Timid Mantid

[Joe Caruso]

Actually, the word timid doesn't do justice to the behavior she's displaying. The phrase 'mind bendingly terrified of absolutely anything and everything' is far more adequate.

Now I accept that as this is my first Mantid I have nothing to really compare her to, and for all I know the way she's acting might be typical.

But it wasn't always this way. When I first got her home she was a little skittish, but generally ok. She'd lash out at the mealworms when I held them next to her, and if you got too close she'd watch you but would betray no feelings of any real fear.

But during the last 3 days or so things have changed. At first I thought a molt was coming on, but she ate this morning so it can't be that. In order to get her to chow down I had to practially push the mealworm into her mouth. I tried to hold it out for her but she lurched back in horror with a "what the ###### is that thing?" expression. Then, after tasting it, she VERY slowly and tentatively wrapped one of her front legs around it. Certainly not the same as the lightning fast strikes she was employing when I fed her those first few days.

This afternoon (just a few minutes ago in fact) I tried to feed her again, holding the mealworm an inch from her face with a set of tweezers. As soon as she saw it start to wriggle she proceeded to (what I can only describe as) "freak out", and literally JUMPED BACKWARDS to get away from it, then fell from the roof of the cage all the way down to the substrate. She hasn't injured herself or anything. Still, it was unpleasant.

It's seriously stressing me out. I've taken on the responsibility of caring for a living thing, and it pains me to see her act this way. I mean, surely it's my job to make her life as comfortable as possible. I feel I'm failing on this front.

Yes I may well be anthropomorphizing; yes I may well be acting in an overly-sensitive manner. But still, anyone have any words of advice?

 

[idolomantis]

i had this problem to, try feeding something diffrent, catch a fly and put in her cage, if she like it, buy some flies.

 

[chrisboy101]

mantids display strange behavior. mine ghosts have donet that with certian food but as idolomantis said. try something different

 

[Krissim Klaw]

First question, is why are you hand feeding her in the first place? Why not let her hunt down her prey at her own leisure than shoving it in her face? Half the fun of a mantis after all is watching them hunt.

As for the behavior, it is completely normal for them to instinctively react that way. The problem is when you push the meal worms, tweezer and all in her face she isn't reading it as a prey item but something large suddenly getting in her space. On the rare occasions I try to hand feed one of mine I find it is best to approach low to the ground and try to wiggle and move the food item so it looks like a food item and triggers their hunting instinct. If however you are trying for nibble the food to get them interested approach, then come in under and too the side. If you see her start to fixate, tense, splay her claws, and make other movements that show she is reacting to fear, move the tweezers away and let her relax and refocus on you. I find swaying back and forth calms them pretty quick. Then try to offer the food from a different angle.

 

[Rob Byatt]

Quite simply...... it isn't hungry

 

[chrisboy101]

Quite simply...... it isn't hungry

TRUE

 

[Joe Caruso]

First question, is why are you hand feeding her in the first place? Why not let her hunt down her prey at her own leisure than shoving it in her face? Half the fun of a mantis after all is watching them hunt.As for the behavior, it is completely normal for them to instinctively react that way. The problem is when you push the meal worms, tweezer and all in her face she isn't reading it as a prey item but something large suddenly getting in her space. On the rare occasions I try to hand feed one of mine I find it is best to approach low to the ground and try to wiggle and move the food item so it looks like a food item and triggers their hunting instinct. If however you are trying for nibble the food to get them interested approach, then come in under and too the side. If you see her start to fixate, tense, splay her claws, and make other movements that show she is reacting to fear, move the tweezers away and let her relax and refocus on you. I find swaying back and forth calms them pretty quick. Then try to offer the food from a different angle.

Reason I can't just throw the prey in and let her hunt is that the mealworms will burrow down into the substrate in about 2 seconds flat.

Point taken with the whole 'getting in her face' though. I guess I'm just eager for her to eat. I'll follow your advice regarding coming in from less threatening angles, and finding alternative food sources (not to mention learning to relax and accept that sometimes she's just not hungry).

 

[hibiscusmile]

I don't think I could of said it better KK! Joe, that is the main problem, she is seeing something suddenly appear and has no idea where from, it is not flying at her, or wiggling at her, it is just there. I like to drop mine right in front of them, where when hitting the container will make a noise and the mantis will immediately see it. Also sometimes they sense or see the prey coming and catch it before it hits the ground. She just has to get used to you being the keeper of the food so to speak, any time I go near my texans, they freak out like that unless I let them know I am there, they do not automatically see me or hear me when I open the cage, sometimes they are daydreaming and I scare them without meaning too. [SIZE=8pt]ps, the words "day dreaming, sense, or any other words I used are not to mean, the mantis either uses or does these things" " don't want to get you guys riled up again "[/SIZE]