feeders

[I_love_mantids]

Ranitomeya. I don't think my cages are too cluttered. For my ghosts I even crush up the dead leaves before putting them in the bottom.

 

[I_love_mantids]

Does anyone think ladybugs would be good feeders? I can find them at garden stores. I got waxworms. my ghost LOVES them but my orchid is scared of them.

 

[Extrememantid]

Does anyone think ladybugs would be good feeders? I can find them at garden stores. I got waxworms. my ghost LOVES them but my orchid is scared of them.

Meh, maybe there might be toxins in them though

 

[happy1892]

Scincella lateralis is a small skink but I mean Shelfordella lateralis. Mantises might not like ladybugs very much.

 

[Extrememantid]

Ranitomeya. I don't think my cages are too cluttered. For my ghosts I even crush up the dead leaves before putting them in the bottom.

Lol.. Exactly. You don't need any dead leaves or live plants or lots of stuff, or even dirt. Paper towel and a branch or a fake plant works just great

 

[Ranitomeya]

Many beetles have chemical defenses. Ladybird beetles produce distasteful compounds that can prevent predation and even sicken some predators that ingest them.
Aside from bedding and materials for the mantids to climb and molt on, anything extra is just decoration. It's certainly not a problem if you like how it looks, but it can make feeding and cleaning quite a hassle.

 

[I_love_mantids]

Do lacewings make good feeders?

 

[Ranitomeya]

Lacewings don't have much mass to them, but they can be used as feeders if you can get enough of them.