vegan alternative for mantises?

[happy1892]

I read maybe half the posts in this thread. It's gotten long.

Just wanted to say very quickly that I'm 100% behind your experiment with mantises and a vegan diet, Kayimbo. Like I've said so many times before, we're all hypocrites for keeping a mantis in captivity in the first place, and choosing what and when it eats. You go, Kayimbo! You are so obviously not a troll from post #1. I'm sure many of these mantis hobbyists take better care of their mantises than the average American takes care of their children. Look at the health food industry. How much of that stuff is natural? We didn't evolve to eat even a fraction of the stuff we eat, but we're all doing just fine, living longer (on average). Orin made some excellent points along the way here. I'm sure there were others, but I hate to see a thread go a bad way when a little science is being done in the midst of so many hypocrites. There used to a lot more science on this forum, but not necessarily less bickering. Comes with the territory. Keep up the good work.

Hehehe. I do not think it is bad to do this Kayimbo. I think it will be hard to do though. It is weird hahaha! Petter Clausen I have heard that at one time a long time ago people used to live about 35 years on average! But people would live longer if they ate healthy. <_< LOL I could not keep my mantids! Oh, I would not say we are doing just fine eating stuff like that you know. I cannot think how this could work but Orin said it could work or maybe he said maybe (I know nothing about making something like this). Everybody is a hypocrites anyway right?

I never thought I would hear of a vegan keeping a wild animal in captivity? Vegans don't eat bee pollen nor honey due to the cruelty of the entire process, (this is coming from a vegan friend of mine) i don't see any cruelty being done in this line of work, Any who, aren't vegans 110% for letting all animals run free and don't use them for any of their sources nor keep them from being in their natural ways? Correct me if I am wrong, but I got these impressions from 2 family members and 1 good friend who all happen to be vegan.

<_< I do not think he is vagen like likebugs. Maybe he said he was not? I forgot. 110% is very funny to me LOL! :clown:

@ sublime: I thought the same thing about the vegan lifestyle but the creator of the topic is not a vegan. It is just an experiment.

Personally: I like the idea of some sort of pelleted diet for predatory insects,(just not a vegan one, I couldn't imagine a life without animal protein).

I would still feed live and think it is best, but in an emergency, predatory bug chow could come in handy.

Yeah, you are right. Maybe you could freeze flies, roaches, crickets and whatever they eat and then take them out and let them melt and feed them to the mantids when it is an emergency (but it would be hard I guess. Oh! Put them on a robot that moves or something like that and it might be a piece of cake.).

 

[ismart]

@ sublime: I thought the same thing about the vegan lifestyle but the creator of the topic is not a vegan. It is just an experiment.

Personally: I like the idea of some sort of pelleted diet for predatory insects,(just not a vegan one, I couldn't imagine a life without animal protein).

I would still feed live and think it is best, but in an emergency, predatory bug chow could come in handy.

I agree with 100%. I would only use some thing like this in an emergency.

Even if a mantis jelly, or what ever you want to call it was created. You would still have to manipulate it for the mantids to take interest strike, and start eating. Or you could place it to the mantids mouth, and hope it takes it and eats. The point i'm trying make is this would be just as time consuming, or even more time consuming then throwing a live fly, or cricket into the enclosure.

 

[brancsikia339]

Even if a mantis jelly, or what ever you want to call it was created. You would still have to manipulate it for the mantids to take interest strike, and start eating. Or you could place it to the mantids mouth, and hope it takes it and eats. The point i'm trying make is this would be just as time consuming, or even more time consuming then throwing a live fly, or cricket into the enclosure.

This.

Its not all about what you're feeding the mantis, it's how it's going to be eating it.

 

[happy1892]

This.

Its not all about what you're feeding the mantis, it's how it's going to be eating it.

He said he wanted to make a small machine that might get the interest of the mantis.

 

[Morbo]

4 tablespoons of pureed Gryllidae.

I like this idea. Forget the other ingredients. The OP can get some crickets, kill them, make them into a paste, and smoother the paste onto a tiny robot that will get the mantid's attention.

 

[alan2296]

He said he wanted to make a small machine that might get the interest of the mantis.

the problem with that is that the mantis would (if the machine is small enough) eat it. it would have to be very big and too hard to chew, and mantids have very strong mouths/jaws(?)(idk how to say it whoops)

 

[brancsikia339]

the problem with that is that the mantis would (if the machine is small enough) eat it. it would have to be very big and too hard to chew, and mantids have very strong mouths/jaws(?)(idk how to say it whoops)

And a mantis' jaws wouldn't be able to tear apart a metal machine.

 

[alan2296]

And a mantis' jaws wouldn't be able to tear apart a metal machine.

my point exactly so now the question is how would u make something that a mantis can not eat

 

[lancaster1313]

It seems as if a person will have to spend time with many mantids, persuading them to feed.

I have noticed that when I mist mantids, many will try to lap up the drops from almost any surface.

If that surface was palatable enough, they may feed on it.

It may not be what we think is the natural way of things, but I am sure that many have experienced mantids lapping up honey or sweets without having the mantids striking or grasping at a prey item. Many of my mantids will willingly lap up honey from my finger without any striking or grasping. They just lick it up.

Why would they behave in such a docile way if their only way to feed was a predatory way? This is a question that can start a good experiment, in my opinion.

It would still be a useful experiment if, mantids can actually thrive on such a diet.

They have geckos lapping up a staple diet, Why not mantids?

It is all in the opinion of hobbyists.

Some prefer natural, and some want to get things done in other ways.

When I was a kid, I had never heard of feeding dead and thawed out mice or fish to snakes. Now, some are just fine with feeding only dead prey. Maybe I should only feed my Royal python "live rodents directly from Africa" instead of our mice or rats. That is what they may prefer, isn't it?

I like to feed my snake both live and dead, depending on what is more convenient for me at the time. I like to please them with live prey, if that even makes a difference to them, I will never know.

I am only human, and many pets, even cats and dogs, have adapted to their particular status and feeding requirements.

 

[happy1892]

my point exactly so now the question is how would u make something that a mantis can not eat

No, he said the mantis would't be able to not be able to tear apart a metal thing and I am pretty sure there is not mantis that could chew a metal thing (not very thin metal). What I want to know is if the mantis would get hurt trying to chew the metal?

 

[preying mantis]

I have had slight success coaxing my mantis into eating a morsel of chicken by holding it to its mouth. Not sure if it would work with vegan foodstuffs.

Either way, this is just an absurd concept. Praying mantises are the strictest of carnivores. Either feed them their natural food or let them go.

 

[happy1892]

I have had slight success coaxing my mantis into eating a morsel of chicken by holding it to its mouth. Not sure if it would work with vegan foodstuffs.

Either way, this is just an absurd concept. Praying mantises are the strictest of carnivores. Either feed them their natural food or let them go.

Hehehe. Do you think it is possible to make this food?