Wild caught food -> dead mantis

[padkison]

I grabbed a Katydid while mowing the lawn Thursday and fed it to my adult female Asian Giant. By Monday AM she was near death and I put her in the freezer.

 

[pak-40]

I keep all wild caught food at least 6 hours before I feed to my mantids and reptiles. If they show any signs of weakness after 6 hours, they dont get fed out. I have not lost any of my pets this way.

 

[Hypoponera]

How old was your mantis? She may have died from other causes then the wild caught Katydid. The most likely reason the Katydid would be bad is if it was treated with an insecticide. But, if injested, most insecticides would have killed your mantis within a few hours. Yours lasted much longer. Probably not pesticide related death. Do you see any physical damage that may have been caused by the Katydid? They can bite and kich well.

 

[OGIGA]

I used to catch bugs all the time for my mantises. None of them seem to have died because of food. Crane flies that I have caught seem to only last a few hours.

 

[Rick]

I feed a lot of stuff I find outside during the warm months. Never had a problem. Wonder if that one had some pesticides or something on it?

 

[padkison]

Who knows I guess. She wasn't real old, matured in early February and had laid 2 ooths.

Last year we fed a moth caught in the garden to a Carolina mantis and it dropped dead in the middle of eating the moth.

 

[Nick Barta]

All I can conclude with certainty, is I am NOT eating any of the fruit from your trees!!!

 

[Butterfly]

All I can conclude with certainty, is I am NOT eating any of the fruit from your trees!!!

LOL your funny nick

 

[babynik14]

why did you put her in the freezer!!?!?!

 

[Peekaboo]

Freezing a mantis is the most humane form of euthanization.

 

[yen_saw]

What a bummer... hate to lose a mantis especially when it is an adult specimen. I feel you pain Perry.

I am sure she can go on and lay another good 4-5 ooth so it was not old age. It could be that the katydid was infected before you fed it to your asian giant.

 

[padkison]

I think I'll pass on wild food from now on. Two strikes against me.

What a bummer... hate to lose a mantis especially when it is an adult specimen. I feel you pain Perry.I am sure she can go on and lay another good 4-5 ooth so it was not old age. It could be that the katydid was infected before you fed it to your asian giant.