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So far I haven't exactly been bitten, more chewed on many occasions by my Ziggy the Omomantis zebrata. No longer with us :angel: but I have 4 nymphs, growing up nicely, I wonder if they will be the same :)

 
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once a mantis was eating banana off my finger and it chewed through the banana and nibbled on my juice-covered hand. :lol: but it just tickled, so it wasn't a bite.

 
The first time I caught a wild Chinese,an adult female,I got the raptor and biting treatment,just startled me at first,used to it now

 
Most captive mantids that are handled early on or a regular basis don't bite,however if you bring in a wild one,or get one that has not been handled much they may try and get a bite in. If you lightly press/tap the middle of the face area though,they tend to back off,unless it is really determined lol but I don't see this being much of a problem with the majority of species. I do know wild chinese and the wide-arms are more inclined to be a little nasty like that though. Other than that all of mine have been abnormally tame,I think its because they get out and touched soo much and see people everyday,really think that helps,unless its just an agressive mantis.

 
my male ghost mantis has never drank from my hand or bitten me, but he really enjoys running as fast as he can up my hands

 
My rhombodera stalli bit me yesterday (which is why I ran a search for "biting" in the forum). It was shocking. I have picked up hundreds of mantids in the wild and have never been bit before!

 
Mime454 said:
I've been bitten by a Chinese. The spines in the arms when they clasp to bite is worse than the bite itself.
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Very true. Those spines are terrible. Yesterday my female Cliona got mad at me, so she grabbed my finger (hard) and flared her jaws, but she didn't bite. I guess that's what I get for trying to grab her by the throrax... :D

 
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They will bite. And i'm guilty of flinging once or twice :whistle: But some, like blue flashes, budwings, majusculas and chinese will make you bleed- and quickly! Gravid female budwings and old blueflashes hurt the most.

 
Krissim Klaw said:
No ouchy bites but I have gotten a few prickly pricks from claws with my older mantises. When they get up their in age and have a harder time getting around, especially the fat females, they start using their claws like ice picks to help pull themselves up. :wheelchair:
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My female budwing and blue flash did that. They were old and gravid, and the ice picks hurt!!!

 
in 6th grade I caught an adult chinese female from our school sunflower patch. Didn't know much about them at the time, but when she was on my hand she leaned forward, clasped my skin and went to down, she drew a decent amount of blood, hurt like heck. They're stronger than you think. The other times I've been bitten since though have never really drawn blood. The hardest part is just avoiding the knee-jerk reaction over anything. I'd rather lose a little blood than fling my mantis across the room.

 
Saebjorn9 said:
in 6th grade I caught an adult chinese female from our school sunflower patch. Didn't know much about them at the time, but when she was on my hand she leaned forward, clasped my skin and went to down, she drew a decent amount of blood, hurt like heck. They're stronger than you think. The other times I've been bitten since though have never really drawn blood. The hardest part is just avoiding the knee-jerk reaction over anything. I'd rather lose a little blood than fling my mantis across the room.
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That's what my mantid did! She was just resting on my hand and for no apparent reason leaned forward and bit me! I can understand them feeling threatened and biting when being picked up, or biting a finger thinking it's some kind of prey, but it was out of nowhere.

 
I was trying to pick up a wild limbata and it caught my finger and looked like it was trying to decide if it was food or not. :lol:

 

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