What is the best food for pregnant female to give?

[ThrAwNy]

I need your advice on what is the best food to give to the female so she lays nice oothecas, I always thought that waxwoms were the best, but I recently bought a book called "Keeping Aliens" which tells you that waxmorm were not very good and that crickets was the best food to give them.

Any ideas :?:

 

[infinity]

they're all wrong no single prey item is good... a varied diet is the best. gut-loaded crickets for bulk and protein, perhaps a waxworm or two for fat and maybe the occasional housefly or butterfly for variety. Also make sure there is water around or given to it to drink occasionally (distilled preferably) - just because tap has chlorine etc in it which might not help...

- like a pregnant woman, they'll eat what they need!

but yeah, key here is variety

 

[Rick]

Yeah a variety of food is the best. And a lot of it. During the warm months I suppment my mantids diets with a lot of insects I catch outside.

 

[ThrAwNy]

Ok Thanks for the answers

It make sense.

I bought last year one of those moth trap with the light inside and got lots of insects that way, I even came across lacedwings that I used to feed my mantids but this year will keep them put put them loose in the bay wiindow to eat the fluit flies that have escaped (grin)

As for the water I guess it depends how much chlorine there is in the water, I don't have that problem yet where I live 8)

I also read before that distilled water wasn't good for them, because it was lacking the mineral for their exoskeleton. Any comments?

 

[Rick]

Ok Thanks for the answersIt make sense.

I bought last year one of those moth trap with the light inside and got lots of insects that way, I even came across lacedwings that I used to feed my mantids but this year will keep them put put them loose in the bay wiindow to eat the fluit flies that have escaped (grin)

As for the water I guess it depends how much chlorine there is in the water, I don't have that problem yet where I live 8)

I also read before that distilled water wasn't good for them, because it was lacking the mineral for their exoskeleton. Any comments?

I say don't worry so much about it. I just use a sprayer filled with water from the tap. I do put some reptisafe in it before though.