, megaeras will take them. Hopefully the orchids and violins will too. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
hysteresis said:
My thistle RIPS food out of tweezers. She has since day 1!
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I love that when they do that😁 Ayaweya didn't want to eat from tweezers, so I put my last small grasshopper in her home.  Hope she will eat that. In 2 days new grasshoppers will be coming. 2 different sizes and some dubias. I hope some green bottle flies will hatch soon, The ghosts need them. or I need to hand feed them some dubia goo.

Tarzan and Alana grab their grasshoppers when they just a few sec in their homes.🤣 I love good eating mantids.

 

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