How big should a mantid be to take on a fly?

[Quake]

I have 2 Giant Asian mantids. I received them 5 days ago, and the boy already is eating small crickets, but he is still scared of fruit flies. He weighs in at about 2 inches.

How big should I let him get before I introduce him to bigger prey?

(BTW the female is still tiny and eats a lot of fruit flies.)

 

[idolomantis]

if, he's 2 inch he can easily take prey,s as large as itself. fruteflies are way to small for him.

 

[Quake]

Well, I thought so too, but both when I tried a housefly and a small black beetle, he avoided it and seemed afraid. I am going to try again in a few days with a bigger cricket. He seems to like those. The female also takes on moths much bigger than her, which is why his behavior confuses me.

 

[darkspeed]

I have 2 Giant Asian mantids. I received them 5 days ago, and the boy already is eating small crickets,but he is still scared of fruit flies.

He weighs in at about 2 inches.

How big should I let him get before I introduce him to bigger prey?

(BTW the female is still tiny and eats a lot of fruit flies.)

Did that part mean to say house flies?

2 inches is big enough to take on horse flies and even dragonflies.

I've had mantids the size of houseflies take on bluebottle flies.

 

[kamakiri]

At 2" he should be able to take any fly. Odds are FFs are just way too small.

 

[Quake]

Yes, I'm sorry, I meant house fly. He is molting right now, but tomorrow afternoon I will try another house fly. He eats small crickets that aren't much less than the flies, but he avoids the flies. So I figure if he refuses it one more time, he just doesn't like how it smells.

 

[kamakiri]

Yes, I'm sorry, I meant house fly. He is molting right now, but tomorrow afternoon I will try another house fly. He eats small crickets that aren't much less than the flies, but he avoids the flies. So I figure if he refuses it one more time, he just doesn't like how it smells.

Before the molt, he just might not have been hungry...and being male, he might have just been a little skittish with something new. I think that's just the way mantid males are.

If as a male I were less than 1/2 the size and weight of typical females, I'd probably be skittish too

 

[Quake]

Thanks, I didn't even think of that when I saw he was going to molt. Since this is still open, is my female big enough for anything other than fruit flies? I think she is a half inch, maybe more, maybe less. She has 3 legs so she has trouble hunting down the flying insects, and the only big thing she had a good time with was a small moth (after I clippe it's wings so it couldn't flap off). But she is scared of everything else, even moths with their wings still on.

 

[idolomantis]

wait another molt and then try a curly winged fly.

these are like houseflies but can't fly at all.

 

[Quake]

How big a difference in size are the first few molts? The male has grown exponentially, but I don't see the female eating flies anytime soon.

 

[darkspeed]

Curly wings dont exist here in the US. <_< Regular houseflies will have to do. But fear not... in an inclosed container such as a mantis enclosure, houseflies rarely fly, but rather run around looking for an exit. Should be no trouble for a three legged L-1 Hirodula. In fact I wouldnt be suprised if she gets her leg back in the next couple of molts.

 

[collinchang635]

Both your mantids should have no problem eating flies. Look at my Tropidomantid.

She's 2cm.

 

[Quake]

I realized after looking at it that the fly I gave him was a flower fly (the kind with a slightly fuzzy thorax and yellow bands to disguise them as bumble bees), so he was probably just scared of it thinking it was going to sting him. I will try to find a blue fly later, until I order some.