Praying Mantis story w/ pics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was at my LFS buying some stuff. When we walked out of the building my girlfriend started freaking out. I asked her whats her major malfunction.LMFAO! So she points to the garbage can and there sits this magnificent praying mantis. The biggest one I have ever seen in my life it was close to the 12" mark! Mostly brown and some green under its wings and the base of the body. I wanted to keep it so bad. I was pretty scared myself to pick it up not being educated on them and its pincher were huge. So I wasn't sure if it could hurt me. I said screw it and I picked him up by the base of its body and he didnt like that so as soon as I grab him he turnes his body and latches onto me with his pichers. Out of fear my instant reaction was to shake him off my hand as quick as possible. As soon as he got free the matis took off in flight with a huge wing span and landed on the roof of this guys car that was pulling up. The guy looked up from inside his car and watched it land. He got out with his kid and he was amazed by the size of this thing. I was going to grab something out of the car to put him in but since it was on this guys new car I didnt want to piss him off by messing around his car so I left.
When I get home my girlfriend walks around back of the house and starts to freak out again. Sure enough its a praying mantis only a quarter of the previous ones size but still a mantis. So I took a cup off my table and scooped him in. I now have him in a 10 gallon tank with some bamboo shutes and sticks. I caught some bugs from the back yard. A moth, a fly, big spider and a big butterfly. He has ate the first two and I would love to watch him devour this spider and butterfly. Does anyone have any expirence keeping these as pets? I would love some info on my mantis. I googled and didnt find much of anything. I did though find two amazing pics of a mantis that caught a humming bird.
Any ifo would be appreciated! Thanks!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was at my LFS buying some stuff. When we walked out of the building my girlfriend started freaking out. I asked her whats her major malfunction.LMFAO! So she points to the garbage can and there sits this magnificent praying mantis. The biggest one I have ever seen in my life it was close to the 12" mark! Mostly brown and some green under its wings and the base of the body. I wanted to keep it so bad. I was pretty scared myself to pick it up not being educated on them and its pincher were huge. So I wasn't sure if it could hurt me. I said screw it and I picked him up by the base of its body and he didnt like that so as soon as I grab him he turnes his body and latches onto me with his pichers. Out of fear my instant reaction was to shake him off my hand as quick as possible. As soon as he got free the matis took off in flight with a huge wing span and landed on the roof of this guys car that was pulling up. The guy looked up from inside his car and watched it land. He got out with his kid and he was amazed by the size of this thing. I was going to grab something out of the car to put him in but since it was on this guys new car I didnt want to piss him off by messing around his car so I left.
When I get home my girlfriend walks around back of the house and starts to freak out again. Sure enough its a praying mantis only a quarter of the previous ones size but still a mantis. So I took a cup off my table and scooped him in. I now have him in a 10 gallon tank with some bamboo shutes and sticks. I caught some bugs from the back yard. A moth, a fly, big spider and a big butterfly. He has ate the first two and I would love to watch him devour this spider and butterfly. Does anyone have any expirence keeping these as pets? I would love some info on my mantis. I googled and didnt find much of anything. I did though find two amazing pics of a mantis that caught a humming bird.
Any ifo would be appreciated! Thanks!!
