Praying Mantis, The Best Pet Insect?

The praying mantis might be the coolest insect on the planet. They are alert, interesting, and terrifying little creatures. They are even known for eating the heads off of their would-be lovers. Could an insect be any more awesome? Yeah, they also come in a wide variety of colors and shapes, and best of all, they make really good pets. But the question is clear, is the praying mantis the best pet insect for you?

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Clint is a professional biologist and educator, but above all, Clint LOVES reptiles and he loves to share that love with everyone he meets. Whether you're lover or a hater of reptiles, you can't help but get excited with Clint!
We post a new video every Saturday morning! So stay tuned!


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Clint's Reptiles
770 East Main Street #127
Lehi, UT 84043

[ClintsReptiles]

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[Eddibles]

"possibly the most terrifying animal in the world"
*Mantis proceeds to flail arms trying to get off its back on the table*

[theorangeninja]

"What would possibly...."
*bonk*
"...be the scariest predator..."
*_arms flailing_*
"...if we were smaller."
"ₕₐₗₚ"

[voltix]

This channel is slowly turning into “Clint’s Exotic Animals”

[asaltyem]

As someone who accidentally brought an praying mantis egg sack into my house on a thing of wood. I can confirm when they hatch they are small enough to stand on your fingernails and are little tiny versions of adults. They are very friendly and very cat like

[yangvivianwang]

I always say praying mantis are the cats of insect world. They appear very inquisitive and playful. I love the way they turn their heads and clean themselves. I play with them whenever I get a chance.

[xenodragonlord]

"Possibly the most terrifying-"

Mantis jumps off stick and can't get back up like an idiot

[heyher_the_odd]

Clint: Is the praying mantis the best pet insect for you?
Me: I dunno. Tell me more.
Clint: When they come out of the ootheca.... they're already little horror shows.
Me: *SOLD!!!*

[sylkefoubert]

Love this. Had a female ghost mantis I had a great bond with, raised her from L2. I was absolutely shocked and mesmerized every single day how much intelligence and character there was in that little beast. I could take her out of her enclosure and she'd jump/fly back and forth between my hands. She used to sit and chill on the back of my hand and look at my laptop screen as I worked. Had her for 15 months, was absolutely heart-broken when I came home and found out she had passed during the day. Have a male orchid mantis now, totally different personality. He likes to "hunt" me, but as soon as I even open the enclosure he jumps away because he's the worst scaredy cat. Got him as an adult so I wonder if that's why there's less of a bond. He's absolutely beautiful though. I'd love to get a idolomantis diabolica next. Thank you for the great video, Clint, I'd love to see more people fall in love with these amazing creatures.

[TheDapperDragon]

This is going to sound fake, but I swear it's true:

I once had a praying mantis that..well, he (I think it was a he), wasn't my pet, but almost like a room-mate. We found him in my bedroom, and we pulled out a little enclosure we had for a previous insect, got some water in there, and just never put a lid on it. And he made himself at home, and stayed with us for a little over a week, always crawling on us and coming to see us in between hunting the bugs that found their way in.

One day, while he was crawling on me, I noticed he had gotten a spider web caught in his mandibles, and he actually held perfectly still, watching me as I pulled it out of his mouth. (Carefully as all hell, as you can imagine.)

He finally decided he wanted out (By raising his arms when I held him near the window), so I brought him back out, let him find his way to a tree, and went on my way.

I abject *refuse* anyone saying insects can't tell humans apart. Edit: Fun fact, those claws STILL hurt if you're a human. I made the *brilliant* idea to poke his claw, and while it didn't draw blood, it did leave a mark.

[xon]

I had a really cool interaction with a praying mantis a while back. I found him in the back of a delivery truck and it was obviously super hungry as he immediately death gripped my finger when I tried to pick it up to move him elsewhere. He immediately started gnawing on my skin and carving up little chunks to eat from my finger as I moved him to a bush and i could feel him tugging and cutting up the outer layer of my finger. It was really cool watching his mandibles go to work on it so close, but I had to stop him chewing any deeper before he got into an area that actually had nerves.

He was seriously strong for an insect and I had a difficult time prying him off my finger without hurting him as he really wanted to hold on and eat more of my finger, but eventually I managed to release him onto a bush. He left a little shiny spot on my finger from all the skin he carved off, so he definitely would have chewed my finger to the bone if I had let him.

They're awesome little critters that are amazing to watch.

[Fanuc_Operator]

The orchid mantis is easily one of the most beautiful species in the animal kingdom.

[dragonwithamonocle]

I love mantises. They've always been one of my favorites. Did you know that a lot of them like watching cartoons? The bright colors with lots of contrast combined with motion just really gets their attention.

[danieltaylor]

"Approaching a female is a very dangerous game"

Yet another common ground for both the human, and the mantis.

[martinsmartians]

Worked at a Mobil gas station when I was in high school. One of the mechanics found a Mantis on the bumper of a car, and placed it inside on top of the cigarette rack. There it stayed all summer. You could hear the crunching when it captured and ate a fly, etc.

[SuperIprime]

Another handling tip: They like crawling in an upwards direction rather than down. So when on you, they will try to climb to the highest point. They therefore will try to climb to your head. They will also sometimes try to jump on your face/head if within range.
Also, only the males can actually fly. The wings on the female are too short, extending only about halfway down their abdomen, whereas male's wings are the length of their abdomen.

[daniellegroover]

I once had a praying mantis land on the windshield of my car.... it actually hung on and stayed with me for the entire 20-30 minute drive! It flew off right after I got to my destination. I almost felt like it was watching over me somehow. I know, it's silly lol. But mantises are just amazing! There's a reason there's a style of Kung Fu formed after them. Majestic, terrifying, but amazing!
Thanks so much for sharing this rad video!
Have a great weekend! 🐍🐜🐸

[SerathDarklands]

I've loved praying mantises ever since I was a kid. My mom found an egg case in her garden and we put it in a special bug case, kind of like a jar with a fine metal mesh all around. After a few days, the egg case hatched into dozens, if not hundreds of tiny mantises and we let them all loose in her garden. It's one of my fondest childhood memories and one of the reasons that I still love mantises to this day. I also, much more recently, found a massive female on the side of the road just outside of my driveway. I took the time to gently corral her over into the bushes so she wouldn't get run over, and I managed to get a number of good pictures of her.

You're right in saying that they're alien. But they're truly beautiful aliens.

[gabrielfarkas]

I am a simple man. I see praying mantis, I like.

[HiveOfHappenings]

Nothing is better than watching an expert explain a creature in lovely and practical detail before seeing it's antics and switching to Pet Owner and begin cooing at it in sheer delight. Absolutely adorable as well as useful. You've done amazing in ambassador-ing these critters, thank you!