Feeding Gongys

[hierodula]

Can gongys eat crickets? Cause right now Im catching flies and moths outside and feeding them that. They are now L5 I believe. They are 2 1/2 inches long.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Can gongys eat crickets? Cause right now Im catching flies and moths outside and feeding them that. They are now L5 I believe. They are 2 1/2 inches long.

Aside from the pros and cons of whether crix are "bad" for gongies, the big issue, which you probably already know if you are keeping yours in a cube, is that they are nearly always on the roof of the cube or high up on the sides, while the crix are on the bottom. I have failed to get them to eat roaches for the same reason. They like bees, though, once they get large enough!

 

[Ghostie]

If you have a light at the top, some of the crickets will go up into that corner. One or two gongy will get fed but some will miss that feeding. Right now I am feeding them crickets from my fly mistakes and I have to individually shove a cricket in their face every other day to make sure each one gets food.

These things were designed for flies for real. They will eat crickets but they really really really like the flies. It's like a cat with a mouse.

 

[Rick]

Crickets should climb a net cage no problem. If you have branches in there they will climb those too. I feed mine nothing but bb flies.

 

[hibiscusmile]

My adults like a cricket, but usually I have to offer w/forceps!

 

[hierodula]

Thanks for all the help everyone. So whats best is if I stick with BB flies and maybe throw in the occasional cricket or moth or something.

 

[hibiscusmile]

moths are good, check out the porchlights at night, u can get nice feeders then.

 

[hierodula]

Thanks, Ill try that. Is there an effective way to set a light trap for moths and other such feeders?

 

[Entomo-logic]

If you can get your hands on some Wax worms you can easily get them to turn into moths by putting them in a small critter keeper with the wood chip substrate that they come in. pour a little pollen in the mix to feed them and they turn into moths within a matter of days. As for light traps putting up a UV black light will bring in a lot of moths more than your standard porch lights. Hook the light up to a sheet of plexiglass and place the plexi above a bucket with a very widemouth funnel (or a heat lamp cover turned upside down)on the top and the moths will come to the light hit the plexi and fall into the bucket and then cannot escape through the top. you can also find a lot of cool beetles this way and other interesting insects. BE CAREFUL feeding wild caught moths and butterflies because these animals can carry pesticides on their bodies that will kill the mantids. Make sure you know the area and are aware of any agriculture areas around you and if they use pesticides. Flying prey is the best for Violins though.