Strange praying mantis ?

Question

my son saved a mantis in a swimming pool 2 weeks ago,all day that thing holds onto his arm spends the nights on a plant beside his bed .its about a inch long,so i think its a male

is this normal for them i hear they are smart but geeesh it could fly away anytime -even when he rides his bike -he also feeds him aphids

Answer 1

When your son first saved the mantis, it may have been weak and could not fly off. Now that your son is feeding it, and it does not feel like it is in any danger, it is comfortable. A lot of animals are like that . If they are in a place where all there needs are met, and they do not feel scared they stick around.

      Usually all the mantis I have seen were about 3 inches long when they were full grown. Your son's mantis may be very young, and may fly away later when it is searching for a mate.

Answer 2

If your son wants to keep it as a pet,I think you should google praying mantis to see if it needs something other than aphids and how long it will survive indoors. Good luck.

Answer 3

that sounds weird lol no offence

Answer 4

that is wierd, but i think the mantis is saying thank u to ur son. i saved a bumble bee from the pool and it landed on my head and just layed there for a while. it was kind of cool. good work on the afids.

Answer 5

bugs are weird... I had a pet spider once that whenever I went outside I would know exactly where he was for some reason.

Maybe somehow it has linked him with free food... but I can't imagine they would have that kind of intelligence.

Answer 6

ha! that's so sweet. i wish i had a sweet insect companion.

after all i think the praying mantis owes it to the kid. he saved him!

Answer 7

I was obsessed with mantises when I was younger; had several as pets, and even bred them, so you can trust my advice. It might be injured, but it probably just likes him. I had one that I knew could fly because he made one or two short flights around my room, but if i took him outside he would just stand or walk on me. I hope your son enjoys it. Contrary to what most people think, I've learned that over time they can become very loyal and loving like a dog. Also, try catching small flies in a net and feeding it that (do not spray the fly with any cleaner to make catching it easier, you will poison the bug). I also kept mine in a somewhat moist environment because i think they take in moisture through little breathing holes on the abdomen called spiracles.