Afraid to hold my manis

[Precious]

If your mantis is male then generally you don't have to worry about it. Males are way less aggressive than females are.I used to have a female Chinese mantis who was EXTREMELY aggressive. I would always wear hoodies and pull my arm inside to hold her. :lol: She would attack the cloth sometimes but never hurt me.

Usually, attacks happen when you're holding an aggressive mantis and they see your finger twitch. I've had that happen before and my female attacked my finger. It didn't hurt a lot, but it delivered quite a pinch. If that happens I usually place my finger under the neck of the mantis and hold him or her back to prevent them from biting me until I get my trusty water sprayer.

When that female struck at my ring she'd been walking around, looking at everything, just hanging out and something changed. Maybe the light hit my ring or I moved, whatever - it's what they do. I didn't handle her directly again, for her sake.

 

[sk8erkho]

Yes! it can be scary at first attempting to handle your first mantis. And it is even scarier when it is wild caught. Just so happens that 2 Sundays ago I caught a Huge Chinese female and only due to here size was I a bit intimidated by her. Since I have had her, I stroke her on her back gently, daily. I have been doing this to all of my mantids for as long as I can remember as well as gently blowing on them as I begin to attempt to handle them. It was just something my little 8 yr. old noticed a while back. He would blow on them softly and they would begin to rock side to side or rock back and forth and then he'd take his little hand and carefully coax the mantis onto his little finger. They were maybe L2-3 at that time I'd imagine. He has yet to get attacked. But, it really is scary when they are sitting there on your hand and just checking out the area and then something changes which is just enough to startle the little dudes. Getting them off of your hand is the only thing you can think about at that time . When that abdomen flips over and they rear back in that striking position that's when the nervousness sets in, maybe even panick. And I have had the same exact reflex when they strike me.... flip....acrosss the room!!! I keep the spray bottle near.

 

[OGIGA]

I let mantises walk all over me. They really like being in my hair.