Fat Praying Mantis : Why Is My Praying Mantis Fat? (5 Clear Reasons)

If you keep a pet praying mantis, and you notice that it is visibly fat, that may leave you with many questions. You will want to know whether it is normal for a mantis to be visibly fat, what causes it, and what you can do about it. This article answers those questions.

If you see a visibly fat praying mantis, it is likely to be a pregnant female that is just about to start laying eggs. But it is also possible for the belly of a mantis that has eaten a short while ago to bulge, making the mantis appear somewhat fat.

Thus you need to check carefully, to ascertain whether what you are seeing is a praying mantis fat belly, or an overall fat mantis.

In that endeavor, you can make reference to both the praying mantis weight chart and the praying mantis size chart.

Making reference to those charts can help you in making an objective assessment. You then get to know whether, objectively speaking, the mantis is truly fat – or within the expected size limits.

Can Praying Mantis Get Fat?

Yes, it is possible for praying mantis to get fat.

Many people who keep praying mantis do sometimes report noticing that their mantises have become visibly fat. Often, this gets them wondering, why is my mantis so fat?

Even people who just encounter wild mantises do sometimes report encountering those that are visibly fat. Some of them are actually so big that you even have people asking, can large praying mantis hurt you?

That is on account of the fat mantises’ terrifying sizes.

Therefore praying mantises can indeed get fat.

Why Is My Praying Mantis Fat?

There are two possible reasons for your praying mantis being fat.

The first possible reason for the mantis being fat is pregnancy. So it could be a female mantis that is about to start laying eggs. Such mantises often get visibly fat.

Indeed, regarding how to know when a praying mantis Is pregnant, the surest way is by looking at the size.

That is the first answer you get, to the question on how do you tell if a praying mantis is about to lay eggs?

Yes, there may be other pregnant praying mantis behavior changes. But the size change, in which the mantises become visibly fat, is highly reliable. A visibly fat praying mantis often turns out to be a pregnant mantis.

It is therefore really important to ask yourself, is my mantis fat or pregnant?

The second possible reason for the mantis looking fat is if it has recently eaten. Do praying mantis get big soon after eating? The answer is ‘yes’.

Thus if you are wondering, why is my praying mantis fat, yet it is not female (hence can’t be pregnant), that could be on account of recent feeding.

Here, one may ask, what do the praying mantis eat in order to end up so fat? And that turns out to be things like insects and sometimes even small reptiles like lizards.

My Praying Mantis Is Fat – What To Do?

In case the praying mantis appears to be fat on account of pregnancy, you need to prepare for egg laying. This is particularly important if you are in the business of breeding praying mantises.

So you just provide it with the resources it will need for successful egg laying.

In case the mantis appears to be fat on account of eating recently, there isn’t much you can do. You only need to ensure that you are feeding it at the right frequency.

That usually works out to about twice per week for mature mantises. For growing baby mantis, it is once per day or once every two days. Avoid overfeeding the mantis, as experts tell us that it can lead to a decline in its lifespan.

Final Verdict – Fat Praying Mantis

A praying mantis that is visibly fat may be a female that is just about to start laying eggs. So that would be a pregnant mantis.

A praying mantis that is visibly fat could also simply be one that has been recently fed. After feeding, the mantis’ belly bulges, making it look fat.

There are also some mantis species that are generally big, and which always look as if they are fat.

If the reason why your mantis looks fat is pregnancy, you need to give it egg laying support. For instance, ensure that it has a good place to lay eggs.

In case the mantis seems to be fat because of being recently fed, just give it time. As its body processes the recently ingested food, the mantis’ size is likely to go back to normal.

Nonetheless, beware of overfeeding the mantis, as that can shorten its lifespan in the long run.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet mantis a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️