Eating their own exoskeleton

[Predatorhousepet]

I have two S. aurea nymphs that are seemingly always hungry. I generally feed them every other day until their abdomen plumps up, the same way I feed all my other nymphs of various species. I try to avoid feeding too much at once because the breeder warned that overeating could be a problem with this species, she had one die from eating too much in one sitting.

Yesterday was an off feeding day so I went to mist and noticed the male had molted at some point the night before. I always wait 24 hours after a molt to give food anyway so I just misted his enclosure. He immediately ran over to his shed exoskeleton, picked it up off the floor and began eating it. I took it away from him and gave him a fly instead (if he was going to eat something it might as well be real food.) I know mantids are often extremely hungry after a molt but he had eaten a rather large meal the day before. I don't think he was eating it out of desparation because he was starving. What I was thinking was maybe the misting caused his exoskeleton to move slightly and this triggered his hunting response. I can hand feed him dead prey and he will eat it without coaxing, he will even strike at empty feeding tongs thinking there is food in there somewhere.

Has anyone else had a mantis eat their own shed exoskeleton after molting? None of my other mantises have ever done this, not even the female of the same species. I was just wondering how common a behavior this is.

 

[Synapze]

My S. aureus has some extremely odd eating habits which I've discussed in another thread. Your question made me wonder if mine has been doing the same. I've lost track of molts at some point because I haven't been finding shed exoskeletons. It's either that or this is the largest L4 I've ever seen.

Odd... mine also eats dead prey without coaxing. If it jiggles, it's dinner. ?

 

[Predatorhousepet]

Yes, this species acts a bit different than what is considered normal mantis behavior. For one, both nymphs like to sit on the floor of their cup or on a low branch right side up almost all the time instead of hanging upside down up high. They are both voracious hunters and will eat just about anything I wiggle in front of them dead or alive. I remember you describing how yours would kill all the prey in the enclosure then go back and forth eating the bodies. Mine doesn't do that but he will pick up discarded prey after dropping it. Usually when a mantis drops prey that means they are done eating, but not this species. Like I said they are always hungry and according to the breeder I got them from they can eat themselves to death so that's something to watch out for.

Interesting that yours might be eating his molts too, it could be a thing this species is prone to do. However, sometimes I don't find the molts from other mantid species because they are kept in an enclosure that has springtails and isopods in the substrate. Cleaners love to eat shed exoskeleton and can consume the entire thing in just a few hours leaving no trace. Sometimes I only notice a mantis has molted recently because they have suddenly doubled in size. Neither of my S. aurea nymphs are kept in cups with cleaner insects in the substrate (they have pieces of moss reptile carpet cut to fit in the bottom of the cup) so if their old exoskeleton is gone it's because they ate it.