Mantis Won’t Eat?

[marsyrosey]

Hey all,

I’m having a lot of trouble feeding one of my L4 Ghost Mantises. She hasn’t eaten since Monday and she shouldn’t be molting any time soon (i don’t think). She last molted on 7/2 and so I think it’s too early for another molt? I’ve tried feeding her fruit flies, house flies, and even waxworms (i know they’re fatty and stuff but i wanted to at least try) and she hasn’t eaten anything she won’t even strike it away, she’ll usually just walk over it or ignore it completely. I’ve left some fruit flies in there overnight before and every one was there in the morning. I’m still new to mantis keeping so maybe this is normal? Any advice is appreciated <3

Mars

 

[Introvertebrate]

A Google search revealed that it's about 9–15 days between mantid molts, depending on temperature and humidity. Your Ghost last molted 21 days ago. It's overdue.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

A Google search revealed that it's about 9–15 days between mantid molts, depending on temperature and humidity. Your Ghost last molted 21 days ago. It's overdue.

Mantids molt on their own time. The less they eat, the less often they molt.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Hey all,

I’m having a lot of trouble feeding one of my L4 Ghost Mantises. She hasn’t eaten since Monday and she shouldn’t be molting any time soon (i don’t think). She last molted on 7/2 and so I think it’s too early for another molt? I’ve tried feeding her fruit flies, house flies, and even waxworms (i know they’re fatty and stuff but i wanted to at least try) and she hasn’t eaten anything she won’t even strike it away, she’ll usually just walk over it or ignore it completely. I’ve left some fruit flies in there overnight before and every one was there in the morning. I’m still new to mantis keeping so maybe this is normal? Any advice is appreciated <3

Mars

Pictures would help. She may just be prepping for a molt.

 

[Introvertebrate]

............She may just be prepping for a molt.

Isn’t that what I just said?

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Isn’t that what I just said?

Man, I need to read things NOT at night. My bad. Totally read it wrong.

 

[marsyrosey]

Pictures would help. She may just be prepping for a molt.

Alright I just took this of her. She hasn’t been upside down too much but she’s certainly a lot less active than she usually is.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Alright I just took this of her. She hasn’t been upside down too much but she’s certainly a lot less active than she usually is.

She is fat. Prob gonna molt.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Man, I need to read things NOT at night. My bad. Totally read it wrong.

No harm done. You’re the one with first hand experience.

 

[marsyrosey]

She is fat. Prob gonna molt.

Hi again, still nothing her abdomen is still around the same size. But what’s concerning me is that instead being at the top of her enclosure, she’s hanging near the bottom with nearly no space to molt. Is this a concern?

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Hi again, still nothing her abdomen is still around the same size. But what’s concerning me is that instead being at the top of her enclosure, she’s hanging near the bottom with nearly no space to molt. Is this a concern?

Relocate her to the top.

 

[basin79]

Hi again, still nothing her abdomen is still around the same size. But what’s concerning me is that instead being at the top of her enclosure, she’s hanging near the bottom with nearly no space to molt. Is this a concern?

Absolutely. Normally you don't ever want to interfere with a moult but her you do. I'd clip the tissue to something so the mantis is higher. Very carefully.

 

[marsyrosey]

I relocated her carefully before bed last night and this morning i woke up and she molted!! That was her first molt with me and only my third successful mantis molt so i was a bit paranoid but all is well!! thanks so much for the help <3

 

[Introvertebrate]

Yay. Now you're a veteran mantis keeper.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

I relocated her carefully before bed last night and this morning i woke up and she molted!! That was her first molt with me and only my third successful mantis molt so i was a bit paranoid but all is well!! thanks so much for the help <3

Nice! Good thing you moved her

 

[marsyrosey]

so.. false alarm… she still isn’t eating

a day after her molt she ate 5 fruit flies since the bigger ones were coming in later… they all arrived dead so i’m waiting on a new shipment at the moment. i’ve tried more fruit flies, waxworms, small super worms, mealworms, and even small crickets. nothing is working, the closest she’s come is looking at them like in the photo below. help plz

 

[marsyrosey]

aaaaand nevermind she has made a fool out of me and eaten the cricket

 

[Matts inverts]

aaaaand nevermind she has made a fool out of me and eaten the cricket

I don’t know why but my mantis was eating fine for a long time on mealworms mostly but she decided not to eat. I decided to try mealworms, isopods (I have a ton no one wants and a shop said they make ok feeders), roaches, and finally crickets. I thought , this is it, I’m going to miss you, you were the best mantis ever. Then after a month and one week. It took a cricket. No molt or anything but I did have some fruit flies escape so that might not have helped.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

so.. false alarm… she still isn’t eating

a day after her molt she ate 5 fruit flies since the bigger ones were coming in later… they all arrived dead so i’m waiting on a new shipment at the moment. i’ve tried more fruit flies, waxworms, small super worms, mealworms, and even small crickets. nothing is working, the closest she’s come is looking at them like in the photo below. help plz

1. Don’t feed crickets, they harbor bacteria that can kill mantids unless they are kept EXTREMELY clean and not fed carrots.

2. She looks ready for house flies

3. Try cutting off a mealworm’s head and putting it to her mouth.

 

[marsyrosey]

1. Don’t feed crickets, they harbor bacteria that can kill mantids unless they are kept EXTREMELY clean and not fed carrots.

2. She looks ready for house flies

3. Try cutting off a mealworm’s head and putting it to her mouth.

oh thank you i didn’t know that!! no more crickets for the mantises