i know i have to wait 2-3 weeks or so to even start to try to breed my mantids but how many crickets should i feed the females beforehand? just a usual amount or until i want to do the breeding then increase the intake of crickets till the females are near to bust then introduce the males?
feeding then breeding
- Thread starter massaman
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PhilinYuma
Well-known member
What is yr "usual amount," Massaman? Do you feed a specific number a day, or put in a surplus and wait until they are all gone until adding more? This might be a good time to try that "varied diet" that everyone seems to agree is a good idea. Remember that Creobroter sp. are "flower mantids" and in nature would be almost exclusively eating flying insects.Try adding house flies, bluebottle flies, and even bees if you can get them. Some folks recommend feeding a female immediately before the male is introduced so that she is distracted by the food and less likely to eat him, but mating often takes longer than it takes to eat a cricket, and she may decide to eat him anyway!
Although the jury still appears to be out on this (see Prete, p.49), some breeders, including Yen, whose success speaks for itself, swear by adding pollen to their feeder insects, as would be found in nature. If you want to try this, you might want to check out Mantis Place for pollen and "Yen's Mix."
And good luck!
