Hello, I found two eggsacks over the winter and kept them in my garage until a couple weeks ago when i took them indoors to hatch. After a couple weeks one mantis finally hatched. Only one. I am pretty sure it is a european mantis. I have now waited a day and still no more hatched. The one that did hatch is doing fine but can anyone tell me why only one mantis came out. Also, i heard that you can feed baby mantids brine shrimp. Is this true because i really dont wanna get a thousand tiny crickets.
Only one mantis hatching.
- Thread starter zrossk
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Ntsees
Well-known member
It's been too long since I've hatched European mantids and newly hatched crickets might be still too big, but go ahead and try them. Hmm...do you mean fruit flies instead of brine shrimp? Brine shrimp are aquatic.
I don't think so. The nymphs' main food source is fruit flies. You can find it in pet stores or order online.... Oh you should introduce yourself first in the " introduce yourself " tab. c:
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Probably only one hatched because they need moisture and unless you misted them each week good, they probably dried out.
you can get flightless ones, so you just dump some in with him each day (maybe 5 or so) & you can always get express post if you want. They don't need food for the first couple of days so you might get lucky (and they take a while to starve maybe a week)
Myrmecologist2
Well-known member
Are there no insects out and about right now for you? 80% of the insects I've ever fed to my mantids are wild caught. (Pesticide free area, of course)
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they will eat everything as long as its small enough, just make sure its not from an area covered in pesticide as it will transfer to your mantis. (easiest way to catch some stuff is to put out some rotting food & then try & net some flies off it at the end of the day.
Myrmecologist2
Well-known member
They'll eat just about anything, even some insects considered to be poisonous to other mamals, insects, and reptiles. Just make sure it's the right size, 1/4 the size of your mantis is a good place to start.
happy1892
Well-known member
I do not remember how big brine shrimp were. I have read that they are about 8-10mm long. That seems too big for an L1 nymph. I remember they were smaller but that was a long time ago. I would try to feed him brine shrimp by putting a little drop in front of the mantis if you have nothing smaller to feed him.
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My mantis is very small, maybe a couple centimeters long. My dad just tells me to let him go when i ask him if i can buy my mantis fruit flies off the internet. I would have to go to the pet store to get brine shrimp and he does not want to take me. I am just going to let it go 
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you can try and dig up some small bugs from the dirt in the backyard, especially easy if you have tanbark & or leaf litter. There will be lots of little bugs there. Even if you can find some aphids (usually on rose bushes). Try and find some stuff, if you can get it to eat within the day you should try and keep getting it stuff from the garden. Once its bigger getting food is easier.
Myrmecologist2
Well-known member
A couple centimeters long is easily big enough to take mosquitos, and any other small flies you can find outside basking in sunlight. If you really want him, it's pretty darn easy to find food for them. You just need a net, or a container to quickly cup the insects in. If you don't feel like going through the trouble then you can let it go.My mantis is very small, maybe a couple centimeters long. My dad just tells me to let him go when i ask him if i can buy my mantis fruit flies off the internet. I would have to go to the pet store to get brine shrimp and he does not want to take me. I am just going to let it go
happy1892
Well-known member
Wow! Great!I went outside and caught a mosquito and he ate it
