Are Mantis supposed to be fraidy-cats?

[AttackDonut]

I've got a new 6" peacock mantis, gave him some time to settle in with his tankmates (some damsels) and lots of live rock for him to hide.

And boy does he hide.

Constantly.

I offered him (on a skewer, bamboo) some thawed krill.

He came out, gave the skewer the gentlest of taps (I could barely feel it) and ran like hell back to his hiding spot.

Am I missing something here??

 

[Agu]

Mantis shrimp are "fraidy-cats" for a good reason, in their world it's eat or be eaten. It takes a while for them to feel safe. Mine hid for a long time and I wodered why I bothered to have an animal that was rarely visible. It took a few months but it's not near as shy as it was.....

ime,

Agu

 

[maryrosi]

Thanks for posting this! Mine has only been in my Nano for a week now and stays in the PVC 99% of the time. It comes out to build rocks and rubble around one of the openings to seal it or open it. It hasn't eaten much at all. I've tried Krill, Salad shrimp, Squid and have even tossed crabs in the den, only to have it pick it up and toss it back out. I'm being patient on thinking it's still acclimating to its surroundings. If you have any suggestions, please comment! I'd appreciate any suggestions!

 

[jedimpt]

My mantis is a little finicky. He'll only eat or come out when he wants. He usually accepts food from a skewer but if i feed him too many days in a row, he'll take the food from the opening to his burrow and toss it out. Then I've got to go chase the food in the water column.