Maybe mantis can actually only eat fruit flies on their whole life?

[Lalapink]

After my mantis last moult. She didn't have much appetite for a few days. She still eat some fruit flies but only eat 1 to 2 flies each day. So, I bought some mini mealworm at for her. She is not interest in. I ordered some blue bottle fly pupae. It took a few days to arrive and after it arrive it still need maybe another few days to become flies. So, I am still giving her fruit flies and I found she has normal appetite now. Her tummy looks plump. So, I think maybe she can just continue to eat fruit flies? Why not? What will happen if I only feed her one type of food on her whole life and why is small flies not suitable for big mantis? I would like to hear about your experience. Thanks

this is a photo of her today

 

[Mystymantis]

Well usually when a mantis gets bigger they will ignore smaller pray. Yours is still small enough to eat fruit flies from the looks of it. And maybe it likes them. Maybe they also need to get used to eating different prey, like sometimes when I put a roach in for a mantis for the first time they don't eat it right away.  Give the little guy some time.

But when it gets bigger it would probably be better to feed it larger prey such as blue bottle flies, small roaches, house flies and Hydei flies. Eating only fruit flies the mantises whole life might stunt it. Not to mention it will probably refuse to eat the fruit flies after at most 2 more molts.

 

[Lalapink]

What I feed her now is D.hydei. That’s the fruit fly I meant. Cause sellers call it flightless fruit flies. 

 

[Mystymantis]

Hydei are good right now. Just when she gets bigger you might want to try out blue bottle flies and small crickets and such.

 

[hibiscusmile]

I had a customer once that feed her chinese adult female only like 6 hydei a day, poor thing lived, but I told her she needed bigger food.

Can't imagine how it lived to be adult.