African Praying Mantis handling

[jayblob1]

a wild scyther apeared.

[skittlemilkshake23]

IT'S FUCKIN HUGE.

[listentothis1]

has he bit you yet?

[herpdude122]

is the african mantis the biggest species

[R3dSt4r90]

@herpdude122 the asian mantis is the biggest species, but the african mantis is the most aggressive one

[Sharkskillyou]

So cool

[SinishaTheScoper]

This isnt african praying mantis,this is Mantis Religiosa (European Mantis)

[prospectiveman]

I'm curious to know, what's the best way to grab them if you want to move them? I have one now establishing permanent residency under my porch light, but I'm not sure what 's the best way to grab it if I need to without injuring it.

[prospectiveman]

I think he was sizing you up, thinking about how he wanted to negotiate his lunge attack. LOL

[planBpros1]

That's a European mantis I know that cause I have 5 of them

[nastyboy4u1994]

Got one sitting on top of my car

[MrAltar133]

you have that as a pet?

makes me itchy.

[NasimATBird]

@MrAltar133 thats great

[ReactiveBarrel]

these things are everywhere where i live... they were introduced to new zealand ages ago.. accidentally stood on one yesterday :( gonna go shopping tomorrow and find some plants and stuff to make a vivarium.. then gonna find a wild one and keep it as pet.. still cant decide whether to buy housefly pupae (stinbks out freezer/fridge) , catch crickets or canned cat food.. apparently they eat all.. im only 14 and still at school so im thinking cat food.. too much homework for crickets :L

[shastapunch]

where did you order one?!?!?! i've been looking forever!

[Lechu54454]

@shastapunch i bought it at a local pet store. im sure if you google praying mantis for sale in the us or soemthing liek that you will find some online stores that have them

[shastapunch]

@Lechu54454

lol google is where I've been shopping, I've found numerous sites that sell pest control egg cases, but no africans....

decided to get a pitbull puppy instead! :)

although, I would still looooove to have a mantis.

suuuper jealous!

[Lechu54454]

@shastapunch puppies are awesome lol, jealous of that!!

they are currently sold out, but keep checking this site:

mantiskingdom. com

praying-mantids.co. uk

Good luck finding them :)

[DrFleelix]

@shastapunch  try mantis kingdom.com

[katasmama]

@shastapunch I have a female that just layed her orthecca and babies should either be coming in like 4 weeks or maybe march not sure....i live in chicago....would you like one when they hatch....i need like 12-250 homes for these babies.....hahahh.....hope you live close to me, so you can have one...let me know!!

[JackalMajor]

I got one he's white/tan and very tiny.

He's not eating crickets though. :(

[nooloo3000]

where did you buy it

[hottyboy315]

why dosent it fly away

[1edefs3]

@hottyboy315 i agree with ur question.. im to scared itl fly away and start crwaling in my house.. and ones pregnent dont want to stress her ot

[Lechu54454]

@hottyboy315 they very rarely fly, i had mine for several months and it never flew away

[JoeCapricorn]

Pretty sure you had a Mantis religiosa, a European mantis - similar species though, look at the white and black dots on their arms, that's distinctive to the European mantis.

Cute fella though ^_^

Also looks like a male.

[cosmicgate07]

How long do they live in captivity?

[Lechu54454]

usually the lifespan is a year, so just depends on how old it is when u get it, mine lived for about 7 months but it was fully grown when i got it

[ntsees]

Nice looking Mantis religiosa.

[Alexspazzz]

that's sweet!

i want one of those tiny ones about the size of a quarter. or like 267 of them.

[IronmanRyanBoyce]

Just found one of these in the copy room at work, wasn't sure if you can handle them or not but they look relatively harmless. I used a cup to put him outside.  Has yours ever bitten you while handling?

[Lechu54454]

they are harmless. What mine would do seemed liek she was trying to bite me, but it felt more like she was jus cleaning my skin, it kinda tickled lol

[IronmanRyanBoyce]

I was thinking about maybe getting one but I'd be afraid I'd spaz out and crush it on reflex if it did that to me. I'd hate myself :(

[Lechu54454]

they are really gentle, minenever attacked me or did anything to me. even when she tried nibbling on me she did it slowly and like i said, it tickled. i say get one and have fun!! i kept mine in an11x8x6 inch twitter cage. provide lots of twigs and ur good

[IronmanRyanBoyce]

lol, maybe I will then

[N13153N]

Its kinda gross,, in my opinion

[windchimex]

i think they look like aliens..lol

[xsandraxox]

shes such a camera whore babe.

[mathewD9]

wow that thing is awesome!

its cute in a way to!

whered u get it?

[Lechu54454]

i got it at the local pet store, they're really cool :)

[DrAter000]

are they aggressive at all?

[Lechu54454]

nope, they are skittish first, but after handling them for a bit they get used to you to the point they willingly go on your hand

[UnrealTournamentSERB]

How much do they cost?

[Lechu54454]

i paid 20$ for mine

[reptile202]

I was told American ones only live for a few months. How long does this one live?

[Lechu54454]

african live for up to a year