Though changelings only need to feed on love to survive, they eat other things too in order to produce body liquids which they excrete through the holes in their legs. Those are used to fortify the hive, form cocoons for the eggs, and various other things, such as decorations and traps. Additionally they allow the changelings to walk on almost any surface. The Miasma hive prefers rotten fruit and the occasional carcass, which is what gives it its particular smell.
 
The most common trap for gathering love is to lay out some sticky liquid in a remote area and wait for a creature to walk into it, then send in a disguised changeling to rescue the creature. Thus gaining its trust, the changeling will begin to deepen the relationship and feed on its love. Usually multiple changelings take turns playing the role and feeding, thus speeding up the process of transforming the creature into a husk.