Mantis Playthings
- Thread starter Robofish
- Start date
dwarfatize
Active member
put in some snails or hermit crabs.
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Because of their attentiveness, scanning eyes, and ability to manipulate objects in their environment, we often attribute human - or at least tetrapod characteristics to stomatopods. Alas, I fear the concept of "fun" is alien to them. Striking and manipulating noval items is probably just prey investigation - or construction and landscaping. Interacting with animals that they don't typically prey upon appears to involve territoriality or housekeeping. I've looked at "play" in stomatopods with one of the world's leading authorities on animal play and while the activities and motor patterns are there, I'm afraid the motivational factors are not.
Stomatopods have evolved to mate, care for their eggs and larvae, acquire and maintain a safe home, feed, and avoid or defend themselves from predators. This is basically what ethologists (animal behaviorists) used to call the "Four F's" - feeding, fleeing, fighting and ..... They do not seem to have the Fifth F - FUN.
Roy
Stomatopods have evolved to mate, care for their eggs and larvae, acquire and maintain a safe home, feed, and avoid or defend themselves from predators. This is basically what ethologists (animal behaviorists) used to call the "Four F's" - feeding, fleeing, fighting and ..... They do not seem to have the Fifth F - FUN.
Roy
......try tying something on to some fishing line. Like a lil ball that will sink or something that won't shatter. I'm sure he'll wack it around the tank. Maybe a lil GI Joe figure...that would be funny. I haven't tried the idea yet myself, but I plan on trying something of the sort.
Kara
Premium Member
I put some crushed coral in the tank and Roy (my mantis) spends a lot of time stacking it in piles (CC sculptures! lol), using pieces to plug up holes in the rock and checking the shells for critters.
I also recently added some macroalgae to his tank, lots of colonies of zoanthids and some branch live rock. After seeing where the native mantis' live here in the Keys, I am trying to provide Roy with a more natural habitat. Which will in turn give him lots more to do.
Live shrimp, hermits and snails also occupy a lot of his time. I try to harvest small turkey wing mussels alive and Roy thinks those are wonderful! If you want, you can spend a few bucks and throw a feeder Damsel (what else are they good for?) in his tank. Mollies (the freshwater fish) are cheap and can be acclimated to salt water. If they don't get eaten too quickly and you provide some algae (like chetomorpha) for protection, the might even breed.. providing you with entertainment (watching your mantis catch/kill them), a sustainable food source and your mantis with live, nutritious food.
HTH!
I also recently added some macroalgae to his tank, lots of colonies of zoanthids and some branch live rock. After seeing where the native mantis' live here in the Keys, I am trying to provide Roy with a more natural habitat. Which will in turn give him lots more to do.
Live shrimp, hermits and snails also occupy a lot of his time. I try to harvest small turkey wing mussels alive and Roy thinks those are wonderful! If you want, you can spend a few bucks and throw a feeder Damsel (what else are they good for?) in his tank. Mollies (the freshwater fish) are cheap and can be acclimated to salt water. If they don't get eaten too quickly and you provide some algae (like chetomorpha) for protection, the might even breed.. providing you with entertainment (watching your mantis catch/kill them), a sustainable food source and your mantis with live, nutritious food.
HTH!
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