My Spoiled Mantis

[Gizmo]

This is Gizmo. I named her before I knew she was a she. As I was leaving work with her I was reminded of the old asian man that carried Gizmo around in the movie Gremlins, and I knew at least it was asian...

After she laid an ootheca we celebrated by letting her enjoy a tasty cricket on the bed. This turned into an every night after work thing. When I eat in bed I always leave crumbs. She has never, ever dropped anything while eating. So every night you will find her on our bed eating and hanging out.

She likes to watch YouTube videos of other mantises.

Later I put on a video of mantises mating and the female eating the male's head off. When that started she turned her head down. I would never say that aloud if my girlfriend weren't there to see and confirm it because it sounds ridiculous. But after I changed the video to something else she went back to being mesmerized by it. When the video stops then she wants to go back to crawling around.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Well actually this is a european mantis, so she's not from asia.

 

[Gizmo]

Really? Thanks for clarifying.

She was completely brown when I first found her, and she changed color into what you see now. I went off all I could find on identifying them and I thought she was a Chinese mantis.

It's making more and more sense now where she came from. Apparently there is a place in Oregon where a lot of them can be found in the spring and that's where the parcel probably went before she came to us.

 

[dmina]

Well she sure seems to enjoy her new home... and being spoiled... Great pictures.. Love the story...

 

[Deacon]

Your posting really tickled me. So cute! These Mantis religiosa (European) are also found wild in the state of Washington. My neighbor found one sitting on a bag of fertilizer (straw-colored just like yours) in University Place just a few blocks from me, and a young friend of my grandson found one in their garage at their ski cabin up in Packwood (it was the bright green variety.) They both took pictures and the distinct yellow and black cat's eye on the front legs shows on both of them so I identified them in my mantis book. Keeping The Praying Mantis by Orin A. McMonigle. It also said they are the State Insect of Connecticut.

Wish I would find one in the wild! Lucky you. I have only raised two chinese mantids so far.

Thanks for your posting. My dog watches other dogs on tv, too.

 

[Gizmo]

Thanks! How close to Portland are you in Washington? I was told by coworkers that their kids love to go to the Troutdale Outlet Mall because they find a number of mantis in the parking lot. I want to say this happens in the springtime, but I will get more details. I know I'm going to go there when they say the best time is and I'll report back to you what I find. And don't feel bad: I've lived in Oregon my whole life (Vancouver now) and only ever saw one other mantis in the wild.

She not only doesn't mind her picture being taken, but she seems to look in the direction of the camera when it's on her after the first pic.

I warned my girlfriend against taking a pic when she's eating as it may startle her and cause her to stop, but she doesn't seem to mind one bit. If anything she'll pose and go back to munching

And I'm not sure if anyone else has had this, but when we come home and she sees us, she excitedly taps at the lid window until we let her out or leave again

I tested this a few times by sneaking in quiet and watching her when she didn't know I was there, then I made a point to directly stand over the hatch door, and sure enough she gets all excited until I let her out. Anyone else have this happen? Also she doesn't like going back into her enclosure, no matter it's shape or size. Putting her down on the bed or whatever, she's happy with, but when it's time to go back in she acts like a brat.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Many of mine do that too, especially chinese but also european. I think it's actually just because they become frightened and agitated at your approach.

 

[CosbyArt]

...
I tested this a few times by sneaking in quiet and watching her when she didn't know I was there, then I made a point to directly stand over the hatch door, and sure enough she gets all excited until I let her out. Anyone else have this happen? Also she doesn't like going back into her enclosure, no matter it's shape or size. Putting her down on the bed or whatever, she's happy with, but when it's time to go back in she acts like a brat.

I had a few mantids do the tapping to get out thing, it was the ones who got the most tamed and demanded attention. I have had a few wild caught adults who would swat at me through their habitat usually at feeding time, but that was completely different than the tamed ones tapping. Obviously looking and reading your post she is very tame too. Reminds me of my 2-year old nephew who raises his arms and keeps balling up his hands and flatting them again, waiting to be picked-up/held.

Having only one or two mantids is nice in that regard as you get a chance to spend time with them. I currently have 18 as I'm breeding them, and miss the one on one time I had with my previous mantids. Funny thing is I've had nearly 50 at one point (not counting hatching ooth nymphs) till I downsized lol.

 

[Gizmo]

Many of mine do that too, especially chinese but also european. I think it's actually just because they become frightened and agitated at your approach.

You doubt she gets excited to come out when she sees us?

Then you probably doubt that she took a selfie of herself when she was trying to attack the mantis (herself) on the screen

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Maybe, just maybe, if you often feed her while she's out she might anticipating food, but I really don't think mantids are as intelligent as some people seem to credit them for. It's just their human like appearance and mannerisms that make them seem smarter than other insects. That's why people think they look like aliens, too- because they look kind of like people, only they're insects. This makes them more charismatic to some people, while to others it makes them more eerie and unsettling than other insects. I'll never understand why some people are scared of cockroaches, millipedes, spiders and other inoffensive arthropods but i get why some people can be unnerved by the anthropomorphic looks of praying mantises.

 

[Gizmo]

Maybe, just maybe, if you often feed her while she's out she might anticipating food, but I really don't think mantids are as intelligent as some people seem to credit them for. It's just their human like appearance and mannerisms that make them seem smarter than other insects. That's why people think they look like aliens, too- because they look kind of like people, only they're insects. This makes them more charismatic to some people, while to others it makes them more eerie and unsettling than other insects. I'll never understand why some people are scared of cockroaches, millipedes, spiders and other inoffensive arthropods but i get why some people can be unnerved by the anthropomorphic looks of praying mantises.

I agree with all of this. Seems to make sense that's why she'd get excited. She often has food in there, but I use chopsticks to feed her on the bed.

She was very tame before that but from what I've read most mantis are.

Also, it could be that she's craving blood because she has risen from her coffin!

 

[MantidBro]

You doubt she gets excited to come out when she sees us?

Then you probably doubt that she took a selfie of herself when she was trying to attack the mantis (herself) on the screen

I don't doubt that mantids become excited when seeing us. Mine always become excited when they see me. I don't think it's an emotional thing on their part, but I do think that they are stimulated by movement, especially from us, because we are so large and look good to climb on! And so they want to climb on us when they see us, so they try to, even when behind "glass". That's when they tap on it, because they're trying to get to you but the glass is getting in the way.

Mantids are very intelligent, there are certain things you come to notice after watching them a lot. Mine can tell the difference between me and someone else. I've had some mantids who will crawl on me carelessly, happily, inquisitively. But when I put my hand out for them to craw on someone else, they freeze. This has happened more than a few times. Some mantids don't care; they're hyper and will crawl where ever they can, but others are hesitant and cautious. It could be their sense of "smell". If they can smell an insect and know it's food, they should be able to smell differences in people.

Mine also adapt... say you find a wild mantid, at first it will be hyper and reactive and defensive. But after a while, it becomes calmer and knows that you mean no harm. I'd say they're similar to lizards when it comes to their intelligence.

This of course is only my own point of view, I wouldn't say these are facts, but it is at least what I currently believe.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

That's just habituation, which most animals are capable of. It's merely easier to observe in mantids because they're so calm and unafraid to begin with.

 

[Gizmo]

Mantids are very intelligent, there are certain things you come to notice after watching them a lot. Mine can tell the difference between me and someone else. I've had some mantids who will crawl on me carelessly, happily, inquisitively. But when I put my hand out for them to craw on someone else, they freeze.

That seems to be the case with mine. She seems to prefer my gf. I don't know their range of site but her little head will follow my girlfriend around the room if she's not giving her attention or if I'm holding her instead. She likes me fine but I can't help but think she does have a preference.

Maybe it's her phone. She reacts to video of herself on the phone, the other night she was showing her pictures of male mantises which apparently Gizmo was interested in, then this happened

I think because my girlfriend is constantly pulling her out and taking pics of her she's gotten used to the attention. Nevermind it's me that catches the crickets and feeds them to her, I think she associates her with fun feeding time.

 

[MantidBro]

That seems to be the case with mine. She seems to prefer my gf. I don't know their range of site but her little head will follow my girlfriend around the room if she's not giving her attention or if I'm holding her instead. She likes me fine but I can't help but think she does have a preference.

Maybe it's her phone. She reacts to video of herself on the phone, the other night she was showing her pictures of male mantises which apparently Gizmo was interested in, then this happened

I think because my girlfriend is constantly pulling her out and taking pics of her she's gotten used to the attention. Nevermind it's me that catches the crickets and feeds them to her, I think she associates her with fun feeding time.

They can see very well, I read that it's up to 60 feet, which seems to be true, I see them following cars with their eyes when they're in the window, when cars are way on the street, which is I'd say about 60 feet give or take a foot or so.

 

[Gizmo]

I believe you about the 60 feet.

And in case people don't believe me that Giz likes to watch TV

That pic was taken after we turned the lid she was on to face us, and she'd go towards the TV. If she's bored she crawls around. If she's interested in something, her little raptors fold up against her and she watches whatever has her attention like that.

 

[Deacon]

Gizmo,

You are having so much fun with her! Do your friends think you're strange having a relationship with a mantis? My husband definitely thinks I am! Maybe he'd think differently if he found one sitting on his golf ball!

And I live about 2 1/2 hours from Portland. It's time we took a day trip as it's a fun city. If you think about it, let me know when the mantids are at the mall, okay?

Nancy

 

[prslaughter]

Gizmo seems very cool. Mantises definitely have personalities. Some are more skittish, some more laid back, some excitable, etc. They have a capacity to learn like any other animal with a brain, and much of their behavior is likely motivated by the simple desire to seek pleasant experiences and avoid unpleasant ones. People aren't much different. If a mantis learns to associate a particular person with experiences s/he finds pleasant, why wouldn't the mantis exhibit behavior to repeat the experience (i.e. tapping at the enclosure to be let out)? Most of my mantises have pretty much ignored the tv, but show great interest in the movement of my cats around the room (keeping an eye on potentional predators). They also initially show fear when exposed to Daisy (my iguana) but eventually lose that fear when they realize she has no intention of eating them. Some show great enthusiasm at my arrival home from work, others seem to care less. Different species also seem to have different temperaments. In some ways they do seem to be very much like us.

In other ways, they are nothing like us at all, and that is part of what makes them so fascinating. I once had a Chinese mantis that would sit on my stereo speakers for hours, "dancing" to music (that swaying back and forth we become so familiar with) and balk at being removed. I don't know that they can "hear" as we do, but perhaps was responding more to the vibrations it felt in its legs. It swayed most vigorously to James Brown, to the delight and entertainment of all my visitors. A preference for certain types of vibrations over others? Why not? We are all familiar with our mantises' preference for certain feeders, and Gizmo seems to even have a preference for certain video games (more visually appealing to her?)!

However, I must dispute the intelligence comparison between mantises and lizards. My mantises have never figured out how to escape their enclosures, or for that matter, figured out after a period of time that they can't. Daisy, on the other hand, quickly discovered how to push open her cage door when it was left unlatched, and knows that she can't open it when I latch it--the only way she could have figured this out is by watching me operate the door and the latch on it. She watches me closely when I close the door to see if I latch the door shut. If I latch it, she doesn't try to open it; if I leave it unlatched, she will eventually wander over and push on it with her foot to get it open so she can go exploring. I feel there may be limits to how much the mantids can learn and how much of their behavior is instinct-driven. Figuring out where those limits lie is part of the joy of having them, I think.

They are smarter than the majority of people think, and their varying temperaments are a joy to experience (as we mantis-keepers know!).

 

[Gizmo]

Thank you but she passed this weekend. More than being smart she was fun and lovable. She knew the difference between my girlfriend and I and would make it obvious who she wanted to hang out with each day. Her excitement in seeing us wasn't food related as once theorized, because it was me that hand fed her every time and when she'd see my gf she'd get very excited and want out.

It's confirmed she loved TV and videos on the computer. If you were holding her you could feel her heartbeat, and when she'd watch certain videos (like videos of her) you could tell she'd get excited. She loved to climb around on my gf and a few days before she passed she was finally allowed to crawl on her face. She finally reached that peak she has been longing for. And in her final hours we had a screen next to her container so she could watch videos of bugs. She ended up dying in her hands which was heartbreaking, but her favorite place in the world was in Marissa's hands so it was fitting.

Gizmo,

You are having so much fun with her! Do your friends think you're strange having a relationship with a mantis? My husband definitely thinks I am! Maybe he'd think differently if he found one sitting on his golf ball!

And I live about 2 1/2 hours from Portland. It's time we took a day trip as it's a fun city. If you think about it, let me know when the mantids are at the mall, okay?

Nancy

No I don't. In between my bawling this weekend I would say "I feel so stupid but..." then I stopped saying that. They are just as smart as hamsters and whatnot, so it's not weird to think that way. And we confirmed in these past two months they can show affection.

I will let you know when they start showing up at the Troutdale Outlet mall. Two coworkers live in Corbett, OR and they have them in such abundance they had us look inside their truck camper and sure enough, there were two ootheca! I very carefully removed one that I will try and hatch and left the other because now, after our experience with Gizmo, their family and friend want Mantises too!