Asa
Well-known member
How do you guys feed your mantids crickets? I hate scrambling around, cupping my hands and screwing it. I can get them into the mantids cage through a funnel, but how do I get it into the funnel? Help please.
Feeding (duh) crickets (not so duh)
- Thread starter Asa
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asdsdf
Coolest Member
C'mon, be a little nicer Sparky? You could also use forceps, or tapping the cantainer so some pour into the funnel.(Depends on container)
robo mantis
Well-known member
Tweezers
Yea, tweezers, I don't mind touching them when they are small, but the adults bother me. I shake them out of their rolls into a ff container, and pick them out with a 6" pair of tweezers. I find my mantis drop them a lot when the cricket bites them. If the mantis is holding the cricket where it can get it mouth on the mantis it can bite, so sometimes I cut their heads off :shock: I always lose one back leg, and usually pull off the other one just cause if they get loose they run to fast and my mantis are funny, most just want their food to come to them, no legs helps.. 
asdsdf
Coolest Member
Jeez, well forceps work too.
Or you can do this.
You can also do it the way my little brother does it.
1. Get a stick and dip it in honey.
2. Catch a cricket with it.
3. Throw it in.
Or you can do it the old forcep thing, whatever works for you.
Ben.M
Well-known member
I use forceps, the easiest way to catch an adult female it get it by the ovapositer (using the forcept of course 8) )
OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
If you have issues with animal (or insect) cruelty, please don't read this!!!! Anyway, yeah.... so... I take a cricket out, shock it with an electric fly swatter, and dangle it in front of the mantis. If I'm too slow, the cricket returns to normal.
Asa
Well-known member
lol nice
I think Sparky's little bro's idea is the best. Thanks for all the help!
robo mantis
Well-known member
Tweezers work the best it is so simple!
This is the most humane thing I've ever heard! The electrical shock instantly knocks out the whole central nervous system. Eventhough the idea that they feel pain is highly unlikely. This is brilliant OGIGA, thanks!
BTW the little clicky, scissor-like instrument is a hemostat, the "tweezer" are a kind of forcep.
Hibiscus - I think that first leg is a defense mechanism, it just falls off right away! I often pluck off the other for my old man and for less aggressive mantids. Glad I'm not the only one!
Kriss
Well-known member
I just use my hands and pick them up grrrrr
Glad Rick didn't ask me anything :lol: What usually peees me off is when ok the one leg fell off, I pick it up by the other leg and that one falls off! What the HecK!
OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
It's so I can pick it up by holding a hind leg and not worry about it biting me... until its conscious again.
joossa
Well-known member
Crickets disgust me, so I too have to resort to the good old tweezers.
Krissim Klaw
Well-known member
I'm surprised so many members find crickets creepy. I used to keep them as pets all the time when I was a kid. Usually I just gently scoop them up in my hand. It is the fastest easiest way for me to catch them for feeding. Never been bitten by a cricket doing this. I also don't maim/stun the crickets when feeding and never once had a mantis injured by one. I've always considered crickets rather docile.
The honey method Sparky mentioned sounds like it might be interesting to try though.
The honey method Sparky mentioned sounds like it might be interesting to try though.
