Has anyone been bitten by their mantis?

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Maybe Hierodula venosa. 

Mine looked like this back then. She was actually i8 and not i5 i6 like I was told. 




 
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MantisGirl13 said:
Looks like a Sphodromantis sp. due to the head shape and white spots on the raptorial arm. Where did you get her?

- MantisGirl13
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I think your right. I got her at the place I work. Big Al's, you probably haven't heard of it, but it's an aquarium place that sells reptiles and other stuff. 

 
Ok. Sorry I can't tell you what species of Sphodromantis!

- MantisGirl13

 
Mantis mouths aren't like the mouths of mammals. They don't have teeth or fangs for biting.

Instead, they have a little trash compactor mouth and delicate little mandibles to help the food into it. You're too big, too large a surface, and can move away too easily for them to actually bite into you. The only way a mantis could actually manage to bite you is if you wilfully tricked it into latching on, and then held really still as it struggled to actually manage to break the skin. 

It's just not really possible. They can definitely pinch you with their raptorials. But biting into you isn't going to be likely outside of the absolute largest species, and even then, you'd have to hold still for a while for them to manage it.

 
In all the years and species I've kept, only once have I had an incident.  Here's my original post from June, 2013.  She grabbed my thinking I was prey.  In years following, the consensus is to gently squeeze their abdomen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponder has been outside on a potted Impatience for the last few days to enjoy the Kenya-like 90 deg days.

This evening I put my hand out, as usual, to coax her on to take her in for the night. She grabbed onto my index finger

as if it were prey and began digging her mandibles into me. I was stunned by this and quickly realized she was causing

pain. REAL pain! She had her raptors clamped tight into the finger with head down on the skin grinding as hard as she

could. I went into the kitchen (yelling at her to stop --- she paid no attention) and splashed water on her. No dice. I couldn't

pry her raptors out of me - they would have broken or torn off. So I grabbed a kitchen sponge and worked it in between her

mandibles and my finger. She buried her head in the sponge and bit that for a couple of minutes. Then she finally let go (although

I kept dousing her with water). Boy does that finger hurt. She's got a grip like a vice !

Any ideas why this attack? I'm guessing she was dehydrated and needed water? I sprayed her several times during the day (it's

been very hot) and she's well fed.

Also - if this happens in the future - any remedies you've found to get them to release without causing harm?

Cheers,

Digger

adult-ponder2.JPG

 
@Digger Ponder was beautiful! 

Thrillhouse said:
It's just not really possible. They can definitely pinch you with their raptorials. But biting into you isn't going to be likely outside of the absolute largest species, and even then, you'd have to hold still for a while for them to manage it.
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Believe me when I say that it is no problem for them to bite skin. They can draw blood easily. This is coming from experience! Boy did that female G. African like the taste of flesh!

- MantisGirl13

 
I had a Polyspilota aerugionsa mistaken my finger for the E. Posticus. It felt like two tint beedles digging theough my skin...

 
mantisfan101 said:
I had a Polyspilota aerugionsa mistaken my finger for the E. Posticus. It felt like two tint beedles digging theough my skin...
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Ouch! (Do you mind if I ask how you know what two tiny beetles digging through your skin feels like?)

- MantisGirl13

 
I never did but my little kid tried to hold one of my big females while I was in another room and my big female was not having it. Unfortunately, my kid picked the most aggressive, super old and cranky one out of the bunch.

Little fingers, stilled shock, screaming and some blood ensued.

 
Jaywo said:
I never did but my little kid tried to hold one of my big females while I was in another room and my big female was not having it. Unfortunately, my kid picked the most aggressive, super old and cranky one out of the bunch.

Little fingers, stilled shock, screaming and some blood ensued.
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Was the mantis ok?

- MantisGirl13

 

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