earwigs

[Engraver30]

I have a ton of earwigs beetles running around my yard. Does anyone see a problem with feeding some of them to my Chinese mantids?

Thanks

 

[Asa]

Nope. Just don't feed them too much of the same thing.

 

[OGIGA]

I wouldn't feed them earwigs. One time, when my mantises were little nymphs, I got an earwig and chopped it to pieces so it wouldn't be so big. However, no mantis would eat it. Maybe it gives off a warning scent? I also tried putting an earwig in with a spider and the spider wouldn't attack the earwig too. The earwig can attack pretty harshly with the pincher.

 

[Asa]

I wouldn't feed them earwigs. One time, when my mantises were little nymphs, I got an earwig and chopped it to pieces so it wouldn't be so big. However, no mantis would eat it. Maybe it gives off a warning scent? I also tried putting an earwig in with a spider and the spider wouldn't attack the earwig too. The earwig can attack pretty harshly with the pincher.

Perhaps because it was dead? I wouldn't feed the earwigs to the mantids unless it was older (the mantid)

 

[OGIGA]

They'll eat dead things if they taste the juices and they like it. I fed them a lot of fruit flies with crushed heads.

 

[athicks]

Interesting... I thought mantids only ate things that moved!

 

[Rick]

You can feed them about any insect you want. If the mantis can't or won't eat it they will drop it.

 

[Asa]

They'll eat dead things if they taste the juices and they like it. I fed them a lot of fruit flies with crushed heads.

So you do handfeed them?

 

[OGIGA]

I did once in a while back then with toothpicks.

 

[athicks]

You can feed them about any insect you want. If the mantis can't or won't eat it they will drop it.

I had a mantis whip a pillbug away from himself when the pillbug tried to close on him! It was kind of funny.

 

[OGIGA]

Oh yeah, I tried pillbugs too. I think their shells are too hard for a mantis to chew.

 

[Asa]

Oh yeah, I tried pillbugs too. I think their shells are too hard for a mantis to chew.

Don't bother with pillbugs.

 

[Nick Barta]

Ogiga,

I just can't get the picture out of my mind of you crushing fruit fly heads!! You have skills I won't even attempt!!!!!!!! Perhaps you are a surgeon in real life?

Nick Barta

 

[Asa]

Yeah, OGIGA, why did you do that :?:

 

[OGIGA]

Haha... I'm sure I'm not the only one who did that. Anyway, I get one fruit fly on a piece of paper on my desk and crush its head with a toothpick. Initially, I just wanted to crush it anywhere, but I always seem to get the head and red juices go everywhere.

Yeah, OGIGA, why did you do that

I did that to feed nymphs that didn't have that much as much of an appetite. Yes, I know... time consuming like crazy.

 

[Asa]

Haha... I'm sure I'm not the only one who did that. Anyway, I get one fruit fly on a piece of paper on my desk and crush its head with a toothpick. Initially, I just wanted to crush it anywhere, but I always seem to get the head and red juices go everywhere.

Yeah, OGIGA, why did you do that

I did that to feed nymphs that didn't have that much as much of an appetite. Yes, I know... time consuming like crazy.

I still don't understand. If there is food in their cage, and they are hungry, they will eat.

 

[AFK]

You can feed them about any insect you want. If the mantis can't or won't eat it they will drop it.

I had a mantis whip a pillbug away from himself when the pillbug tried to close on him! It was kind of funny.

lol

 

[AFK]

Interesting... I thought mantids only ate things that moved!

mantids only eat things that taste good. one of the signs that something might taste good is if it moves like something that might taste good, i.e. a living thing. if the mantis somehow skips that moving step and jumps directly to taste, and it tastes good, then it's game!

 

[OGIGA]

I still don't understand. If there is food in their cage, and they are hungry, they will eat.

Not the crippled ones.