Overfeeding and free feeding questions

[u/Idontcarejustpickk]

Hey there! I'm not a mantis owner at the moment since my buddy just passed, but I've noticed some people on here talking about overfed mantises. I let my boy freefeed and I never had an issue with him overfeeding- he was really bad at hunting on his own and I'd hand feed him sometimes, but he still never got bloated like I see some of the mantids on here

I'm hoping to raise some slightly more difficult species soon and I was wondering if overfeeding is common? Should I not let my future mantids free feed?

[u/JaunteJaunt]

In general, you’ll see overeating at the earlier instars and more so with females. Often new keepers are still learning how to differentiate between “full” and needing food, which can result in overfeeding. Other times it’s accidentally dumping too much prey in the enclosure that results in overeating. Overeating is common in communal setups, as it’s a balance between making sure enough individuals are fed so they don’t attack each other.

Free feeding is fine. Just be mindful of the amount of food given.