Mantis Diet - fish lizards birds and mice

[Ricardo]

So I was watching some videos on youtube of mantids snacking on goldfish, anole's, mice and even a hummingbird.

Is this harmful? I don't plan on feeding my chinese anything of that magnitude but it looks like it can be done.

Are goldfish or mice harmful to the mantis if digested or can the mantis pretty much digest most creatures?

 

[massaman]

well besides being kind of cruel feeding mammals or other vertebrates to insects unless they are doing it in the wild a mantis can handle mice and such but most would prob be at odds with feeding vert animals to inverts!

 

[hibiscusmile]

I give mine rosie reds when I get some

 

[patrickfraser]

Just a lot of yuck factor

. Interesting to know, but not something I'd practice.

 

[MantidLord]

What are rosie reds? A google search turned up nothing for me.

 

[PhilinYuma]

No, it's not harmul to the mantis, though it probably is to the prey. Most critters are smarter than humans in that respect and seldom eat what is not good for them and when they do, avoid it in the future.

@Mantidlord: Ha, ha! You didn't compensate for Hibiscusmile's improved spelling. Rosy reds are reddish minnows!

 

[lancaster1313]

I have never fed a vertebrate to any of my mantids, but as long as the size of the prey is small enough for the insect, I don't have a problem with it.

Take into account, the mess and the smell you will have to deal with, and possibly different bacteria that comes with raw meat (it could be unhealthy for humans, but probably not harm the mantids).

I don't worry about getting salmonella or other illness from my "bugs", one of the reasons for that is their diet.

 

[jackdhammer]

Other than my daughter never speaking to me again, I would worry about a mammal or bird harming my mantis. Bones and teeth tend to be tough.

Fish I think would be cool though. Have an enclosure with a shallow water dish and drop some minnows or feeder fish in there. That would be cool to see I think.

 

[Rick]

No pics or vids. This topic has not went over well in the past so don't be surprised if it disappears.

 

[[email protected]]

Rosy Reds are feeder fish

 

[Ricardo]

Anyone know if pinky mice would be okay? But how does the mantis cope with bones?

 

[lancaster1313]

Anyone know if pinky mice would be okay? But how does the mantis cope with bones?

A mantis will eat around any parts that they don't want, and toss the parts away.

Before you feed a pinky to a mantis, take into account how a mantis eats:

They don't always eat their prey head first (If it is not pre killed, the prey item is likely to be alive during most of the feeding process, most likely crying out in pain).

It is not likely that it will finish the prey (leaving a bloody stinking mess).

If the prey has teeth yet, it can give your mantis a nasty bite.

 

[massaman]

To me it just sounds cruel feeding pinkies and such to a insect and though most feed them to their reptiles and I had a ball python at one time and fed them pinkies without worrying about it at the time.The smell and mess would prob be a job to clean up and the blood could stain any enclosure or such as well leaving behind a stench if any flesh is left behind and let go to rot without cleaning it up!

 

[Ricardo]

Alright thanks all! And yes I'm still only feeding them crickets/ff's.

I was just curious about how they manage to eat such large bony prey and if they are at alright after.

 

[Rick]

Pinkies are sold pre killed and frozen for the purpose of being food. I feed them on occasion to my turtles. Vertebrates don't make good mantis food for the most part.

 

[psychoknot]

it seems this strikes an ethical chord with some. i dont see why. i know i personally get all excited to see my mantis eat a cricket or moth, would i be demented to want to see it eat a mouse or fish? i dont think so,well no more demented than taking joy in it eating an insect. life is life, and we are giving life to one thing while taking the life of another. in the big scheme of things a crickets life is no less important than a goldfish or mouse, or any mammal for that matter.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Most of us don't live in the "big scheme of things", though; we consult our interest. That is why a lot of folks who enjoy seeing a mantis eat a cricket would be somewhat disturbed to see the same mantis take a no more or less important life by eating a baby girl. B)

 

[giesle]

I've had the idea of feeding my Budwing a feeder goldfish for awhile, but wasn't sure if it would hurt it. Thanks for starting this post and thanks to Rebecca for saying you feed yours Rosy Reds. I wouldn't have shot this yesterday if you hadn't. The Rosies were too small and too pale looking, so I went with the Comet Goldfish for the photo shoot.

 

[FendersRule]

Awesome