Mantiphobia

[Digger]

At the Thanksgiving gathering this year, I brought up the topic of pet Nikki Mantis. I began to get rather funny and curious looks from family and friends. Cousins began to carefully move their children away from my immediate vicinity. My sister-in-law slowly looked up from her plate and said, staring: "Uh....do you, umm...talk to it??" I was offered no more wine ("Here, Digger, perhaps some nice cold water ----- like you say you give your...umm......your....bug).

How do we combat this mantidphobia !?? Write to your representative in Congress! There ought to be a law!

 

[lancaster1313]

If you got a reaction that was that exaggerated, there may not be much that you can do. Next time you feel the need to bring up something so inappropriate at dinner, you can claim that the wine has gone straight to your head and try not to get yourself committed. :mellow:

 

[sally]

I kinda got the same reaction too...maybe I went a little overboard when I started showing everyone my mantid pics....¦)

 

[Golden State Vivs]

My wife was super embarrassed when I brought the mantids out as a learning experience for my son's cub scout den. She was worried that all of the other parents at the meeting would think we're weird. I told her I don't give a ###### what anyone thinks about me or the hobbies that I enjoy. If they don't like it, that's on them.

 

[Mime454]

I just started watching The Deadly Mantis on YouTube. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Digger]

Hear, Hear, Golden! What do these normal people know anyway??? Mime - yes, one of the lesser known drive in horror flicks of the fifties. I have Nikki Mantis watch this and tell her to eat her fortified crix to grow up big and strong so she too can catch F 105s out of midair.

 

[Mime454]

It was not very good.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Most of the people I have shown mine too, even those normally scared by bugs are rather curious about my mantises even if they are too timid to want to hold them. I find a lot of people put them in the butterfly, ladybug category of being a less scary insect.

So far I have only met one person with a real mantis phobia. She was at a petstore and when the topic came up that is what I kept she told me those are literally one of the only things that scared her and gave her the shudders just thinking about them. I mean she had a pet tarantula so not your usual case of someone that is terrified of all creepy crawlers. Apparently when she was about 3-4 she came across a large mantis and grabbed it and got bitten hard enough to draw blood.

 

[Malakyoma]

Most of the people I have shown mine too, even those normally scared by bugs are rather curious about my mantises even if they are too timid to want to hold them. I find a lot of people put them in the butterfly, ladybug category of being a less scary insect.

So far I have only met one person with a real mantis phobia. She was at a petstore and when the topic came up that is what I kept she told me those are literally one of the only things that scared her and gave her the shudders just thinking about them. I mean she had a pet tarantula so not your usual case of someone that is terrified of all creepy crawlers. Apparently when she was about 3-4 she came across a large mantis and grabbed it and got bitten hard enough to draw blood.

bitten hard enough to draw blood? You mean she sat there and let it chew on her for a few minutes? I think it would've been the strike that drew blood.

 

[Sticky]

My Dad was proud of me at dinner when I talked about my pets. He got me started with butterflies when I was little. We would find monarch caterpillers and raise them up to pupation and then let the butterflies go.

It sounds like my Martha got the 3-4 year old! She bit me once and put me in my place!

My neighbors here are always entertained with my pets. Nobody is phobic here.I helped one get over her fear of my giant cecropia caterpillars. Now she likes moths.

 

[Rick]

I've had a few odd looks when I told people about keeping mantids. However, many of the people I am around are biology types who think it's really neat.

 

[selkielass]

I share my critters regularly with my sons class- the science teacher loves having snakes, toads, bugs and bees make special guest appearances

- the whole class has developed a greater respect and interest in back yard critters.

My son developed a fear of insects after being around a friend with an extreme phobia. Mantises have brought him back around to finding them interesting. He wants to handle Tara regularly and has even started catching flies and moths for her.

 

[agent A]

my grandma used to be afraid of mantises

when she was in the hospital i had my mantis collection on her dining room table and if she hadnt died she probably would've come home and killed me <_<

my grandpa used to call them daddy longlegs (which confused me because i think of those as spiders)

i brought some to school every once in a while but it freaked people out

i brought a popa and some girl passed out and then i brought her to science and drew a circle around her on a desk and people freaked out that she just sat it the circle

so i dont bring mantises to school anymore

but u know what they say

haters gonna hate!

 

[Mime454]

When I mention it in passing at school, it seems that I get some questions about the peculiar hobby. I brought some in for a presentation once and everyone was pretty enthralled with my little ghost and unicorn mantises.

 

[preying mantis]

If people have that reaction then they are just ignorant to what amazing animals mantids are, and what great pets they make.

I was in college when I caught mine a few months ago. I told my mom about it on the phone and she laughed and gave me the "yeah....OKAY <_< " response, jokingly asked if I was really that lonely and depressed, etc.

Then I bring her home with me for Thanksgiving, and what do you know? She absolutely falls in love with the thing, as does my entire family.

 

[MantidLord]

Now that I'm majoring in entomology, I don't get odd looks about mantids (just odd looks about the fact that I'm majoring in entomology! Haha). But before, man, the reactions were priceless. Just have patience and educate.

 

[Mëluzynn]

Here people have more problems with my rats than with the idea I have a mantis at home... And more shocked by having 20 fishtanks in my living room than by having an Exo-Terra with an insect inside... Weird...