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Joe Caruso

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My search for an exotic pet at domesticated-hyenas-forum.com was unsuccessful, and so I came back here only to find posts where people told of hand-feeding their mantises non live food such as meatloaf, bananas, honey, and all kinds of crazy.

So seriously people, stop yanking my chain. Can I feed a mantis non-living food or not?

Love,

Joe.

 
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uhm well when they just died and still are fresh it can, i did once. when there dried out its not good for the mantis,s health.

if you want an exotic pet what eats non living things try phasmids (visit the phasmidforums )

or beetles. but when you feed em more often you will get used to it tho.

i had once the same and a year later i found some mantids and gave them grasshoppers, no problem at all!

so you can try one but if you think you dont want it, sell and look for something else. thats my advice.

 
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Hello Joe. You can feed mantises non-moving or dead things once in a while, but I don't recommend that as their main diet.

 
Well, the good people at exotic-pets.co.uk stock the following live foods: crickets, earthworms, fruitfly cultures, locusts, hoppers, mealworms, wax worms.

Some questions.

1.) Which of these is it ok to feed mantids.

2.) Of them all, which is the best in terms of nutrition and ease of tackling for the mantis.

3.) Of the ones it is ok to feed mantids, which is the least smelly and intrusive, and the least likely to escape and colonise my house.

Thanks.

 
Joe Caruso said:
Well, the good people at exotic-pets.co.uk stock the following live foods: crickets, earthworms, fruitfly cultures, locusts, hoppers, mealworms, wax worms.Some questions.

1.) Which of these is it ok to feed mantids.

2.) Of them all, which is the best in terms of nutrition and ease of tackling for the mantis.

3.) Of the ones it is ok to feed mantids, which is the least smelly and intrusive, and the least likely to escape and colonise my house.

Thanks.
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crickets when there big enough.when there babys(nympths) we use frute flys.

 
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macro junkie said:
crickets when there big enough.when there babys(nympths) we use frute flys.
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Don't they say crickets smell? How bad is the stench. I mean, are we talking a mild pong, or something dinner party guests are going to notice as I serve them their hors d'ourves?

- Furthermore, do not some people claim that crickets are not the best option for mantids?

- What about locusts; what are the pros and cons with those? A bit bigger than crickets I'd assume.

- Couldn't I just feed them earthworms? I have plenty of those wriggly buggers in my garden.

I'm not trying to be annoying here (contrary to all appearances). I'm just trying to identify all my options...

 
Joe Caruso said:
Don't they say crickets smell? How bad is the stench. I mean, are we talking a mild pong, or something dinner party guests are going to notice as I serve them their hors d'ourves?- Furthermore, do not some people claim that crickets are not the best option for mantids?

- What about locusts; what are the pros and cons with those? A bit bigger than crickets I'd assume.

- Couldn't I just feed them earthworms? I have plenty of those wriggly buggers in my garden.

I'm not trying to be annoying here (contrary to all appearances). I'm just trying to identify all my options...
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Crickets stink really terribly bad IMO You could always try Blaptica Dubia roaches google them. They are like the rollie pollie bugs and if you want to try those PM me

 
You can feed a mantis non living food, but they can't be part of a main diet. Generally accepted food for mantids are crickets and flies. Roaches are also good food, but unless you breed them, can be an expensive option.

You can catch food outside to feed them once in a while. Worms are a possibility, as are other bugs such as moths, butterflies, caterpillars, katydids, and beetles.

 
Banannas and honey and the sort are just at the very best a snack only, and usually specific to certain species (Orchid Mantids like bananas, but not all mantids do) A mantis needs a diet very high in protein to survive and therefore stuff like that is not recommended as sustenance.. I have heard of feeding a mantis ground beef, but it is not reccomended either, not to mention most mantids will not even give a second thought to anything thats not moving The are simply programmed deep in their genes to eat their food while it is still alive . Mantids from the smallest to the largest have been eating other insects as their main staple for many millions of years, and to deviate from that is not only unnatural, but unhealthy for the mantis.

 
Joe Caruso said:
Don't they say crickets smell? How bad is the stench. I mean, are we talking a mild pong, or something dinner party guests are going to notice as I serve them their hors d'ourves?
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Rick always says that his crickets don't smell bad. But he takes really good care of them so maybe that's why. The other explanation is that he just can't smell them. :p

 
I don't know Joe, cickets smell, but usually just because there are dead ones among the living. Dead anything smells if not removed quickly.As others have said, the plasmaids are probably for you. They eat leaves and some of them even look like some mantis. I have not had one, only a couple newborn in the winter, and couldn't find food for them so they died :eek: . I have a hard time with feeding mine too. I don't usually post such, but sometimes it is hard. Like when I grab the cricket by mistake on it's little back, it tries to reach behind it and make whatever had it to let it go. That really bothers me. But I am softhearted and lately say things to myself, like "Poor fly" wants a drink! Now that is not a good thing, when I start having feeling for flies, something is going heywire! :rolleyes: But thats the truth and I don't care who knows it. I really havn't had to much of soft heart reguarding the superworms. (well just a little) when I see they need a new potato!!! But I digress, you may get use to it, but I've been doing it quite a while and as of yet, I haven't!

 
What about locusts or grasshoppers? Similar to crickets I guess, but do they produce the same smell? Are they appropriate mantis chow?

 
crickets - if you look after them and clean there tank out every week they dont smell..

 
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Mantids eat live insects. Do not feed them those other things. Just because they might eat them if you put it to their mouth does not mean they should.

Also, please go take a few moments to register.

 
No feeder insect should smell particularly bad if they are kept properly. Flies are probably the only exception if you intend culturing maggots which do smell bad naturally.

Do a search for curly wing flies. These are generally supplied pupated (castors) and hatch into flightless house flies. Not the easiest in my experience though. Any type of housefly is also good in that they won't make colonies, just fly out of an open window or door. Some fishing tackle shops sell casters that will hatch into flies and do away with the maggot issue.

IMO the best thing you could do would be to go to a local pet shop and ask to see a mantis feed (assuming they stock one) or to bite the bullet and get yourself one then you'll have no choice but to feed it ;)

With other feeder insects the debate rages on. Some people (especially in Europe) have had terrible problems with crickets. Locusts come in a variety of sizes but can prove too strong for mantids (you often need to break their back legs befpre feeding) and some mantids won't touch them. I've never seen an earthworm up a tree so I doubt these are any good :p

What country are you in btw. Wherever you are I'm sure someone could direct you to food suppliers.

HTH

Huw

 
i hate using crickets ( especialy since 150 of em escaped...) i prefer to feed on flies thats why i prefer fly eating mantids( there also cool to see)

the curly wing flies are indeed good, they wont fly away and before feeding you put em in the fridge for 5 mins, then you trow the flies in - flies become active again- mantis spots fly- mantis eats fly- done is feeding.

 
bugzilla said:
No feeder insect should smell particularly bad if they are kept properly. Flies are probably the only exception if you intend culturing maggots which do smell bad naturally.Do a search for curly wing flies. These are generally supplied pupated (castors) and hatch into flightless house flies. Not the easiest in my experience though. Any type of housefly is also good in that they won't make colonies, just fly out of an open window or door. Some fishing tackle shops sell casters that will hatch into flies and do away with the maggot issue.

IMO the best thing you could do would be to go to a local pet shop and ask to see a mantis feed (assuming they stock one) or to bite the bullet and get yourself one then you'll have no choice but to feed it ;)

With other feeder insects the debate rages on. Some people (especially in Europe) have had terrible problems with crickets. Locusts come in a variety of sizes but can prove too strong for mantids (you often need to break their back legs befpre feeding) and some mantids won't touch them. I've never seen an earthworm up a tree so I doubt these are any good :p

What country are you in btw. Wherever you are I'm sure someone could direct you to food suppliers.

HTH

Huw
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I am in London, England. Directions and/or advice on resources in my city would be appreciated in much the same way that a fat man might appreciate a large plate of fried chicken.

Are grasshoppers smaller than crickets? Do they stench the place out?

 
Joe Caruso said:
I am in London, England. Directions and/or advice on resources in my city would be appreciated in much the same way that a fat man might appreciate a large plate of fried chicken. Are grasshoppers smaller than crickets? Do they stench the place out?
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like i said before they dont smell if u look after them right!you wont be able to buy grasshopers,only locust which are very simula..just rember locust can jump 5 x higher than crikcts..there a nightmare.. uk stores

http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/departments.asp?dept=1038

http://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk/departments.asp?dept=1085

http://www.livefoodsforgood.co.uk/lfg/inde...86a2609cd9a59cb

 

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