TIPS & TRICKS: INVERT KEEPER NOTES
Important
- DO NOT FEED YOUR MANTISES RAW/COOKED MEAT, DAIRY, FRUIT, DRIED INSECTS OR INEDIBLE OBJECTS. Mantises are obligate insectivores and should only eat pre-killed or live insects. A mantis will try to eat anything you put in it's mouth. Feeding them items unsafe for consumption can lead to blockages and premature death!
- I do not approve of wild caught food as it carries a risk of parasites, pesticides and illness. In my opinion, it is not ever worth the risk. Only purchase safe captive bred feeders from trusthworthy sources, and always check that they are being cared for correctly. Unclean food can lead to sickness or infection.
Feeder Notes
- I recommend offering a varied diet to any animal you care for. For my own feeders, I use multiple species of roaches, moths, and the occasional larvae. House or bottle flies are also very popular. For very young slings or nymphs I use both species of fruit flies (D. hydei & melanogaster). My spiders have the same prey items in dietary rotation as my mantises with a higher focus on larvae such as buffalo and mealworms.
- If you care for over 20+ predatory inverts, I recommend owning a small roach colony. I also recommend making your own fruit fly cultures if you have plans to breed or own multiple young nymphs or slings.
- I do not recommend using crickets as a feeder. Crickets purchased from pet stores are often unclean and carry bacteria or other illness due to improper housing and cannibalistic corpse consumption. I do not approve of using them as feeders unless you breed the crickets yourself and can ensure they’re clean.
- I do not approve of black soldier flies (aka calciworms) as feeders, as they are often fed compost including coffee grounds. Coffee contains caffeine which is toxic to most invertebrates. There have been several reports of mantises getting sick after consuming them.
- Spiders eat by liquifing the insides of prey while mantises consume prey more like a blender. Because of this, higher chitin prey items are not recommended for mantises as they may lead to blockages.
- Isopods are not good feeders. They are low in nutrients and very high in chitin. Avoid using them as CUC in mantis setups as mantises are likely to hunt larger species.
- I recommend using a ketchup bottle to dispense fruit flies when feeding many young slings or mantis nymphs. It cuts down on escapees, makes distribution easier, and overall makes the endeavor much faster.
- Put a fruit fly culture or house/bottle flies in the fridge for 5-7 minutes to slow them down. This should make it easier to dispense them into containers or setups.
- Flies (House or Bottle) are a lovely feeder choice for most predatory inverts, but I personally dislike them escaping on me. Pupae can be fridged for >1 Month. Feed emerged flies a 1:1 powdered milk and sugar mix alongside water.
- If you hate flies but need flying feeders, buy some waxmoths. Just remember to keep them warm, fed, and out of the fridge at all times. In comparison to flies, they smell fantastic.
- Certain species/individuals may take to different feeders better. Personally I have noted that the faster a roach is, the more enticing it is to some predators, such as mantises or spiders. Dubia roaches can be sedentary and thus unappetizing.
- I do not approve of using mealworms, buffalo worms or spikes/maggots as a long term feeder for mantises. They are too fatty to be considered a balanced diet on their own. Imagine eating only McDonald's your whole life. If you offer these items, use them sparingly like a treat or use them when in a pinch.
- Note: Mealworms are perfectly fine when used long-term for spiders, but I still recommend feeder variation.
Bug Hacks
- In the event you have a picky mantis, you may need to try gut feeding. To do so, rip a feeder in half and expose the white of the guts to your mantis's mouth. After a moment they will realize its food, and will likely grab the prey item.
- Roaches can be kept inside containers with a 1" petroleum jelly rim. Use this trick against roaches that can climb smooth surfaces. Remember to evenly coat it around the rim of the container!
- Dump Pea Flour into your grain-based cultures to ward off grain mites. Grain mites can quickly overtake fruit fly cultures, enclosures, and feeder bins. This can be obtained simply by blending split peas into a powder in a blender or food processor until a fine dust is produced.
- Use push pins or awls to poke vent holes in plastic cups! Awls can be pushed in deeper to make a larger ventilation hole.
- Use a make-up cotton round in a 5.5oz nymph cup to hold moisture! This is useful for your younger mantises that may need extra hydration!
- When making deli cup enclosures, use tacks to hold mesh in place! This can be used for ventilation or to create fully-meshed deli cups for Empusidae mantises. It allows the mesh to be held down so you can glue it without having to hold it down.
- When cutting lids for mantises, simply cut around the circle provided. Rotate the plastic into an angled blade with finesse to create perfect vents for your nymph cups. This may take a few tries to streamline.
