# Mantis bites



## Mettler (Jun 10, 2007)

Has anyone here received a bite from one of their mantids? They friggin hurt man!! Even a little 30mm long mantid sinking its jaws into your fingers hurts like heck!


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## Rick (Jun 10, 2007)

They can get you good. The front legs hurt worse though if you grab one from behind.


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## robo mantis (Jun 10, 2007)

i've never been bitten. 8)


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## Jenn (Jun 10, 2007)

My Budwing nibbles on my finger but she has never bitten me. *knocks on wood*


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## dannyboy (Jun 10, 2007)

my chinese bit me today little bugga,

dint hurt at first but wen it pushed in, ow :lol:


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## OGIGA (Jun 10, 2007)

I had a mantis try to nibble on my while she was mating. She didn't get me though. However, when my very vicious female who keeps attacking me walks on me and tries to climb all over me, the claws kind of hurt. She's very strong and hard.


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## jmac27 (Jun 10, 2007)

I've never been bitten before but I have had one latch on my finger. It didn't really hurt at all though. I wasn't even aware that they could inflict pain.


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## Mettler (Jun 10, 2007)

Well it seems when dealing with humans, mantids aren't all that defensive or aggressive so typically won't hurt you... but I got bitten because I pissed this mantis off. I picked it up from the back of its neck, and it managed to reach around and grab me with one of the raptorials (that was reasonably ouch too) and before I could let it go, it swiveled itself around and chomped into my finger big time!!

I think when they feel like it, they can easily cause you pain... be careful! Lol, would hate to have a 100mm+ female turn nasty while handling it!


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## Horatio (Jun 10, 2007)

Were there any other behaviours before the nips? Were they fed before hand? Did you have anything on your fingers? The reason I ask is because my younger child would like to bring our L5 when he molts to L6 in to class on her own. She likes to have him walk up her arm [i have been training her to do so and teaching her the rules (like don't have a loose sleeve open, keep him moving upward, don't wiggle your finger in front and let's make sure he's eaten). Maybe I should be outside the class for an emergency step in - like what happens if he bites and then nobody wants to pick him up and someone steps on him...Oh, the possibilities! She is very determined to do it herself.


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## babynik14 (Jun 10, 2007)

i noticed mine starts to bite me when she is hungry.. i dont let her bite hard but i can tell if she did that it would hurt quite a bit


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## OGIGA (Jun 10, 2007)

> i dont let her bite hard


You can control how hard your mantis bites? You must be amazing...


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## dannyboy (Jun 11, 2007)

the only mantis i control like that are my two rombodera fuscea coz they very touchy, still havnt been tagged


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## Butterfly (Jun 11, 2007)

My European nibbled my finger once last year as I was giving her water. It didnt hurt at all, just felt a little pressure. That couldve been though because the bite was on scar tissue from the major surgery. Im lucky just to have kept those fingers I guess lol.


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## Mettler (Jun 11, 2007)

Well I noticed that my Miomantis Caffras nibble my fingers on occasion when they're wandering around on my hands... they never get agro and lash out at me... the only times I've been bitten have been when I have grabbed a mantis from behind its neck.

You can generally tell if a mantid is defensive or annoyed by their stance... and if it's a bigger mantis being grumpy, it's obviously going to be better if you pick it up with a stick or something first and then have it walk onto your hand from there once it's realised you aren't a threat.


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## captainmerkin (Jun 12, 2007)

got bitten twice my my idolomantis which seems to have no fear and absolutely hate being handled.. hurt like heck

then again this same mantis ate a moth over 4 times its size so I should have guessed its a psycho


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## Rick (Jun 12, 2007)

A little nibble is nothing compared to one actually chomping on the tip of your finger. Course I find this almost exclusively in the wild mantids that I catch. One you grab them they usually get you with their front legs which have sharp tips that pierce.


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## Horatio (Jun 12, 2007)

Update...  Well, Larry, our L6 was such a prudent boy! He went to school post molting and allowed my child to handle him no problem. She had really practised handling him and was very excited about the event. I am so proud - she did a complete Q and A session with her grade 1 class with Larry on her hand (and me at home). I think the key to Larry (Chinese) is that he likes to know where he is going and have those gentle hands that he is so familiar with.


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## Asa (Jun 12, 2007)

> A little nibble is nothing compared to one actually chomping on the tip of your finger. Course I find this almost exclusively in the wild mantids that I catch. One you grab them they usually get you with their front legs which have sharp tips that pierce.


Sometimes they really get you.


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## Kris (Jun 22, 2007)

I admit that I'll sometimes slip on a thin pair of gloves (either gardening or cotton) when handling the larger aggressive/potentially aggressive ones. It's for two reasons:

1. They hold on better to the gloves than onto my skin, so the chances of them dropping to the floor/table or taking flight seems to be lessened.

2. I'm a complete BABY. I don't want to get bitten! LOL!

Cheers

Kristen


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## xenuwantsyou (Jun 23, 2007)

I've been nibbled, never outright bitten though. It was a wild chinese , and I've never been on the receiving end of aggressive behaviour from my pet mantids.


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## Morpheus uk (Jun 23, 2007)

When ever i get me PW`s out they constanly bend down and chew my finger!


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## Asa (Jun 23, 2007)

They only bite me if they're wild.


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## Black*Fox (Jul 6, 2007)

Mine Finnaly hatched!! (Actually, it was 3 days ago, on July 3rd, but I'm just now getting to post.) So I haven't been bitten or nibbled yet, but I know to expect it now.

(A few of them are already starting to act tough, but as soon as they see you arn't intimidated they run.)


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## OGIGA (Jul 6, 2007)

Little nymphs won't bite right?


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## Asa (Jul 6, 2007)

Yeah, they will. There so cute when they try to hurt you.


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## AFK (Jul 6, 2007)

siegfried and roy handle my mantises, so i wouldn't know, but roy did say he was bitten once while showboating one of my mantises to a friend


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## babynik14 (Jul 12, 2007)

oh now i defiently got bitten to.. she grabbed my finger.. scared the outa me and i swing my arm back, vicious lil thing


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## skinzfan72 (Aug 7, 2007)

> Update...  Well, Larry, our L6 was such a prudent boy! He went to school post molting and allowed my child to handle him no problem. She had really practised handling him and was very excited about the event. I am so proud - she did a complete Q and A session with her grade 1 class with Larry on her hand (and me at home). I think the key to Larry (Chinese) is that he likes to know where he is going and have those gentle hands that he is so familiar with.


Me being new I was wondering something like this. I have 2 wild religios. One I believe to be adult female "wich was my first molt experiance the other day" and another female about half her size. Tonight when I cleaned thier cages, Gumdrop the larger one was on a MISSION very very fast moving. Lollipop on the other hand was content with hanging out. As long as you kept her platform going she would stop and hang and throw her little claws up at you. Soooo My question is, With constant handeling say from birth can you get that "pet" relationship? They seem to have thier own personalities.


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## TranCE_Productions_Inc (Aug 20, 2007)

> Has anyone here received a bite from one of their mantids? They friggin hurt man!! Even a little 30mm long mantid sinking its jaws into your fingers hurts like heck!


Ever heard the terms, "Don't bite the hands that feeds you!"?

Apparently the mantids haven't. Hehe...


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## sk8erkho (Aug 21, 2007)

I only had one little Chinese mantid which we then named Chewie!!! I began handling him as a nymph right off the back fresh out the egg just about. Well after his first molt when I'd take him out to clean the tanks He just sit on the top side of my hand at first. So, I decided to see if he'd drink off my finger and I think that started it. Anytime he was out on my hand he'd just start nibbling on my finger. I could only feel a little tickling at first. Then he'd chew on anything like my shirt sleeve as he walked up my arm or pant leg if he were just sitting there. I had him on my had during a meeting here at the house one evening and he was just going to town on my finger even just after eating. I then felt a bit more than a tickle and realized that if he kept on he could possible break the skin. From then on I'd put the gloves on. He even chewed on those!! Greedy little dude!!!! He stayed fed too, go figure!!


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## FortunateSon (Aug 21, 2007)

never been bit, but mine dug her claws into my finger when i picked her up by her abdomen, I learned my lesson :lol:


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