<urgent Help!!> Mantis food req'd

[Anne Kilmer]

Terence Tan wrote:
> 
> The little guy popped into my office window without his wings so I'm trying
> to keep him alive.. any ideas??
> 
>                 T.
Well, my friend, that kind of depends on where you are. Small moths and
butterflies are pretty scarce in some parts of the world at the moment
(I mention this because this is, after all, the leps list.)
Depending on the size of your new friend, crickets (from a bait or pet
shop) and mealworms (pet shop) will start him off. If he eats well, and
you aren't dealing with snow, you can wander through a field with a kid
and a butterfly net, letting the kid romp ahead of you, and netting the
critters he stirs up. Make sure the prey animals are smaller and less
fierce than your pet. 
	If the little guy is immature, he may hang around for a while. if on
the other hand he/she lost the wings due to an unpleasant event, this
will be a brief friendship indeed, and you won't need very many
crickets. 
	Putting him back outside might be a clever move, unless you are sure
that would doom him to certain death.
Cheers
Anne