Feeding Chart by Stage
What to feed, how big, how many, how often. Live prey only.
| Stage | Prey | Max prey length | How many, how often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1–L2 | Flightless melanogaster fruit flies, almost exclusively. | L1 (0.5 cm mantis): 0.2–0.25 cm. L2 (1 cm): 0.3 cm. | 4–6 flies every 1–2 days. Keep a few present between feedings. | One culture feeds one nymph about a month. Culture media already gut-loads the flies. |
| L3–L4 | Hydei fruit flies. Melanogaster still works at L3 if you offer more. Small houseflies (1/4 inch) optional from L4. | L3 (1.5 cm): 0.5 cm. L4 (2 cm): 0.6 cm. | 4–6 flies every 2 days. | Start a fresh culture every 2–3 weeks so flies keep coming. |
| L5–L6 | Houseflies and bottle flies. Green bottle (8–10 mm) fits L5–L6; blue bottle (12–15 mm) is the step up from L6. | L5 (3 cm): 1 cm. L6+ (5 cm): 1.5 cm. | 2–3 flies every 2–3 days. | Hatch spikes in a vented deli cup at room temperature. Feed emerging houseflies sugar water. No calcium dusting. |
| L7+ / adult | Blue and green bottle flies, moths, appropriately sized dubia roaches, depending on species. | Adult (7+ cm): 2 cm. | 1–2 prey items every 3–4 days. Gravid females: every 2–3 days. | Orchids may refuse crawling prey. Gut-load dubia on greens, carrots and dry insect feed for 24–48 hours; no spinach or citrus. |
| Premolt | Zero. Stop feeding the moment you suspect premolt and remove every feeder. | Premolt fasting runs about 2–7 days for nymphs, 1–2+ weeks for adults. | ||
| Post-molt | Wait until it moves normally, grips firmly and its colour is back: about 24 hours for a nymph, 48 hours or more for an adult. If you want one number, wait 48 hours. | First meal slightly smaller than usual. | ||
The two rules
- Prey no more than 1/3 the mantis's body length, at any stage. Bigger prey means injuries. Err smaller: too small is a non-event.
- Frequency scales with stage. Young nymphs eat constantly; adults eat once every few days.
Skip a feeding if the abdomen is round and full. Do not skip if it is thin and concave.
What not to feed
- Crickets, any species, any stage: the most disease-prone feeder in the hobby.
- Wild-caught insects: pesticide exposure.
- Mealworms, superworms, waxworms: injury risk or empty calories.
- Spiders, ants, ladybugs, fireflies: toxins, or they fight back.
- Pinky mice. No.
Flies, fruit flies and dubia roaches. That is the whole menu.
Reading appetite
- Hungry: tracks moving prey with its head, drops into a stalking posture, strikes within 30 seconds of range.
- Refusing: most often premolt. Also recently fed, wrong prey (an Orchid offered crawling prey), too cold (below 68°F), or an old adult.
- Gut-load every feeder for at least 24 hours before offering it.
Water
- Mantises drink mist droplets off walls and perches, not from a dish.
- Light wall mist: daily for tropical species, every other day to a few times a week for dry-biome species. Never on the mantis.
- Only very large adults may use a bottle-cap dish with a pebble or sponge in it.