Young mantis wont eat after molt. Please help!

[msteacher]

I just got my first mantis and she molted two days ago but she hasn't eaten anything yet. I put a couple waxworms in her tank last night (in a bowl so they cant crawl away) and they're still there, and she's still just hanging from the roof of the tank. She was eating crickets when I first got her, but I don't have any and my local store is out. Any help on how to get her to eat the waxworms would be greatly appreciated. I was told she was an aurora mantis, I put the link from the breeder's page at the bottom of this post. Thanks for reading.

http://reptilerapture.net/giant-african-sphodromantis-aurea-mantis.html

 

[bugboymark]

I wouldn't worry too much.  Sometimes they go a couple days without eating after they molt.  Seems like they are more inclined to do this in later stages.  As long as she is still acting "normally" and will take water/mist...I bet she'll find her appetite again fairly soon. 

 

[Synapze]

With waxworms, using tweezers or chopsticks (or hands if not squeamish) pick up up the worm by it's posterior, cut off its head and dangle it in front of your mantid's face. If he doesn't immediately take interest, Try to touch the goo to your mantid's mouth. This seems to work for many people.

If it still doesn't seem interested, leave him be for a day or so and try again. Hope this helps. ?

 

[Mantis Lady]

if she don't want to eat today offer, it the next day. My nymphs are eating baby grasshoppers. Those I put with them in their cups and they can hunt them, themself. (they don't like handfeeding. I will teach them when they get older.)

 

[MantisGirl13]

Your mantis will not walk down to the bottom of the cage to pick up food like superworms, so you will have to cut the works in half and handfeed her.

- MantisGirl13

 

[msteacher]

She ate the worms today, it was a false alarm   Thank you to everyone that replied! I ended up flipping her lid right side up since she's always hanging out there and put the worms in front of her, then she saw them and snatched them up. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

 Good! I am glad she ate.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantis Lady]

Good to hear. She was clearly hungry

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

She ate the worms today, it was a false alarm Thank you to everyone that replied! I ended up flipping her lid right side up since she's always hanging out there and put the worms in front of her, then she saw them and snatched them up. 

Glad to hear that worked. My mantises often like to have their food brought to them. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Glad to hear that worked. My mantises often like to have their food brought to them. 

Yeah, for some reason there are some mantids that will chase and hunt their prey down, and then there are some who have to have their food dangled in front of them,

- MantisGirl13