Should I feed a female her regular portion of food after she's mated with a male every other day? Is it a good idea? I feed her regularly when she has not mated, a bumble bee portion (two honey bees or insects of similar size) once every 8 days. She's European spiecies. I heard female mantises consumes massive amounts of food once they have mated.
Female's food intake
- Thread starter Volvagia2
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collinchang635
Well-known member
If you want ooths ASAP then feed her everyday. As much as she can eat. You will get ooths in no time.
=volvagia2=sep 3 2008 How do I tell if she's fertilly pregnant but is not fat should she continue to accept food to tell? Or can she decide not to accept food when not pregnant? And if she's not pregnant will she accept food not as much and will deny it more? how do you tell? She is wildly caught. Do you feed your adult females everyday when not pregnant?
volvagia2 sep 3 2008, Will she eat like that when not pregnant? She's wildly caught so I can't tell if she's pregnant. If they have a killer appitite does that mean she is?
OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
A female mantis will make and lay eggs reguardless of weather or not she has been mated. Her appetite will be the same either way. She does not reconize mating as her call to motherhood. She is made to lay eggs no matter what. Most wild caught mantis are usually fertile as males are able to find them without being held back by timid breeders. 
name=volvagia2 Sep 6, 2008 I have a female that has extremly aggressive behavior the male has made his move to mate with her but she flings him off and trys to grapple the male and trys to eat him. I even tried to distract her by feeding her but she still remains highly alert and watches the male. Does that mean she's fertily pregnant, or she's not interested? I feed her almost everyday because she has this monstrous appitite she'll devour anything in her way.A female mantis will make and lay eggs reguardless of weather or not she has been mated. Her appetite will be the same either way. She does not reconize mating as her call to motherhood. She is made to lay eggs no matter what. Most wild caught mantis are usually fertile as males are able to find them without being held back by timid breeders.
She is not ready for mating then. IMO keeping her well fed does not give the male any less of a chance at becoming a meal.
collinchang635
Well-known member
Really? I thought if the female was very full and stops eating, the male would not be in danger.
The_Asa
Well-known member
Think of it this way: Instead of slapping him when he gets out of hand, she devours his head.
kamakiri
Well-known member
I agree...found that out the hard way. I've been feeding my female religiosa until she appeared full. After I introduced the male, during the mating...she still was able to take a cricket and only ate it about half way. I figured the male was totally safe. I tried to separate them when I was leaving the house after about 5 hours of mating. Gave up since I figured she was full. That was wrong. She still ate the male leaving only the legs, wings, and head. She is so stuffed now that her abdomen bulges like the Michelin man...
if she had room for half a cricket and most of the male then she wasnt as well fed as she could have been. i agree a well fed female doesn't guarantee the male's safety but feeding until they "appear full" is not really enough.
idolomantis
Well-known member
i fed my mantis religiosa a locust during the mating. after like 5 hours or so.
the male was safe.
the male was safe.
kamakiri
Well-known member
Crud. I guess I wasn't conservative enough...and I actually had a wild caught locust that I was saving for her on hand that is about 2 1/2" long and about the size of my consumed male
I'll feed more next time...
