Food and Water
Now you have your mantis in its new home, now its time to feed it! All mantis species are insectivores but some mantis have very specific requirements for feeding and only eat a few prey items.
Feeding your mantis the wrong food can cause health problems. Its important to research before you acquire your mantis. Giving a variety of insects is important as they can get different nutrients from different insects. Its also vital know the size limits of your mantis.
The general rule of thumb is the size of the feeder insect does not exceed 1/2 the mantis length.
Water
Never use tap water for your mantis. You can use bottled water, or filtered water.
Most species of mantis spend their entire lives off the ground. Due to the nature of how they live, they don’t drink water from bowls or standing water sources like other invertebrates. They receive most of their moisture from the food they eat, but all need some sort of water to drink at some point.
In nature they will drink morning dew or rain droplets. To mimic this you can mist the enclosure with a spray bottle with a fine mist nozzle.
Mantis that need higher humidity can require misting twice a day while mantis from dry climates can go up to a week without taking a single drink. Mantids don’t like to be sprayed directly so spray around them. You will see them bend down to drink from small drops around them.
Feeding
How Often to Feed
Younger nymphs have to eat more frequently and will slow down as they age. Looking at the abdomen is a good way to judge if your mantis needs food. A well fed mantis will have a plump abdomen, while one that needs to eat will be more slim. L2 or younger should have food readily available. Older nymphs can be fed every 3-4 days. Adults can be fed twice a week. It can be more or less depending on the size of the meal. A well fed mantis will grow faster.
A mantis getting ready to molt will often stop eating a day or two before actually molting. If you suspect your mantis is going to molt, feeders should be removed as they can knock the mantis from their perch.
Adult males wont eat as much as they need to maintain a lighter weight to fly. Females will often eat much more as adults to help produce eggs.
How Big and How Much
As a mantis grows, the size of the food needed will grow with them. A common mistake is using fruit flies for too long. As they get bigger it becomes harder for a mantids to catch smaller prey.
The general rule of thumb is the size of the feeder insect does not exceed 1/2 the mantis length. Try to use prey insects that is around the size of the mantis head to the length of the abdomen. I usually provide half their body size or more in food each feeding.
Some larger species are very good at catching prey and have been known to eat lizards, mice, snakes and even humming birds. They can easily eat insects larger than themselves in one sitting. Many species can take on dragonflies with ease.
Types Of Feeders
Wild Insects
These can be used and can provide a good variety to a mantis diet. They do have a chance to introduce parasites to your mantis that can sometimes have a negative impact on their health.
If feeding wild caught insects its best to use ones that are non-harmful, such as any without venom or stingers. Some insects can bite your mantis while being caught and cause an infection.
Flies, Moths, lacewings, or butterflies species are a good choice. Avoid any biting fly species such as horse flies to prevent wounds. Be careful of any wild caterpillars or butterflies as some carry toxins like monarchs.
Flies And moths
These are one of the safest options as feeders. They cannot harm your mantis with bites or stings and often don’t carry parasites. Some mantis species can only eat flying insects so other foods are not an option. These can be harder to acquire. Most pet shops will carry fruit flies but larger flies will have to be purchased from suppliers. Some bait shops will have fly larva that you can grow to adults. Most big name pet stores sell wax worms that can can be raised into moths in the right conditions
Fruit fly
Fruit fly come in two main sizes; small melanogaster or the larger hydei. These are a staple for young nymphs.
Once the flies are smaller than the mantis head, switch to a larger food.
nymphs too small for fruit flies can eat springtails
House Flies
House Fly are the step up from Fruit flies. They can be purchased as Pupae and stored in the fridge for 2-4 weeks. The longer they stay in the fridge the less the survival rate.
Blue or Green Bottle Fly
Blue or Green Bottle Fly are the next largest fly. They can be purchased as spikes or Pupae and stored in the fridge for later use. Spikes can last around 6 weeks in the fridge and taken out to pupate. Once Pupated they can last another 2-4 weeks in the fridge. The longer they stay in the fridge the less the survival rate.
Soldier fly
Soldier fly are the largest fly typically used. The spikes can be sold at reptile stores or sometimes in bait shops. Spikes can be fed scrap vegetables until pupated. They will pupate and hatch to full grown flies.
Waxworm moths
Waxworm moths are about the size of soldier flies and can be found a most big chain retail stores. Keep the caterpillar at room temperature and they will make cocoons. Some mantis will eat the caterpillars. I recommend purchasing from a supplier as big chain stores often keep the caterpillars without a food source for long periods of time. They end up being half starved and poor in nutrients.
Horn Worms moths
Horn Worms moths are another good choice for very larger mantis. The caterpillars can be found at almost all retail pet stores. They can be feed a commercial diet. These are quite large so are a good treat for large species of mantids.
Crickets and Mealworm
These are another choice for some mantis species. They are readily available in most pet stores but have many down sides. Several mantid species lack the ability to digest them and can potentially bite your mantis.
Its advised to keep both of these for 24 hours with high quality food (and clean source of water for crickets; like a damp paper towel) to be sure they are gut loaded for your mantis. Apple slices or potato are good food sources to feed them.
Crickets
Crickets are often kept in filthy conditions and can also carry pathogens that can make your mantis ill. However they are an easy feed and come in multiple sizes providing large meals to most species. If you use these be sure to get them from a reputable supplier and gut load them before use.
Banded Crickets are healthier than House Crickets and are sold in some reptile stores or online. They can often be found in reptile expos.
Mealworms
Mealworms are often sold in containers in a fridge and sometimes kept without food. Mealworms, unlike any other other feeders listed, will exclusively spend their time at the bottom of the enclosure. If you use these they will have to be hand fed to your mantis. They are high in fat content and easy to keep and breed. cultures can be kept and reproduce in a container of oatmeal and vegetable scraps.
Roaches
These are good choice for many mantis species. They are harmless to mantid and contain lots of protein. They also come in many sizes. Non-flying/climbing roaches can be purchased at pet stores and are fairly easy to maintain until you are ready to use them. They are fast and can be difficult to catch but are a far superior choice than crickets for species that can digest them.
Roaches are one of the closest related species of insects to mantis, so its advised to not used them as the only source of food. Its always best to give variety.
Red Runners
Red Runners have very soft exoskeletons and can be fed to most mantis species. They remain flightless their entire lives and cant climb smooth surfaces. Colonies are easy to keep and maintain producing an near endless supply of food for your mantis.
Dubia roaches
Dubia roaches are generally larger as adults and also good feeders for larger and robust mantis. They do have a harder exoskeleton that limits the species that can digest them. Dubias can be very strong and difficult for some species to hold onto. Be sure to size the dubia appropriately for your mantis or even go a size down.
Vertebrates
Its not uncommon in the wild for large species of mantis to catch and eat something other than an insect. Lizards, snakes, mice, and even small birds have fallen prey to the grasp of a hungry mantis.
Its highly dissuaded to ever use live vertebrates as food items for your mantis. These are large creatures with a lot of strength and lots of teeth. They can cause serious harm if the mantis does not catch it correctly.
thawed frozen pinkies are a suitable food but large mantids as a special treat.
If a small gecko, or in my case an anole, gets into your enclosure and your mantis is eating it, it wont result in any illness. Its just a nice large meal (Please remember to close your terrariums after feedings to keep out unwanted visitors)