Agressive Mantids

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dgerndt

dgerndt

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I was just wondering, do mantids bite people? That's usually the first question I'm asked when people see my mantids, but I don't really have an answer. I've seen mantids strike at threatening human hands, but I've never seen them actually bite.

P.S. Looks like I forgot a "g" in aggressive! :eek: Sorry!

 
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I have been bitten by a female ghost, and I won't forget it! They are pretty much the agressor in all my species, Just the other day while cleaning one tried to get me, maybe they don't like the show I was watching, I don't know, but they make me mind my manners! :mellow:

 
I had Chinese mantises last year that would try to catch and eat my finger for food. Not out of being threatened, they were just really hungry and daring. It kind of hurts but the worst part is trying to get them to let go without hurting them - since they have quite a grip!

That's the only time a mantis tried to bite me. Another funny time that I had a mantis bite me was when I was handling my Rhombodera nymphs - one of them started to lick the moisture on my finger and apparently tasted the cricket guts that inevitably came from handling crickets and hand feeding other mantises. The arms went up and could barely reach over my finger, it was the funniest thing and it didn't hurt since they were still rather small.

I think that might have been because they probably get used to being spoiled. I like hand feeding mantises since it ensures they get food, and sometimes I'll have one on my desk while he or she is eating, and let them out of their cage for a bit.

Also in many instances I've had only prey items that were too big for an individual mantis and had to split a cricket.

When they are threatened, they just slap you with their fore-arms and often they either stand their ground with a threat pose or they'll skitter off.

 
If you have Chinese long enough(I admire larger mantis) you will be grappled by a raptor claw or two, its the quickness of the strike that scares you but no real damage is done(no blood), well so far.

But then again I work with my hands every day doing all types of floor covering so my skin is kind of thick, but I've never let them keep my finger long enough to test a bite. :lol:

The bottom line is there much more afraid of you than you are of them, with the Large aggressive ones just be ready to pull your hand back quickly and go at them slowly as not too startle them.

Not one of my Idolos which are MUCH more menacingly large than Chinese and have 1/2-3/4 inch spikes on there claws has ever tried to strike at me. but when they walk on your hand you can feel the power in those raptors let me tell you! Not to mention they destroy a big fat bb in 3-4 seconds flat so due the math on a finger bite. :blink:

 
I've been bitten a couple of times, and I deserved it almost every single time! :lol: Generally it's not their first line of defense, but if it comes down to it, stuff happens! I've also had a ghost drinking from a droplet on my hand and nip by accident. "Randy" males have been known to bite if they mistake you for a potential mate too....one of our own has had that experience recently! I've never had them draw blood either, it's really no worse than a needle prick. Startling more than painful!

 
They certainly have the capacity to bite though they aren't quick to jump to that option and even if they did you would have to let them sit there and gnaw a good while to do any real damage. I've never had a mantis bite me or try to clamp with their claws with the intent to hurt.

I have however gotten a number of rough pinches from a couple of my aging girls, mostly Chinese females, when they used their claws to help pull themselves up. Right toward the end of their life they can have a harder time getting around and will start using their claws like ice picks to help get around.

 
Not normally. A piercing of the skin from the tip of the front leg is far more likely. Though you wouldn't have to really worry about either unless you grabbed a mantis from behind incorrectly. The only times I have been bitten or grabbed with a front leg is during collecting of wild mantids and I didn't grab them just right. Scooping them up in the hand like you do captive mantids generally won't work with wild ones so you need to grab them from behind.

 
Been pinched by wild Chinese - which hurts more than I imagined it would. Was a test of will to not just fling the little puppy into orbit. I was amazed at the pressure those little claws exerted!

 
I have been accidentally eaten at many times, but I have never been bitten by a defensive mantis. I have been smacked at a couple of times by defensive mantids, but they have never held on to me.

Once, when getting a Chinese mantis from her enclosure, she grabbed me and started eating a hole in my hand before I could get her to release me. It didn't hurt much, but she made quite a hole. :mellow: The other times it was easier to remove the hungry mantids.

Only Chinese have eaten at me like that. My Carolinas will sometimes nibble and taste at my hands, but have never gone so far as to grab and chow down. :lol:

 
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When a mantid is in defense mode, I've only been bitten when I grabbed the mantid. Other than that, it'll just strike me. Another case I had was when I pointed my figure towards one of my females that had previously had an ooth. She was hungry and so she did grab hold of my finger and tried to eat.

 
Thanks everyone! I've never been bitten, but one time my female Chinese looked like she was going to bite me, so I accidentally dropped her. That was only a few weeks after I got her, and she was my first. Luckily, she wasn't hurt. She also poked me with her raptorial arm spikes while climbing on my hands. None of my mantids since her have ever tried to strike me or bite me. They're all such sweeties!

 
I find that if you are gentle and learn how to read them, strikes and bites will be minimal.

When a mantis is threat displaying, I will start moving like a plant in the breeze. The swaying has always worked for me when a mantis has been frightened. Also, I had a couple who were prone to being defensive. When I had to get the defensive ones out of their container, I would always move around their container making noise and bumping things gently. This would let them know that it was the feeding person coming to get them out. I have learned to always have feeders ready before handling them, just in case there is a hungry or defensive mantis. After a defensive mantis calms down, either by theirself or from my movements, I will offer a treat. Now, I haven't even been able to taunt my mantids into a threat display. :lol:

Btw, when a mantis is missing a tarsa from a foreleg, they will use the claw to climb up on a hand or anything. I have never been harmed or frightened by this behavior, but many people will feel those spikes and claim to have been clawed or bitten. :rolleyes:

 
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I've been both bitten and clawed before, mostly by wild mantids when I was collecting them. And a few times if I wasn't cautious enough and startled them.

It doesn't hurt. Not really. It's more like a quick pinch than anything else. It's just so freaking fast it's hard to NOT fling your hand when they connect, just from the surprise. :)

But yeah, they can bite but it doesn't happen much.

 
I try to be as gentle as possible. It's never really been an issue with me, but I was just curious if other people had any problems. It's good to hear that even if they do bite, it's not very painful. :lol:

 
I'm always gentle with my mantises too, scooping them up instead of grabbing them because I'm afraid to hurt them.

Well today my adult limbata was hungry for human or something.... She's 2 weeks adult so I thought I'd have her bred today. Fed her well last night. Took her out of the cup and she grabbed my forefinger and dug the spikes from her raptors into my skin. Ouch! It really hurt, and she wouldn't let go. I tried to 'gently' remove her forearms. Then I saw her black and green mouth open and start chewing on my skin!

I finally got her to give my finger back, and noticed she drew blood. She was crawling on my arm at this point, I figured why would she bite my arm right? Then she dug her raptors into my arm and gave me a really good bite again! Bleeding in that spot now.

So... I'm going to be extra careful when handling this girl. Might even have to put on a pair of gloves before handling her again...... ow

 
babyfroggy28 said:
I'm always gentle with my mantises too, scooping them up instead of grabbing them because I'm afraid to hurt them.

Well today my adult limbata was hungry for human or something.... She's 2 weeks adult so I thought I'd have her bred today. Fed her well last night. Took her out of the cup and she grabbed my forefinger and dug the spikes from her raptors into my skin. Ouch! It really hurt, and she wouldn't let go. I tried to 'gently' remove her forearms. Then I saw her black and green mouth open and start chewing on my skin!

I finally got her to give my finger back, and noticed she drew blood. She was crawling on my arm at this point, I figured why would she bite my arm right? Then she dug her raptors into my arm and gave me a really good bite again! Bleeding in that spot now.

So... I'm going to be extra careful when handling this girl. Might even have to put on a pair of gloves before handling her again...... ow
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That is one hungry mantis. :eek: Do, be careful. :mellow:

 

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