feeding question

[lapiz]

well after almost 13 weeks the mantis hunt is finally over!

i recieved my Gonodactylus chiragra from FFE on friday. i had ordered a "peacock", but i'm so stoked to finally get a mantis that i'm not going to send it back. i'll try to post some pics later...

my question now pertains to feeding. there were several small hermist and snails in the tank prior to the mantis' arrival. so far they have not been touched excet if they get too close to its burrow, in which case they are simply booted out with a sharp click.

today i tried frozen krill with little sucess. at first it seemed to nibble a bit, but now it just keeps tossing it out of its burrow.

anyone have any ideas? should i just keep "suggesting" the krill?

thanks.

jeff

 

[Scotty]

Congrats! Post a pic of the beast! What size is he/she?
With regard to feeding, basically I've found that he'll eat when gets his house in order. give him a couple days of peace, he'll begin to move things where he wants them and get comfy, then he'll eat. The most common food is krill or I prefer fresh shrimp from the fish dept. I often feed frozen (formula 1 and VHP) they contain algea which the doc says is good for them. Then give him a snail or a crab for a treat as your budget allows. Chiragra is one of the most powerful smashers, I've always wanted to have one and never come across one. I currently have a big male Peacock, a pseudosqilla ciliata, and a G smithii. Long live the bug! Good luck.

PS. this is highly undocumented conjecture but it has happened to me a few times, that a mantis just arrived will go into molt. Just a possibility... Don't worry though, he aint gonna starve himself