How often do I feed my ghosts?

[Pizzaparlor45]

It is difficult to tell when to feed them using the abdomen size method because they are oddly shaped. How often should I feed my ghost mantids? I have gotten by so far fine but I am afraid I am overfeeding them slightly which I have heard could accelerate their growth and shorten their lifespan. I believe they are L5s and L6s.

 

[hibiscusmile]

I give mine 3 or 4 flies a day, at that size they can have blue bottles, give at least 3

 

[Synapze]

I feed my adult ghosts 3 blue bottle flies every 3 days, with an occasional snack thrown in between feeding days. I live in a warm climate, so if I fed every day, my mantids would burn out too quick. Average lifespan of specimens in my collection is approximately 1 yr or more. I have healthy ghost females approximately 16 months old, so it seems to work for me.