Food Questions!

[Omen414]

I have 2 questions about feeding a mantid. I think mine is a giant indian mantis but im still not sure (Ill have pics up for inspection soon I believe hes on L5...maybe L4 if that means how many molts) Anyway first thing: Are mealworms better to feed mantids then crickets. and second: How frequently should I feed a mantid if it is eating mealworms? Thanks

-D

 

[bassist]

Mealworms aren't really good mantis food.

 

[Katnapper]

I bought mealworms once for my mantids, and could hardly get any of them to even try one, let alone eat it. I wouldn't use any type of worm as a mantid's staple food, or a major portion of their diet. Supplementing the diet with them occasionally for variety (if you can get them to take and eat them) would be fine.

Here's a link to a comparison between crickets and mealworms you might find interesting or helpful: http://www.geckodan.com/The%20Pro.htm

 

[Rick]

Do not feed mealworms as a staple. As an occasional food item they are fine. There is nothing wrong with crickets. Get some crickets and take good care of them and feed them well and they will be fine.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Yea, mealworms and waxworms are a treat, and u know we can't have treats every day! Once a week or in a pinch is fine though.

 

[kamakiri]

There is nothing wrong with crickets.

While I generally agree with this statement and primarily feed crickets myself...

One occaisonal problem I have is a stray criket biting a molting mantis. It is pretty simple to keep feeders out of mantis enclosures during molting, but I have made that mistake recently resulting in the death of a couple of mantises.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Yea, mealworms and waxworms are a treat, and u know we can't have treats every day! Once a week or in a pinch is fine though.

And as usual, The Mantis Queen comes up with the right analogy. Mealworms contain about 25% fat by wet weight, while crickets are closer to 6%. Remember, a mantis is a Lean Green (or otherwise) Machine.

It's interesting that you have problems with crickets biting yr mantids, Kamakiri, because you've said in the past that you feed them kibble, and somewhere in Prete it says that providing animal protein decreases such attacks. You might want to have your crix glance at the apropriate chapter, "Rearing Techniques," I think. It's possible that they don't know. As of this week I am going to try a substrate of ground dog dood for some crix and shall see how it works. Bady I suspect, so I'll use a small container.

 

[Rick]

While I generally agree with this statement and primarily feed crickets myself...One occaisonal problem I have is a stray criket biting a molting mantis. It is pretty simple to keep feeders out of mantis enclosures during molting, but I have made that mistake recently resulting in the death of a couple of mantises.

Have never had that happen myself.

 

[Katnapper]

Have never had that happen myself.

I have, unfortunately. The crickets sometimes seem to either sense or "learn" when a mantis is incapacitated, and will jump or crawl to sit right on them and start munching. I've had crickets do this when a female was laying her ootheca too. In this instance, I thought at first it was just a fluke that the cricket was sitting on her. But when I knocked it down and away, it immediately crawled right back up and on her again. It's convenient to leave them in with the mantis to eat at their leisure, but not without risk... especially when they are molting, laying, or otherwise weak, old, or sickly.

 

[superfreak]

yeah, thats happened to me too lost a beautiful female to a cricket attack during moulting recently. damn crix! <_<