feed/gutload refrigerated bbs?

[Crazy4mantis]

I just got a bunch of bbs that are currently in the refrigerator. do I need to feed / gutload them? I don't know if they need food in a slowed down state, as they don't use up energy and they won't be able to eat in a fridge. but they still need nutrition for the mantis. do I need to feed the fridge flies? also how long do they last in a fridge?

 

[angelofdeathzz]

They can dehydrate, I feed them pure honey when they're warmed up and put them back in.

 

[Crazy4mantis]

how long do they last out of the fridge with honey?

 

[angelofdeathzz]

less time 5-6 days at max, then they stop flying and die shortly after. Keeping them if the fridge half the time or so works well.

 

[twolfe]

I do not gutload my bb flies at all in the summer as I try to feed my mantises with wild caught insects (bees, moths, grasshoppers, june bugs) a few times a week. When I feed bb flies, I try to use them just after they eclose. I do sometimes feed my bb flies in the winter...especially when they are not fresh.

Did you do a search on "gutload" in food and feeding? If so, then you may have already found these threads. Sometimes it's helpful to search existing posts because you may find useful information from serious breeders who left the hobby or current breeders who are too busy to respond to every question.

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5309&st=0&p=25659&hl=gutload&fromsearch=1entry25659

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=23920&st=0&p=182780&hl=gutload&fromsearch=1entry182780

 

[Crazy4mantis]

how long do hey last in the fridge with honey? I heard about 2-3 weeks?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I keep mine if fridge for a week or more, if you take them out every day and let them feed for an hour, who knows how long they will last.

 

[fleurdejoo]

So you're saying leave the live flies in the fridge and take them out for an hour a day and feed them?

 

[hibiscusmile]

If you want them to live longer and be fat, yes! I use mine to fast for that, they hatch and are fed off, but a lot of people do that.