Mantids

Mantids are carnivorous so they feed mainly on other insects. They are capable of eating prey as big as themselves although this is not recommended. Insects should be offered to the Mantis that are just below half of its size. An ideal size would be one that would just fit inside the Mantid’s front claws.

House crickets are often the best choice for Mantis food because they are easy to look after, cheap to buy. They also come in a range of sizes and they are relatively soft so they Mantis can easily eat it. The size of crickets are often measured by Instars. An instar is the growth stage of an insect measured by the number of moults it has been through. Hatchling crickets or flightless fruit flies should be fed to hatchling Mantids. Then depending on the species of the Mantis, I use the same number of Instars of Cricket as the Mantis. For example a 2nd Instar Mantis would be fed 2^nd Instar Crickets. If you are trying to decide between two sizes, buy the smaller size because the crickets often grow faster than the Mantids and the Mantis can be fed a couple of smaller crickets, but it could not be fed one larger cricket. House crickets are a much better selection than field crickets because field crickets are known to be more aggressive. Other insects can also be fed to the Mantis but make sure that they will not be able to injure it in any way. Insects like beetles, ants and wasps should be avoided. Mantids often sit and wait for prey to pass so meals can be scarce. Generally speaking the Mantis should be offered as much as in can eat, but two or three times a week is usually enough. It might be easier to feed the Mantis outside of its cage when it is being fed on smaller crickets. This is because smaller crickets often hide under the substrate making it very hard (and annoying) to find. The crickets can be picked up with tweezers by their legs and put in front of the Mantis. The Mantis will happily take insects off tweezers. If the Mantis will not take its food, it might be because it is not hungry, it might not be able to see it properly or it might be getting ready for moulting. If the Mantis is getting ready for a moult then do not place any food in its cage. The Mantis should not be disturbed in any way during a moult. Mantids do not require much in the way of water, if the humidity is kept high then the Mantis will drink water droplets off its body or the side of its cage. They get most of the water they need from their food, they will however drink from a water soaked cotton bud.

Crickets

The crickets will also need feeding as well as the Mantis in order for them to stay alive. They are relatively easy to feed and water. For food, they will eat a cereal type mix (E.g. Gut load or Bug grub) which can be purchased in different sized packets. About half a handful of this cereal mix should be placed in the cricket cage every few days, but it should be replaced as often as needed. For water, the crickets will eat a few slices of carrot or potato or any water containing vegetable or fruit. A few slices should be placed in with the crickets and replaced every other day. Lightly spraying each slice will enable the crickets to drink off the surface of the food, try not to cover the slices in water or smaller crickets could drown.