Mantis not eating

[Patchouli]

My female adult orchid mantis always seems really timid with food, ive tried flies, moths, small roaches, even small crickets but she always seems timid to them. I noticed she always has been kinda defensive around most things and I thought it might be size so I go smaller and smaller but she hasnt eaten in several days. She usually likes moths so I got her one but it remained uneaten. I tried to remove and feed her in separate containers. So far she just will eat honey. Any suggestions or possibilities?

 

[crabbypatty]

I had the same issue with my ghost for awhile and it got really bad when I left him with my sister while I was on vacation and he refused to eat for 11 days, he just wouldn't take any food. When I got him back I cut a tiny mealworm in half and squeezed the guts out and used tweezers to put the cut part near his mouth, he tried getting away from it for awhile but some of it finally touched his mouth and he grabbed it. He's back to his strong healthy self and now he's actively grabbing prey when it comes near.

 

[Patchouli]

I had the same issue with my ghost for awhile and it got really bad when I left him with my sister while I was on vacation and he refused to eat for 11 days, he just wouldn't take any food. When I got him back I cut a tiny mealworm in half and squeezed the guts out and used tweezers to put the cut part near his mouth, he tried getting away from it for awhile but some of it finally touched his mouth and he grabbed it. He's back to his strong healthy self and now he's actively grabbing prey when it comes near.

I will have to try this, no mealworms on hand but I have a few other small ones! Hopefully she gets eating soon

 

[crabbypatty]

Yeah just cut whatever you have in half and see if it works

 

[Patchouli]

Yeah just cut whatever you have in half and see if it works

She ate a little bit, not a whole lot before dropping it and trying to climb elsewhere, but even her eating a bit is good for now

 

[crabbypatty]

It's a start, my ghost had to be hand fed every day for about a week with tiny bits of food each time, I read somewhere that if you haven't fed them in awhile it's not a good idea to start with a big meal, so try again tomorrow.

 

[Patchouli]

Thanks for the help

 

[crabbypatty]

keep us updated!

 

[CosbyArt]

Glad her got her to eat something.

Sometimes they are just picky or finicky about what they want to eat, or she may just not be hungry (if she has been kept well fed until recently) and is not uncommon for mantids to go upwards of two weeks (which can be dangerous) without food although it tends to be mainly males. If you are worried you can try different feeders, feeding her honey from a toothpick, or adjusting her heat/humidity if needed (see her caresheet here) to encourage her to eat.

 

[Patchouli]

After hand feeding for awhile, I am now finding flies "disappear" from her container, so hopefully she keeps on eating! Thanks for the advice