Orchid mantis behavior

[Graceface]

While feeding my Orchid mantises yesterday, one got scared an exhibited behavior I haven't witnessed yet, which I presume to be a defense tactic. I'll explain:

Jane, one of my female orchids, was sitting on the bottom of her enclosure on her damp paper towel. She was doing what I call 'posing', or laying her body flat in what I assume is her trying to mimic a flower harder because she is hungry. I've seen my other Orchids do this before feeding time, so I associated this with hunger. Her enclosure needed cleaning, and Rather than trying to corral her out of the cup, I decided to use my tongs to remove her old paper towel with her still on it (I've done this before with no issues). Well, she did not like this. As soon as I tried to remove the old paper towel, she threw herself into a ball and began popping like popcorn around the cup. I got concerned and stopped my attempts to clean the cup. I gave her food, which she readily ate, misted her and left her alone. Jane is unharmed, but my nerves weren't! I believe she got scared and tried to fling herself away to safety. In the wild, she would've tumbled down a plant towards the ground and hit the leaves on her way down to break her fall. Since she is in an enclosure it didn't work. Now I wonder if their 'posing' is a defense mechanism also, and not solely them trying to attract food, as I previously thought. 

Jane is a bit timid, unlike her sisters, and is smaller. I will definitely be more cautious with her going forward, knowing she is prone to scare easily. None of my other Orchids have ever been so timid, but other than the one time freakout, she has been acting normally. 

For a popular species, I am finding very little on the topic of Orchid mantis general behavior, or tips/tricks for their care. Yes, I have found various care sheets, but most of these are pretty pedestrian, with relatively lititle detailed information as to their day to day behavior, appearance throughout the instars, tips, etc. 

I have been successfully caring for my Orchid mantises for a month now. They are molting just fine, eating well, etc, and I haven't lost a single one due to illness, so I feel like I'm doing okay so far. I would just love to hear more about their behavior from people who actually raise them. I love these creatures so much and I'm desperate to learn all I can about them

 

[Connor]

I’ve raised many orchids before and have to say that I’ve never seen that kind of behavior before. Orchids are usually pretty timid and don’t move around much. One of the favorite poses I’d always see was where they would lay their legs out flat and the rest of their body flat as well to make them look more like pedals. I have seen that popcorn behavior before though from a E. Musarum I had a while back. I scared him accidentally and he started flinging himself in a ball! Scared the out of me. He ended up being perfectly fine and your female should be too; you just don’t want that happening often because stress is never good for these tiny insects.

 

[Graceface]

One of the favorite poses I’d always see was where they would lay their legs out flat and the rest of their body flat as well to make them look more like pedals

Yes, this is the pose I'm referring to. I've always seen them do it when they are hungry, and have never had a mantis fling itsself around that way before. Even my males, who are more timid than my females, have never acted that way. One of my males jumped once, but they usually stay still while I do my cleaning and maintenance to their enclosures. Sometimes the males like to climb on me, but most times they are pretty chill. The females tend to be more active, but Jane is certainly the smallest and most shy of them all. 

you just don’t want that happening often because stress is never good for these tiny insects.

Yes, I agree! My biggest concern now is that NOT happening again, lol. She seems totally fine today and still seems hungry, so I'm gonna go give her a couple more flies. Her enclosure still needs cleaning, so I hope she is feeling less scared today and will let me clean up her messy apartment! 

 

[River Dane]

I’ve never had orchids before, but one of my truncatas has done this before. She lays flat almost as if to mimic dead leaves, and if she’s disrurbed while in that pose, she’ll ‘popcorn’ around. Her male counterpart, however, is much more chill, and hardly ever goes into that pose. My best guess is maybe your orchid and the others initially get scared when they see you, but when you drop the food in, they focus on catching it. Perhaps this time she just freaked out.

Another thing that might be worth noting is I’ve noticed sometimes my Mantids get more jumpy and skittish when hungry.

 

[Graceface]

Another thing that might be worth noting is I’ve noticed sometimes my Mantids get more jumpy and skittish when hungry.

I'm thinking this is the case. The hungrier they are, the more they get on edge. She was looking pretty hungry at the time. My males are generally hungrier and seem jumpier, as i feed them less hoping to slow their growth. Funny though, my females are much bolder and interested in me. They seem to perk up when I come around, which I think is due to me always being the one to feed them. They are also curious and like to hang out with me and climb on me.

Just a thought: It is possible she is actually a male with an indistinct color band in this instar. Her behavior would make it seem that way. I tried my best to sex them upon arrival, and was right about all my other Orchids. No way for me to be 100% sure until her next molt. I'll try to get some photos of Jane when I feed her today and you guys can weigh in on the matter, too. 

 

[Graceface]

she is definitely a female, her band is growing stronger green today than it has been. I think she was just hungry and got frightened.

 

[ausar318]

Good to hear that she’s alright!

Ive never had my orchids do this before, but I do have 2 spiny flower mantids that do it quite frequently, usually whenever I pick up their cup. I think they’re just trying to jump away, but since they can’t, they end up really freaking out. 

Im not sure if it can be stopped, or the frequency reduced, but my spinys have benefitted from being held on a nightly basis. It makes them more accustomed to your hand, specifically that it isn’t a threat. 

 

[Graceface]

Ive never had my orchids do this before, but I do have 2 spiny flower mantids that do it quite frequently, usually whenever I pick up their cup. I think they’re just trying to jump away, but since they can’t, they end up really freaking out. 

Im not sure if it can be stopped, or the frequency reduced, but my spinys have benefitted from being held on a nightly basis. It makes them more accustomed to your hand, specifically that it isn’t a threat. 

Yeah, she was amping herself up by not being able to escape. I just quickly retreated and put the cup down, at which point she chilled out and I gave her flies. I didn't want to stress her by handling her if she wasn't into it, but it appears to be a double edged sword as she won't ever get used to me if I don't handle her. I'll try holding her in my hand more and maybe she will feel less intimidated by my presence. 

Today she was totally fine. She sat on her tulle while I cleaned her cup (pictured above). She looked hungry again, and watched me intently but was calm. I put her back and gave her more food. After her meal she was walking around her cup and she seemed better adjusted. I think hunger just puts them on edge, since they can be such voracious eaters.