Ootheca from wild mom, CH babies safe?

katie91 · Sep 29, 2014

Hi everyone, I just found a mantis in my yard and she looks like she's going to lay her ootheca any day. I've heard of people using baby mantids as feeders but has anyone ever fed them from a wild mom? The ootheca will be kept indoors so external parasites/disease won't be a problem, is there any chance that if the mom has something going on, the babies will too?

DrCarrotTail · Sep 29, 2014

What are you feeding them to? I've been bitten by a 3-4" mantid before. It was not pleasant. No way I'm letting those sharp arms and demon jaws near my geckos...haha. I think you'd be better off letting them go in your garden and buying some mealworms. They're super crunchy anyhow and I can't see how most would be very nutritious.

katie91 · Sep 29, 2014

I have 7 Leos, a Tokay, 2 Blue Tongue Skinks and 8 various tarantulas that I thought might enjoy a new treat. I would only feed the appropriate sized mantids of course, they're really tiny when they hatch. They definitely won't be 4 inches long! Haha. But I've seen a couple of online reptile sellers offering oothecae so you can raise the babies up and feed them, claiming that they're great feeders.

indyana · Sep 30, 2014

I think it would be fine if you collected the egg sack and hatched it indoors. As you said, just size the food cautiously. I would be really interested in hearing whether your leopard geckos take to them.

In the wild, these geckos are supposed to eat things like spiders, beetles, and scorpions.

I always wonder what sorts of things they would like to eat.

katie91 · Oct 1, 2014

Thanks Rachel! I wish I could feed them now haha. If I keep it warm, I think it'll hatch 4-6 weeks after it's laid which I'm hoping happens this week

Ootheca from wild mom, CH babies safe?

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