Feeding Mantis

[SGcvn69]

I have been feeding my little mantises about every other day or whenever their abdomen looks a bit skinner. Does that sound right? These guys are my first...two religiosas and a giant asian. Today I gave them some fruit flies. It was hard to control how many went into their containers so I plan on not feeding them for a few days after this feast!

 

[MantidLord]

Great. The fruitflies may die however in a day if the mantids don't eat them all. So you may want to add a drop of honey or something to keep them alive until they're eaten.

 

[hibiscusmile]

I feed my nymphs every day and also water them everyday, they need all the nutrition they can get at this stage, don't withhold their food.

 

[LauraMG]

I feed my nymphs everyday and water them everyday also. I watch for them to actually eat too just in case they're about to molt. When/If they quit eating I'll stop feeding them so they won't be disturbed while molting. That's just my personal OCD though

 

[SGcvn69]

Hm ok thanks! They do eat...quite quickly I might add! Is there a way to prolong the fruit flies? I bought this quart sized container and it has this mash on the bottom with shredded something for them to hang onto. I assume eventually they will run out and die?

 

[Rick]

I feed every other day and always have. Feed enough to keep them plump. Don't worry if too many ff's fall in. There is no need to try and get an exact number in there. FF's are easy to culture, I wouldn't worry about adding honey to keep a few ff's alive in the mantis enclosure.

 

[LauraMG]

If there are enough maggots in your culture, it should last a while with that sized container. I've usually bought locally from Petco and had them last for over a month, sometimes 2. It just depends though, there's no guarantee of how long they'll actually last.

 

[Rick]

The culture will eventually dry out. Before that happens get yourself some medium and make new cultures. Start a cycle and you should always have flies.

 

[SGcvn69]

The culture will eventually dry out. Before that happens get yourself some medium and make new cultures. Start a cycle and you should always have flies.

What do you feed them?