How often should I feed my mantis?

[Mantis Man13]

I feel like I should feed my nymph mantis everyday but it is a pain to do it. Most of the time I am doing it every other day. Is that ok and if I do this will it make it not grow as big or will it still grow to its full size? I am worried.

 

[Synapze]

Feeding every other day works fine for me. If their abdomens still look plump, you may want to skip another day. A little misting should be done every day so they can get fluids, but don't over mist depending on the humidity requirements for the species. 

The more you feed and the higher the temperature, the faster the mantis will grow... unfortunately it also shortens lifespan. I'd just keep an eye on their abdomens because it's the best indicator that they need or don't need feeding. Some people overfeed their mantids until they are practically bulging, which not only shortens lifespan, but can lead to illness. I've seen some that are practically handicapped because they're being overfed. 

My 2¢... hope it helps.

 

[Mantis Man13]

Ok can I get anyone elses thought on feeding every other day too? 

 

[Mantis Man13]

My mantis is less than an inch long and it ate a whole housefly its crazy so I didn’t feed it yesterday.

 

[MantisGirl13]

I feed whenever the mantid's abdomen is getting skinny. For some mantids, this is once a week, others every other day, but never every day.

- MantisGirl13 

 

[Mantis Man13]

Ok.

 

[Grapple_Apple]

For a lot of nymphs, I tend to throw in about 3-5 Melanogaster or Hydei FF's per nymph, and i do that every Wednesday and Saturday. Sometimes, if they still look plump after that, I wait till the next feeding day to feed them.