Human Food

[Curiosity]

If I were going to try to feed my mantises things that aren't actually bugs, what would be a good shot? I'm a high school student, no steady income, and the moths have stopped turning up at the porch light, so I figured this might be a good option for the winter. Is it a lousy idea, or are there some good options? I already tried to feed Sassafras and Klara some canned chicken. (Klara's my disabled mantis, her claws don't work and as such she's fairly used to hand feeding, so I figured she'd take well to it.) They both sort of took a few bites and then dropped it. ("Weird. What IS that stuff?") So, yeah. . . is this a bad idea I should stop pursuing, or do you have any advice on how best to pursue it? 

Man, this is a silly sounding question. . . 

(cringe) 

 

[hibiscusmile]

They have to have real insects. every now and then they can have a taste of honey or banana, but that's not what they need to be healthy. 

 

[Mantis Lady]

You can buy feeder insects online, like grasshoppers or dubia roaches. That is better than chicken.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Agreed. Nothing more than a taste of anything but insect/arthropod. I am also a high school student with not much income, so I feel your struggle. You can buy mealworms online or at a pet store, and they don't cost much, so that's what I usually use. A roach colony can be economical as well.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Synapze]

There are net fly traps that you could use. I still use them when there is a delay in a feeder delivery. It contains a small dish where you place your bait... I've found wet dog food seems to work the best and is a cleaner option. I've seen these net traps sell as low as $5. You'll be surprised how many flies and even small roaches that you'll catch. 

That being said, many people discourage the use of wild caught feeders due to potential health issues. I've never experienced a problem, but it's something you should take into consideration. If wild caught feeders are your only option, but you really want to keep a mantis, it can be done. Not ideal, but possible. This is the type of trap I use. 

 

[Curiosity]

Okay, thanks for the suggestions. So I was right; mine wasn't the greatest of possible solutions. I'm probably going to have to take @MantisGirl13's suggestion as I'm mostly wondering what to do when it really gets cold out and there are no bugs to catch. In 2017, my mantises all died once that point came because I couldn't find any other way to feed them. . . I'm trying to prepare for that future now.

Thanks! 

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Maybe just order some insects? You can get some crickets even though they aren't recommended, really cheap off josh' frogs. 

 

[Introvertebrate]

I'm not aware of any studies indicating that human food is unsuitable.  It's hard to know if your attempt failed because of the taste of the chicken morcel, or because of its lack of movement.  Usually its the motion that triggers the feeding response.  You might want to try some other protein based options, like a bit of fish or ground beef.  I don't know if cooked or raw would be more appealing to a mantis.  I've seen videos of people faking out mantids by putting a dead bug on the tip of a toothpick and moving it around a bit.

Here in Central Ohio, wild caught feeder season is drawing to a close.  I would imagine its the same for you in Northern Idaho.  You could still find pill bugs under rocks, but I don't know if mantids will take them.

Here's someone that pulled off the chicken thing:

 

[MantisGirl13]

5 hours ago, Introvertebrate said:

I'm not aware of any studies indicating that human food is unsuitable.  It's hard to know if your attempt failed because of the taste of the chicken morcel, or because of its lack of movement.  Usually its the motion that triggers the feeding response.  You might want to try some other protein based options, like a bit of fish or ground beef.  I don't know if cooked or raw would be more appealing to a mantis.  I've seen videos of people faking out mantids by putting a dead bug on the tip of a toothpick and moving it around a bit.

Here in Central Ohio, wild caught feeder season is drawing to a close.  I would imagine its the same for you in Northern Idaho.  You could still find pill bugs under rocks, but I don't know if mantids will take them.

Here's someone that pulled off the chicken thing:

Mantids were made to eat things with exoskeletons, so I imagine raw meat wouldn't have all of the nutrients that they need. 

- MantisGirl13 

 

[Curiosity]

@Introvertebrate: Yeah, feeder season is coming to an end up here. Um, Klara definitely didn't reject the chicken due to lack of movement. She is paralyzed in her claws and as a result is fairly used to eating pre-killed prey. I figured she was probably rejecting it for the same reason babies initially reject solid food - weird consistency, weird taste. 

I ended up trying to use chicken because I'd heard that in the wild, some mantises (I'm guessing these are like 5-inch-lond idolomantises) can get to be big enough to catch small birds, which would mean that chicken was the human food closest related to something some kind of wild mantis might eat. It's a thin link, but it's closer than, say, cows. 

Exoskeletons. I wonder what those are mostly made up of. . . . 

And yeah, I guess I can see where meat wouldn't have all the same stuff as insects, but once I can't get insects outside it'll probably be better than nothing. Still looking into the possibility of buying feeder insects online. It does sound like a better solution health wise. Thanks for both of your suggestions (Introvertebrate and MantisGirl13). 

 

[Curiosity]

@MrGhostMantis you're right, those Josh's Frogs crickets are listed as really cheap. By their listed prices, I could buy 72 1/2 inch crickets (good size for my eight adult females) for the same price I could get fifty at the local pet store. 250 for the same as 80. Not sure I need 250, but thanks for the hot tip. 

 

[MrGhostMantis]

No problem! Happy to help

 

[Curiosity]

@MrGhostMantis One more thing - I'm probably going to just buy 250 crickets. That'll keep my eight mantises fed for a couple months. . . How should I keep the crickets alive in the meantime?

 

[Introvertebrate]

Crickets don't live very long.  If you want them to last that long, I would suggest purchasing very young ones.

 

[Curiosity]

@Introvertebrate Okay thanks.