New Mantis Seems Hesitant to Eat

[ossifiedconscript]

Hi all, I'm new here. I own one saltwater tank. It's 30 gallons, totally full of live rock, both an under-gravel filter and powerhead and has only ever housed peacock mantis shrimp. I had owned a fully grown female for a year- her name was Wrangel- Wrangel was always very active, ate everything in front of her, loved to explore and build. She was about 5.5-6 in. She passed away from molting a few weeks ago (I believe she got too big and stressed herself to death? I also have no idea how old she was but was definitely adult). Water parameters were fine, a bit of nitrate but not enough to be an issue. After mourning for a while, I opted to get another Peacock mantis since I enjoyed the company of my last one so much. She just came in yesterday after a long and treacherous shipping hassle (dropped off 6 hours late...at the wrong house... thanks FedEx). She is much smaller than Wrangel, probably around 3.5 inches. She was calm upon arrival, then about three-quarters of the way through acclimating her, she became enraged and begin to swim freely, punching the bag in rapid succession and bouncing around- she eventually calmed down and was safely acclimated. She immediately began exploring, and within minutes she was carrying around the fractured clam shells that decorate every inch of the substrate (courtesy of Wrangel). My main concern right now is that she seems very hesitant to eat. There are four red-leg hermits scuttling around, three of them small enough to not seem too big to her. She's been enjoying herself in her burrow, ignoring the crabs when they move by her or when I offer them to her with the tongs. I also have frozen clams on a half shell but have not tried them yet for her because they are kind of big. Is this usual behavior for a few days after being introduced? Wrangel was eating immediately- I know every stomatopod is different but I figured I'd reach some feelers out for my first post and see what you guys think. Thanks in advance!

Also- Wrangel generally seemed very active in the light, but I know mantises generally don't like too much light, so I'm keeping them low for now.

I'll attach a photo as soon as I can.

 

[nmotz]

I wouldn’t worry at all. She’ll eat when she’s hungry, but it is true that Peacocks can be picky. Some take a while to adjust to what they’re being offered. Offer a variety of options and try to be patient because stress can affect them for a few weeks. They’re all different in subtle ways. Best of luck with your new mantis!

 

[Brady4000]

Yea, she/he will take a minute to acclimate to the tank. I wouldn’t stress the mantis out by trying to force feed it by dropping food in front of it with tongs over and over again. It will eat when ready.

 

[AlexG]

Agreed that the mantis is likely stressed from the move. If there are some live treats in the tank crabs or snails they will decide when to eat.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Agreed that the mantis is likely stressed from the move. If there are some live treats in the tank crabs or snails they will decide when to eat.

Do exactly this put some cheap crabs and snails in the tank and let it eat when hungry

Untill you can get it trained

They are really smart with one of the best eye sights on record

It will recognize you eventually as the food provider and can be trained to craw onto your hand to take food

Mine was

 

[Hilltop Aquariums]

Definitely put a variety of snails in the tank. My peacock did the same thing for the first week. Then she started talking the snails out one bye one. You can also try a cheap urchin like a tuxedo.