Careful! He may become extra hungry one day and attempt to chew on one of your snakes. not saying that this is common... but i am sure it happens more than we'd like to think! Mantids are opportunistic and somewhat bold when it comes to hunting... they will chew pieces out of things that are too big for them to fully consume! I have kept mantids every year since I have 6 or 7 and I myself have witnessed them attempt to eat things larger than themselves. They have a nasty bite too... had one chew a good sized chunk out of my skin in just a few seconds! They form no companionships and take no prisoners... they do not even tolerate each other and of course, have no qualms about eating one another even during mating! They are smart little buggers... but not nearly intelligent enough to recognize the fact that the snakes are preparing to feed... although it is a nice notion and he does appear to be pretty active. My favorite thing about mantids is the fact that no matter which way they turn their head, they always appear to be staring right at you! Yours does indeed appear to be a male... a female this time of year should be swollen and bogged down with eggs. Enjoy him while he lasts... his time is coming! A month or so and he will die... I always am a little sad when my mantids die off every year in november.

for fun... here's an old clip that pretty much everyone has seen by now.

YouTube - Praying Mantis Attacks Snake!