Two Mantids, Two very different appetites

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Shane95

Shane95

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I got my two mantids on Thursday, they were shipped on Monday. Both mantids have molted, but only one has eaten. One of the mantids has eaten two crickets (One on Friday and one today) while the other has yet to eat anything. I have offered crickets on multiple occasions and mealworms with their heads cut off, I even have a rogue cricket roaming about the enclosure but every time I shake one in front of her she just strikes it away. Should I put this down to weird molting behaviour or could something else be causing this?

Additional Info

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Both are L4 S.Kersteni

Her abdomen was quite big when she arrived and now it's quite thin.

 
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Sticky said:
Maybe she laid an ooth? But if thats so, she should be ravenous.
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She's 4th instar mate I do to think her laying an ootheca is going to happen for a good few weeks/ months yet.....

As long as she's not paper thin I wouldn't worry.... She will eat when ready... Maybe try a moth or a fly? Or change the size of the feeder....

 
Toxic said:
She will eat when ready... Maybe try a moth or a fly? Or change the size of the feeder....
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It's hard to get fruit flies in Ireland, So If i go this route I'll have to try catch a wild moth/fly and one that is an appropriate size. Can mantids be picky about feeders?

I just thought it was a little strange since the other mantis has chowed down on two decently sized crickets.

 
It's not unusual for a mantis to refuse food for at least a day after they've molted. They're still hardening their exoskeleton and recovering from molting.

 
If she just molted give a her a couple of days to fully harden. Currently it sounds like she is being smart and driving away prey because she isn't ready to eat. On the other hand you can lightly mist to offer some water in the meantime.

 
Maybe she is thirsty? get a tooth pick or cotton swab and dip it in water, just touch her mouth and she will start to drink.(if she is thirsty) Or wait for her exoskeleton to harden. :)

 
Wait one or two days before trying to feed her. Sphodromantis species eat well or are aggressive predators.

 
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It seems like I have been stressing out the mantis the last few days by offering her crickets, they just freak her out and she runs away. I offered a very small fly I found outside and she ate that right up but it was pretty small so it didn't do much for her appetite. It looks like I'll have to just catch flies from now on, even though they have all CONVENIENTLY DISAPPEARED. Seriously, the one time I need some flies in the house they are nowhere to be found...

 
Shane95 said:
It seems like I have been stressing out the mantis the last few days by offering her crickets, they just freak her out and she runs away. I offered a very small fly I found outside and she ate that right up but it was pretty small so it didn't do much for her appetite. It looks like I'll have to just catch flies from now on, even though they have all CONVENIENTLY DISAPPEARED. Seriously, the one time I need some flies in the house they are nowhere to be found...
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That is the way it always goes.. not a fly to be found anywhere..hehe

 
Just get some cheap pate from Sainsburys or ASDAs or something and leave the tub opened outside when sunny. Go back to check about an hour later with a net and swipe them up. The flies will be smothered in bacteria and will be very dirty as they're wild but if it's going to make your mantids happy, is it not worth it? :p

 
Darkrai283 said:
Just get some cheap pate from Sainsburys or ASDAs or something and leave the tub opened outside when sunny. Go back to check about an hour later with a net and swipe them up. The flies will be smothered in bacteria and will be very dirty as they're wild but if it's going to make your mantids happy, is it not worth it? :p
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It might be that winter is coming to Ireland so no insects up and about because of cold temperatures. Correct me if I am wrong, thanks.

 
A lot of time when I have mantids molt, they take small, minuscule prey for the first week or so. Then I'm able to offer them larger prey that they'd definitely be able to take.

Try feeding her crickets next week or so.

 
It might be that winter is coming to Ireland so no insects up and about because of cold temperatures. Correct me if I am wrong, thanks.
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The weather shouldn't be too different right now compared to mainland Britain. It's the same here too, the numbers of flying insects are going down but the smell of rotting pate attracts greenbottles in their hundreds up till mid-October.

 
If a mantis tries to push food away it means they are not hungry. Don't try to force feed them anything, they will eat when they feel the need to. Unless her abdomen is paper thin, mantises can go weeks without eating and they will often go on fasts before and right after molting. You can offer her some water by spraying it next to her, on the side of the enclosure she is on. She will sense the moisture and she will lean down to drink it if she wants to drink. I have forced a mantis to drink water before, and all she did was puke it up about a minute later.

If she is refusing food you can try changing her food up. At L4 a cricket sounds a little too big depending on the cricket size, though she will take it if she is super hungry. Also keep in mind that a grown cricket can easily take out a L4 nymph so be cautious about leaving it in with her. I love using blue bottle flies for L4 nymphs, and most times they will still take hydei at that instar which don't have a chance to knock them down during molts. It might be worth it to check if you have live bait shops in your area, they will give out pupa for free since it's trash to them. I've found someone who sells "Phoenix worms" in my area and the mantises love the flying version of them, Black Soldier Flies. There's usually a variety of roaches too which sphodromantis love in my experience, or if anything just try a smaller sized cricket. I hope this helps and good luck : )

 

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