Wahlbergii wont eat

[agent A]

hey all, on sunday i had a wahlbergii hatch

it's friday and they havent seemed to have eaten very many d.hydei

they're all alive and at 70 degrees but wont eat much

is something wrong??

 

[Reptiliatus]

70f seems okay but I would recommend keeping them closer to 75F. i keep mine at 76-80F. That being said I don't think temperature is the issue or cause of a dull feeding response. From your post it seems that they are eating but not a lot? If they are eating, I wouldn't worry about it too much but that slight temperature makes all the difference in terms of metabolism, etc. Remember where this species occurs naturally.

 

[agent A]

i reared them at room temp without a prob before

maybe i should mist more often. a few r real fat but others dont seem too hungry

 

[Termite48]

Alex: The wallies as with most mantids do not eat if they are stressed. The three stressors that are most likely are too low a temp, oncoming molt, and too low humidity (least likely where you live).

So the most beneficial thing to try is an increase in the temp. If given some fruit flies and the temp is mid-70s to high 70s, they will eat eventually.

Rich

 

[Reptiliatus]

Alex: The wallies as with most mantids do not eat if they are stressed. The three stressors that are most likely are too low a temp, oncoming molt, and too low humidity (least likely where you live).

So the most beneficial thing to try is an increase in the temp. If given some fruit flies and the temp is mid-70s to high 70s, they will eat eventually.

Rich

I agree +1.

I'd be careful about the humidity factor though... P. w's are more prone to fungal infections do to excess humidity. It doesn't take a lot to provide too much humidity to these guys either. 70% humidity has been just fine in my experience.

 

[Termite48]

With PWs, Wallies, Spinies, no matter what you call them, they are not as loving of low humidity as some like B. mendica, but where I live it is just about right in the 60% to 70% range. Only on the hottst of days do I spray them and they molt like they know what they are doing. I had four molt last night and finish morning and without a hitch. If they are thirsty, you can tell when you spray one it will behave as it wants to lick the droplets either from its raptorials or from the enclosure surface where the water droplets land. If not, do not bother the rest.