Handling first mantis?

Hello everyone, I recently caught a three inch long Chinese mantis. So far I've been having a blast taking care of, learning about and observing it, with plenty of help from this site. I am however, having an issue when it comes to handling it. I'd like to be able to remove it from the tank so I can clean and arrange things inside. She is quite aggressive....not wanting to just stick my hand in front of her to see if she'd climb on, I first tried to see if she'd latch on to a long stick. As I got close to her with it, she pulled into a defensive position, and when I brought the stick near enough for her to climb on, she attacked it with conviction. I tried again later in the day, and she seemed to have no interest or desire to climb on to the stick, only to attack it more. Her claws have a number of sharp spines that look like they could easily puncture my skin. I'm sure you can understand why I'm hesitant to stick my hand near her.

Can a mantis caught in the wild be taught to trust humans? If so, does anyone have tips on how to do this? I only got her a couple of days ago, might I just need to give her some more time to get comfortable?

The photograph below is of her. Would greatly appreciate any help.

It actually appears to be a European mantis. When I have a fiesty mantis that won't just climb onto my hand I just reach in and grab it by the thorax. Or just put you hand in front and prod it with your other hand up onto the hand in front. It can't really hurt you.I don't think a mantis can be taught to "trust" humans. It is an insect unlike say a mammal of some sort. They can probably get used to handling, but yours is an adult so I dont know how much it can get used to such things at this point. Welcome.

Welcome! she will warm up to you. i like to get them on a ruler by sliding it underneath them than let them crawl onto my hand.

Welcome to the forum

I think your mantis has been in the wild too long to actually get used to you but you can still try!

I would just open the lid and let her come out on her own. That's what all of my mantids do, they get

curious when they see the lid is gone!!

You can coax her onto your hand gently with your other hand or a wooden chop stick (a important

mantid care tool!!LOL!!).

Move very slowly, no jerky movements, anything the least bit threatening will set it off, and yes, those

claws are sharp, and when they latch on to you, they can dig right into the skin (though I have never

had one draw blood).

If they latch on to your hand and wont come off, it's best to have a mist bottle of cold distilled water

handy. A few good squirts, and they will let go (usually!!).

Since this one has peeked your interest, why not purchase some home raised nymphs and watch them grow up!?

Rick said:

It actually appears to be a European mantis.

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Ah, I think you're right actually. My mistake. After comparing her to a few pictures of European mantis I'm almost certain she's one of them. Props for identifying it from a crappy iPod camera picture, haha.

Also, are you sure it's ok to grab it by the thorax? A friend told me that grabbing them like that, even lightly, can damage them.

Psychobunny said:

Welcome to the forum

I think your mantis has been in the wild too long to actually get used to you but you can still try!

I would just open the lid and let her come out on her own. That's what all of my mantids do, they get

curious when they see the lid is gone!!

You can coax her onto your hand gently with your other hand or a wooden chop stick (a important

mantid care tool!!LOL!!).

Move very slowly, no jerky movements, anything the least bit threatening will set it off, and yes, those

claws are sharp, and when they latch on to you, they can dig right into the skin (though I have never

had one draw blood).

If they latch on to your hand and wont come off, it's best to have a mist bottle of cold distilled water

handy. A few good squirts, and they will let go (usually!!).

Since this one has peeked your interest, why not purchase some home raised nymphs and watch them grow up!?

Click to expand...

Thank you, I will try some of these ideas today. I think it will most likely never warm up to me, but I'll give it a shot. Wish my palms good luck, haha. I have a strong feeling that they'll receive the same treatment as the stick. I will certainly look into purchasing a nymph if/when this one dies. I find these insects to be very fascinating. It'll be even more fun to watch it grow, molt etc. etc.

I put my hand down in front of them slowly and just leave it there, usually a little prod on the butt will get her to move, but maybe just try it a few days before making her move, let her get used to u being close and good luck, keep lots of bandaids near!

hibiscusmile said:

I put my hand down in front of them slowly and just leave it there, usually a little prod on the butt will get her to move, but maybe just try it a few days before making her move, let her get used to u being close and good luck, keep lots of bandaids near!

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Exactly, dont rush. I dont know how smart their little bug brains are (no one does in fact) but they may associate you with

goodies like food and water instead of you sticking your hand in their domain.

Absolutely! All of my mantids are wild caught! Put your hand flat in front of her so she can climb on. If she grabs you with her arms, don't freak out. Mine do it all of the time! It doesn't hurt like it seems it would. Just gently knock her off if she tries. Like a dog, she can tell when she'll be extremely aggressive, she'll turn and threat display at you.

It appears that both you and your mantid have a little adjusting to do. If you have never handled a mantid before it's natural that you might be a little nervous. There have been several excellent suggestions here like removing the lid from housing. She will naturally climb up and when she does simple place your hand palm down in front of her like a pedestal. A light tap on the end of her wings or simply lightly blowing on her will prod her to walk onto your hand.

When you have a fiesty mantid, it's best not to approach her with sticks or your hand in a direct downward motion. After handling her a couple of times, she will determine that you are not a threat and the two of you can play nice. When I first capture a mantid the first thing I do is feed and mist them. Then I leave them alone in their housing for a couple of days where they can see me (my office). Then I remove the lid from their housing, let them crawl onto my hand and place them on a house plant.

The trick isn't getting them out of their housings......it's getting them back in. They naturally like to climb up, so if you put them on a stick and lower it into the housing...they pull the "mantid-u-turn".

Oh yeah, the dreaded "mantid-u-turn".

It is a pain if you have a few mantids waiting in line for their turn at being out and nobody wants their turn to end. Poor things.

If the mantid shies away or gets fiesty, I find that moving in a swaying motion can sometimes have good calming results.

I hold out my hand and sway it back and forth and side to side sometimes, to get a mantis to jump or fly to it, instead of my face.

It works alot of the time, but not always.

Many of my mantids will just climb right on to my hand, but none of them are wild.

Sometimes, (especially with males) if they are approached in a way that scares them, they will drop and be still, even if they are laying on their side or back. They have even done that when I have been very careful and tried not to frighten them.

I usually get my mantids to climb onto me by putting my hand next to their front legs and under their pinching ones, and gently pushing inwards towards it's legs. It will crawl onto me.

None of the mantids I've encountered have ever attacked me, more like reaching out to grab me. If she does pinch you, it won't hurt much, almost like being bitten by a kitten, or getting a paper cut. Eventually she'll let go and trust you.

Gwan-Thwei said:

I usually get my mantids to climb onto me by putting my hand next to their front legs and under their pinching ones, and gently pushing inwards towards it's legs. It will crawl onto me.

None of the mantids I've encountered have ever attacked me, more like reaching out to grab me. If she does pinch you, it won't hurt much, almost like being bitten by a kitten, or getting a paper cut. Eventually she'll let go and trust you.

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If given the choice, I will take the mantis pinch over the paper cut, any time. Paper cuts can HURT. inch: At least when I get them, and they have hurt for much longer when they get all infected. :no:

I have a jumpy one and who flared at me... I fed her so she wouldnt jump but she still is skittish

I find that with most of my mantids when I take the top off of the enclosure they will slowely climb towards the opening. (If they werent already on the lid) I then will place my hand at an angle a few inches in front of him/her. If the mantis doesnt climb on after a few seconds I first try to blow on them from behind. If that doesnt work I will lift the enclosure and for some reason this movement makes them move. If that doesnt work I will give them a nudge from behind.

kmsgameboy said:

I find that with most of my mantids when I take the top off of the enclosure they will slowely climb towards the opening. (If they werent already on the lid) I then will place my hand at an angle a few inches in front of him/her. If the mantis doesnt climb on after a few seconds I first try to blow on them from behind. If that doesnt work I will lift the enclosure and for some reason this movement makes them move. If that doesnt work I will give them a nudge from behind.

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It's interesting that you mentioned the movement thing.

I have noticed that if I am holding my hand still, the mantis will be still as well.

But if I raise or lower both mantis and hand, the mantis will move forward and onto my hand.

The adults and subadults are easy to handle.

Handling L2 and L3 lineola nymphs is a real challenge because they run and jump!!