Feeding technique

[Doc Hammer]

Recently, on a 7 hour drive with my family to visit some family in New Hampshire, I had some time to think about mantis shrimps and their eating habits. I do not own a mantis at the moment, but have come up with an idea for how to save a little money on feeding your mantis snails and hermits. Most mantis owners will tell you that it is important that your mantis have access to some hard shell food item for which he can use his chelaes on, otherwise they may break off during his next molt. So my idea is that instead of buying a live hermit or snail, you buy a packet of snail shells, stuff some cockle, shrimp, or anything else your mantis might like in there, and then plop it in the tank. This is just an idea, so I'd like for one of you guys to try out for me. Thanks!

 

[ENraged]

I have seen some people doing it already Stuffed shells Mantis style

 

[Doc Hammer]

Oh that's good! I was wondering if it was being done already or not. I'm probably going to be setting up a tank for a mantis some time within the next few months, and while I love seeing them hunt, I have a soft spot for hermits!

 

[Ratatooee]

I had this idea as well and tried it with my mantis....however I under-estimated how smart she was!

She turned the shells over carefully and removed the contents from inside without whacking a shell once! So now she gets her food supplemented too her and hoping she starts eating the live food already in there.

 

[justinl]

yup, unless you really stuff it in, a mantis will eventually just start pulling food out without hitting the shell. sometimes they can manage the same feat with hermits.

agreed that it would save a lil money, but not a whole lot for the amount of effort it tkaes to stuff the shell every other day. i feed live shelled food once every 2 weeks and i dont honestly feel the effect of 5$ a month on live food.

besides, live food has other benefits. aside from a variation from the usual frozens, we can be certain that live food will give the mantis a more natural meal that hasnt been tampered with by human hands. there is even a theory (unproven as yet) that frozen food may even be an immune system represent.

 

[wanabebell]

mine wont do that

he will take the food out of the shell..
but when i stuff it in to far where he cant get it he will watch to see if it moves. if it moves he wacks it.. if it dosnt he throws it away from his cave

 

[Thurge]

I am going to talk to my LFS guy about ordering and paying for a 100 snail lot, for credit. In other words I buy a 100 snail lot but only pick up what I need at any given time.

 

[Doc Hammer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10586115#post10586115 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Thurge
I am going to talk to my LFS guy about ordering and paying for a 100 snail lot, for credit. In other words I buy a 100 snail lot but only pick up what I need at any given time.

And you could make a card with 10 lines so that he could hole punch 10 holes per line, one for every snail you pick up.