Peacock Mandit Not Eating

[warrenm14]

Hi guys,

New to the board, and new to keeping a mantid - I got a peacock mantid few weeks ago. It's been feeding OK untill about last week... It's not eaten in roughly 6 days I've changed crickets and put new crickets in but it does not entertain them at all.

I don't think it's molting as it's been moving around and walking about the roof of the tank - but I'm now worried something is wrong

Any ideas??

 

[utterbeastage]

Hi guys,New to the board, and new to keeping a mantid - I got a peacock mantid few weeks ago. It's been feeding OK untill about last week... It's not eaten in roughly 6 days I've changed crickets and put new crickets in but it does not entertain them at all.

I don't think it's molting as it's been moving around and walking about the roof of the tank - but I'm now worried something is wrong

Any ideas??

I wouldn't feed it crickets, they haven't got the best reputation as livefood , gutloaded bluebottles are best , going by my peacocks handfeeding usually works a treat , if you have a morio , chop it up into a small piece and put it near their mouthparts, they should grab it and start eating , if they're only a nymph , give it a go with a fly or maggot, if they still don't eat after that try some honey mixed with water , and give it a go later on

 

[hibiscusmile]

all mine eat are crickets and blue bottles. Where r u located? Is she adult? could be waiting for a male or going to lay or molt? need imput

 

[warrenm14]

I've been feeding them crickets - which I am gutloading with vegetables and cereals (the dude in the shop told me this was a good idea?)

I believe it's a male mantid - so don't think it's waiting on any male input !! unless I got a shy, reserved and gay mantid

 

[Rick]

I wouldn't feed it crickets, they haven't got the best reputation as livefood , gutloaded bluebottles are best , going by my peacocks handfeeding usually works a treat , if you have a morio , chop it up into a small piece and put it near their mouthparts, they should grab it and start eating , if they're only a nymph , give it a go with a fly or maggot, if they still don't eat after that try some honey mixed with water , and give it a go later on

Please don't post false info. Nothing wrong with crickets if they are properly taken care of.

 

[PhilinYuma]

The only peacock that I ever kept was addicted to cockroaches. Does your store guy sell them, too?

 

[warrenm14]

I've not asked. I will do tomorrow. I'm a bit sad that it's gone a week without food I hope it does not die I'm doing all I can. This is the first time I've had an "exotic" pet

 

[Cosmic]

Hi guys,New to the board, and new to keeping a mantid - I got a peacock mantid few weeks ago. It's been feeding OK untill about last week... It's not eaten in roughly 6 days I've changed crickets and put new crickets in but it does not entertain them at all.

I don't think it's molting as it's been moving around and walking about the roof of the tank - but I'm now worried something is wrong

Any ideas??

Peacocks can be fussy eaters at times, try feeding it flies/moths so times it will stimulate them to eat, it could be coming up to moult they do sometimes move around a fair bit before moulting. How thin is it's abdomen? Does it look full?

I wouldn't feed it crickets, they haven't got the best reputation as livefood , gutloaded bluebottles are best

Please don't post false info. Nothing wrong with crickets if they are properly taken care of.

This is not strictly false information, utterbeastage is from the U.K. where crickets do have a very bad reputation as livefood for mantids, your find most of the breeders other here steer well clear of crickets due to the potential health implications to the mantid's.

 

[Rick]

Peacocks can be fussy eaters at times, try feeding it flies/moths so times it will stimulate them to eat, it could be coming up to moult they do sometimes move around a fair bit before moulting. How thin is it's abdomen? Does it look full?This is not strictly false information, utterbeastage is from the U.K. where crickets do have a very bad reputation as livefood for mantids, your find most of the breeders other here steer well clear of crickets due to the potential health implications to the mantid's.

Still, far too many people on here automatically say crickets are bad. If the UK crickets are bad then feed them a proper diet for awhle before using them as food and they will be fine.

 

[warrenm14]

Hmm... might be best to change it's diet up then.

I'll try the shop tomorrow guys. thanks alot.

 

[warrenm14]

OK so spoke to the shop today - crickets all they have atm... so crickets it is for now. he told me if I put a cricket in and my mantid hasn't eaten him within 15mins I should take the cricket out again (squish it he said...)

so tonight I took the cricket out and put in some proper sticks and some proper leaves... I had him out for a while walking around on the sticks. I also have him on a heat mat currently. He seems to stay constantly on the top of the tank aswell.

I really hope there is nothing wrong with him. When should I try feeding him again?

 

[PhilinYuma]

OK so spoke to the shop today - crickets all they have atm... so crickets it is for now. he told me if I put a cricket in and my mantid hasn't eaten him within 15mins I should take the cricket out again (squish it he said...)so tonight I took the cricket out and put in some proper sticks and some proper leaves... I had him out for a while walking around on the sticks. I also have him on a heat mat currently. He seems to stay constantly on the top of the tank aswell.

I really hope there is nothing wrong with him. When should I try feeding him again?

I don't think that there is anything wrong with him and that he will start eating crix as soon as he is hungry enough. I also think that your dealer's advise to squish the cricket's head and let your mantid taste its "juices" is a good one and has been recommended by Rick and others frequently on this forum. Good luck!

 

[hibiscusmile]

U never replied weather it is adult or not. I will tell u this, my peacocks rarely ever eat. And if it is a male, it will eat only when ready, this is one species that is very hard to do anything with, they are a very big mantis, but very shy. The squishy thing is good, I do it a lot for certain mantis or giving them new food they are unsure of, it always gets them to eat, I put it to their mouth until they get a good taste of it, wheather they like it or not, u gotta keep putting it there until they either take it or really shy away, I give it at least a half dozen tries.

 

[utterbeastage]

Please don't post false info. Nothing wrong with crickets if they are properly taken care of.

my bad , BLACK cricks I was thinking of , don't have the best reputation

 

[warrenm14]

Hey - I think it's an adult. It's fairly big... the guy in the store told me ti probably only has a few molts left. It's got ZERO sign of wings though. Not even little budwings or anything so... I guess it's an adult.

Excuse me for being a total newbie over all this I'm trying to learn but it's not working overly well it seems lol!!

I might try squishing a cricket and feeding him...

He has now not eaten for 10 days so I think I will put a crick in tomorrow and see if he eats it within 15-30mins... if he does not then I will squish a crick and "feed" him... What do you guys use to do this action?

Thanks alot guys.

 

[massaman]

they use tweezers or think or forceps or something like that or you can try a shiskabob skewer maybe

 

[hibiscusmile]

I would do it today, u r giving it water, right? do u have a pic of it?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I would do it today, u r giving it water, right? do u have a pic of it?

 

[superfreak]

if it doesnt have wings then it is not an adult.