# blue bottles ?



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

well my mantis will be here next week and will be fed on fruit flies for a few weeks yet i was just wondering how do i keep blue bottles for when she is older? any setup pics would be great too, 

thnx in advance 

Sam.


----------



## Ferret1959 (Jul 16, 2008)

sam432 said:


> well my mantis will be here next week and will be fed on fruit flies for a few weeks yet i was just wondering how do i keep blue bottles for when she is older? any setup pics would be great too,
> 
> thnx in advance
> 
> Sam.



Got to a fishing tackle shop and ask for a few maggots.

If you smile nicely you may get them for nowt, you don't need many at a time.

In this weather they will turn and hatch in about 14 days, maybe less depending on how old they are.
Keep them in some bran in a cricket tub.
Keeping them in the fridge stops them from changing for weeks.


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

the maggots are no problem jus use the left overs from fishing n they have to be th ewhite ones dont they. wat do u keep the flies in once they hatch?


----------



## Ferret1959 (Jul 16, 2008)

When I use flies in my European frog viv I just chuck a few maggots in there and let them hatch naturally.

I did make a mistake first time........................FLIES EVERYWHERE.:gasp::gasp::gasp:

I now get a tub of wax moth grubs and just make a small hole it the top, they hatch and the frogs soon eat them. 

Plus any that get out can be caught easier than flies.


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

so could i keep my maggots int fridge then take one out a few days before its gunna be fed and jus put it in with the mantis? also will the mantis eat the maggot or caster?


----------



## Ferret1959 (Jul 16, 2008)

Dunno, are you not feeding it any adult blue bottles?


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

its not here yet comes next week and it will be on fruit flies for a few weeks after i get it


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

anyone now if a mantis will eat the maggots or casters of blue bottles ?


----------



## Scipio (May 4, 2009)

I have a spiny African flower mantis that is pretty small. He has been feeding on fruit flies but I have been feeding him on larger flies from the garden.

If you buy casters from the fishing shop then will they hatch quicker than if you buy the maggots?


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

most tackle shops freeze there casters tho


----------



## Scipio (May 4, 2009)

Okay Sam, thanks for that. As long as you keep the maggots in a warm place they`ll hatch in no time.

When you want to put the flies into the tank I put the flies into the fridge for about an hour and the cold slows them down so that they cannot fly before you place them in the tank.

What Mantis have you bought?


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

none yet im going away this weekend and will be getting one as soon as i get back not 100% sure what im getting yet, do u have any suggestions?


----------



## Scipio (May 4, 2009)

The spiny african flower mantis - latin name, Pseudocreobroter wahlbergi, is amazing. Mine has just moulted a skin and he looks really cool. I got one of these because it is my first mantis and an expert breeder said that they are incredibly easy to keep.

Here is a video of one for you to see what they look like.

YouTube - angry mantis trying to scare me (pseudocreobotra wahlbergii)


----------



## gary1621 (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi, have you had a look around this site?

UK Mantis Forums

They have a wide variet of mantids for sale, loads of info and pics and diagrams on set ups and cages and all that


----------



## sam432 (Mar 8, 2009)

thank you the flower one i dont liek much lol dunno why


----------

