Feeding Your Praying Mantis: A Guide to Keeping Your Little Predator Happy and Healthy
So, you’ve just received your new mantis, and it's in the early nymph stages—let's say L2 or L3 (that’s instar 2 or 3, for those in the know). Luckily, your mantis isn’t one of those tiny species that only eats springtails. Phew! We’re going to assume it's currently dining on fruit flies. Great news, right? Let's dive into the delicious world of mantis feeding!
Feeding Your Nymph Mantis: The Fruit Fly Phase
For a young nymph, keeping their abdomen in perfect shape is key. You want it looking nice and plump—not too skinny, but not so full it's ready to burst. Depending on the species and the stage your little hunter is in, they'll munch on about 5 to 10 fruit flies every 2 to 3 days.
A small 16oz fruit fly culture should last you a solid 2 to 3 weeks for 1 to 5 mantises. If you’ve got a larger mantis family, you might need to upgrade to a 32oz culture or grab a couple of those 16oz ones to keep everyone happy and fed.
Caring for Your Fruit Fly Culture: Keep your culture at a comfortable 22-25°C (that’s around room temperature). Too hot, and your flies might decide to take flight—literally! Too cold, and they’ll slow down, or worse, die off. If the culture looks a bit dry, give it a gentle spritz of water to liven things up.
Handling the Fruit Flies: Super simple—just tap the container to get the flies to fall to the bottom, then carefully remove the lid or sponge (depending on the type of culture you have) and tilt the container to sprinkle the desired number of flies into your mantis enclosure or feeding container.
If you’ve got a big mantis collection, here’s a handy trick: use a smaller 10oz cup and coat the top 2-3 cm of the inside with a very fine layer of Vaseline. This slick trick prevents the flies from escaping by making it impossible for them to grip and climb out. Now, just transfer some fruit flies from the culture to the Vaseline-lined cup, and voila—easy feeding!
Graduating from Fruit Flies: When It’s Time to Level Up
How do you know when it’s time to switch from fruit flies? Simple! If your mantis looks at a fruit fly like it’s not even worth the effort, or they’re plowing through flies like popcorn and not getting any fuller, it’s time to move up the food chain.
The next step is often Green Bottle Fly Pupae (or "castors" if you’re feeling fancy).
Caring for Fly Pupae/Castors: When you receive your pupae, they’ll likely come in a small 2oz deli cup. Transfer these into a larger container, like an old cricket tub, and leave them at room temperature until the flies start to emerge. Once you have enough flies, pop them in the fridge. The cold will slow them down, making them easier to catch and prolong their lives for up to 10 days (give or take, depending on your fridge's temperature).
Pro Tip: Adding a piece of cotton or tissue soaked in diluted honey water to the container can give your flies an extra boost, keeping them alive and lively for those extra days!
Once you’re out of hatched flies, just take the remaining pupae out of the fridge and repeat the process until they’ve all hatched. Then it’s time to get a fresh batch.
As your mantis grows, they’ll likely need 3 or 4 green bottle flies every 2 to 3 days, depending on the species.
From Green Bottles to Blue Bottles: The Next Big Step
Eventually, your mantis will graduate from green bottle flies to Blue Bottle Flies. One blue bottle fly can replace three or four green bottles, making feeding more efficient. This is also a good time to introduce more varied snacks because, let’s face it, no one wants to eat the same thing every day!
Delicious Alternatives:
Roaches (like Red Runners): These are great because they tend to scuttle around rather than hide, making them perfect for hunting.
Locusts: Another good option, but make sure to remove any uneaten ones after a few hours—they might just decide to nibble on your mantis, and a damaged abdomen can be fatal.
Wax Worms: These are a tasty treat, but only offer them occasionally—they’re quite fatty, and you don’t want your mantis developing a mantis version of fatty liver disease!
Remember, mantises are formidable hunters and can take down prey much larger than you'd expect. Don’t be afraid to offer something a bit bigger—if your mantis gets spooked, you can always dial it back. But who knows? You might be surprised at what they can handle!
Know Your Mantis: Species-Specific Feeding Habits
Finally, keep in mind that each mantis species has its own unique hunting style. For example:
Leaf-type Mantises (like Deroplatys lobata, Deroplatys desiccata, and Phyllocrania paradoxa) are ambush predators. They prefer to wait for prey to come to them, so they’ll usually favor flies.
Flower-type Mantises (like Creobroter urbanus, Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii) and most of the Sphodromantis, Rhombodera, and Hierodula species are active hunters. They’ll chase down anything that moves, anywhere and everywhere!
Happy Feeding!
Feeding your praying mantis doesn’t have to be a chore—it's an exciting part of keeping these amazing creatures! Remember to adjust their diet as they grow, keep their food fresh, and cater to their species-specific preferences. And don’t forget to share your experiences or let us know if we’ve missed something. After all, there’s always more to learn in the wonderful world of mantis keeping!