# Feeding a ghost mantis



## Shrimpfairy1 (Sep 16, 2013)

I am quite smitten with the ghost mantis, but I don't like the idea of feeding them flying insects. I can't stand blue bottles, but I have managed with fruit flies. Anyone have any tips on how to feed them blue bottles or had any luck just giving them crickets/locusts/small children?

I also heard that you can feed them honey on a stick as a treat, has anyone done this? And if so, can you do this with other mantids? It sounds adorable!


----------



## HowseR21 (Nov 5, 2011)

Get yourself a pooter, when I kept ghost mantids I found that they preferred bluebottle greenbottle flies as apposed to crickets. 

NIGHTMARE to catch them without a pooter! :bash:

Another good trick for picky/small mantids is for a bit of mince meat on the end of a paper clip... Sounds weird I know but believe me it works  really helped that info one weekend when the postie took the livefood back to the depot on a Friday.... Wait til Monday my backside :lol2:


----------



## Shrimpfairy1 (Sep 16, 2013)

Thank you for the advice. Lovely as they are, I can't feed them flies (hate them too much to put into words) and it would be cruel to deprive them of their preferred food source. Thinking about a D. dessicata, similar appearance but not as fussy. I'll bear in mind that mince meat trick though, thanks!


----------



## Shrimpfairy1 (Sep 16, 2013)

OK, after much trawling and much research, aside from settling for an Egyptian, thorny armed or marbled mantis (which just aren't as interesting) the ghosties seem to be the only ones I can look after. 

Or at least they would be if it weren't for the flies. I keep seeing that they'll take crickets and locusts too. I can feed the babies on the fruit flies just fine, but has anyone had any luck feeding the ghosties on crickets, locusts or meal worms alone without any problems?

Thanks


----------



## Metamorphosis (Feb 25, 2008)

Hi
We breed loads of these, now flying food is the best, but if you can get them past the fruit fly stage you can feed Locust and crickets without too many problems. Locust are best and are easy to give a good gut load to, crickets aren't as good and do show a higher mortality rate in the mantids, not too high to make it impossible to rear on them. But as always think about the gut loading of your feed animals and offer variety when possible.
Phyllocrania also like wax moth caterpillars and these are a great food.

Regards to all

PS forgot to add that you should always avoid black field crickets, these show the highest mortality in mantids as well as being far more likely to eat your mantid!


----------



## Shrimpfairy1 (Sep 16, 2013)

Crikey! I never really thought about them eating the mantid, just harassing it. That probably solves the mystery of why my jumping spider died. I will not make that mistake again.

I'll bear your advice in mind, thanks. Did find out that the Jewel mantis doesn't need flies too, so its a tough choice between those two amazing species, but I'm petty sure the ghosties will come out on top.

Thank you both very much :notworthy:


----------

