Mantis kiss?

[lancaster1313]

I am letting my Carolina pair mate for the third time. They are mating now, but the male is large and his mouth was pressed against her ocelli, (I don't know if that is spelled correctly, the place beetween her antennae where there are three eye things)for about 15 minutes. I don't watch them the whole time but I am afraid he could take a bite. I actually removed the top from the container that I have them mating in. He looked up at me, and thank goodness there is no hole in her head or any wound at all. I can't wait until they are finished. :sweatdrop: I really didn't notice anything like that when they mated the other 2 times, but I wasn't looking. Is it common for a male to mate with his mouth pressed up against the female? I wouldn't really worry so much if he was smaller than her, but his head is wider than hers and he seems to like putting his mouth on her head. His mandibles aren't moving or anything. Do anyone's males ever nibble or hurt the females? I think that my male is kind of old, he became adult on July 1st, if that means anything. I am hoping that at his age he will know what he is doing, and not eat her. He was fed well last night.

 

[ismart]

He won't take a bite out of her. Pressing his head against her is common while mating. If he is well fed, there should be no problem.

 

[Rick]

What Paul said. :lol:

 

[lancaster1313]

:blush: I feel kind of silly for making this post. They finished up last night with no biting. I just got scared for a while. There was a post about a male eating a female, a while back, and I just thought that it was possible. When they first got together yesterday, the whole thing made me nervous. He got under and started trying to mate like missionary style and their mouths were touching for a while, I was worried about her biting him. I was just put off by that until he righted himself, then he just wouldn't keep his mouth to himself. I just recently lost my only Chinese male to a well fed female and thought that my mantids might just get hungry at any time, and start chowing down. :lol: I get a little scared every time I let this couple mate, he is just so big and he almost never turns down a meal. He is unlike the other males that I have raised, and I guess he likes to kiss too. :lol:

 

[Schloaty]

Oy! Let'em get freaky if they fell like it!

Little kissing just sets the mood.... :lol:

 

[MantidLord]

:blush: I feel kind of silly for making this post. They finished up last night with no biting. I just got scared for a while. There was a post about a male eating a female, a while back, and I just thought that it was possible.

Think you're referring to my abusive Iris oratoria male. Who, by the way, cannibalized two adult males as well as the female before. But, I found a female and put them together, and he got what he deserved. Not sure if they mated, but I have a whole legion of males. Congratulations on the pair. I've never heard of the males eating the females (or anything of the sort) during mating, mine was just kind of a special case and mating wasn't on his mind at the time.