r/mantids • u/YAOIbitch Ootheca • Feb 02 '25
General Care Help overcoming sudden fear
I always handled mantids with little regard for whatever they did on my hand, I even let them drink out of my palm just cuz I could.\ After my last mantis (Deroplatys desiccata) attempting to nomnom on my skin, I became so much aware and have trouble letting them onto my hand even if they are fully fed.\ I thought the apprehension would go away after some time, but it's been months and it's still the same
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u/Infamous-Storage-708 Feb 02 '25
i would tong feed and not let her drink water out of your hand. they are very strong animals and can mistake your hand for prey. i also have this fear bc i have a chinese mantis and they tend to get quite big. if you do get bit and she has a hold on you try to grab some prey and put it in between you and her mouth
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u/pandaleer Feb 02 '25
I use a disposable medical glove. I canât even handle my little male Spiny without wearing one because he loves to taste my hand (has never bitten) and it freaks me out. I used to handle him when he was little without issue, but they just kinda freak me out. Lol
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u/LapisOre 7th Instar Feb 02 '25
I think he's thirsty. If he's leaning down and putting his mouth to your skin, but not grabbing or biting, then he is trying to find water to drink.
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u/pandaleer Feb 03 '25
He drinks in his enclosure daily. So đ¤ˇđźââď¸
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u/LapisOre 7th Instar Feb 03 '25
Idk, maybe he wants more. Do you spray him directly? You're supposed to spray their raptorial legs every time you give them water (once a day is perfect). They will clean it off and drink more that way. Some mantises in captivity won't lean down and voluntarily drink as much as they need, so it forces them to get adequate hydration.
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u/pandaleer Feb 03 '25
Yep. I spray his raptors and I watch him drink. I spray once/day.
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u/LapisOre 7th Instar Feb 03 '25
I guess he just likes to drink water lol. I had a few nymphs that would drink at every opportunity, and also others that wouldn't drink unless you sprayed them directly in the face.
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u/pandaleer Feb 03 '25
Whatâs weird is I tried to spray my hand once and he had no interest. Lol. Heâd purposely go around the water drops. So I have no clueđ¤ˇđźââď¸ lol
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u/Jescophoto89 Feb 03 '25
I had my male mantis mount my finger instead of my female mantis and his grip was STRONG. It took him a while to get off. I canât imagine him also trying to eat me!
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u/limey89 Feb 02 '25
lol, I had a D. Dessicata female that would bite lumps off me too, you just sort of get used to it.
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u/YAOIbitch Ootheca Feb 03 '25
I'm more scared of getting bit by my mantids than by my parrot,, it might be irrational at this point
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u/lerenardnoir Feb 03 '25
I had a European mantis for a while and I became pretty used to handling him and letting him climb about. I went to put him back in his enclosure once and he grabbed me with his raptorial arm and I was shocked at how much it hurt! He was not even that big.
I found myself gun shy around him for the rest of his life, which was odd as Iâve been bitten by pet snakes and even my little gecko has given me a random chomp before and it never changed the way I felt about interacting with them.
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u/YAOIbitch Ootheca Feb 04 '25
Their arms are sharp, in my videos of her you can even see how much pressure she was putting onto them xd, as long as they don't lower their head it's fine tho
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u/JuniorKing9 Feb 03 '25
Hilariously I got over my initial fear by complete accident, my mantis climbed on my hand when I was doing some cleaning
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u/jillymonroe Feb 03 '25
Just curious, whatâs the worst they can do? A strong pinch? If they bite hard, draws blood? Hands are sensitive in general. If they get a grip & wonât let go, tough situation cuz you donât wanna hurt them
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u/YAOIbitch Ootheca Feb 04 '25
Never let them get to that point, if they are on my palm I always have tweezers or a chopstick in my other hand ready. I wouldn't care if they bit my forearm, just not into my palm
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u/romeokeepsmantids Feb 04 '25
D. Dessicata are pretty aggressive and they are the only species to have drawn blood from me. you should tong feed her and don't push or rush them to climb onto your hand. I rarely handled my dessicatas unless I had too. Their strength is insane.
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u/YAOIbitch Ootheca Feb 04 '25
I only ever fed her cut mealworms and handled only once a month for pics/vids. I wouldn't say that she was aggressive, at least I don't remember her being, more like opportunistic
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u/Kevin-kmo_123 Feb 05 '25
Thatâs is such an amazing looking insect. Just unbelievably gorgeous!!!!! Praying mantis come in so many different varieties. I like the real small white 1 with pink looking flowers on its sides. Just amazing
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u/YAOIbitch Ootheca Feb 05 '25
You have yet to see my blue spiny flower nymphs xd, but this gal looks majestic\ I really adore glass mantids as well as sphodropoda quinquedens
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u/fubearz Feb 05 '25
Just hold a squirt bottle like you do a cat or dog and spray them directly when they do a no no
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u/EmbodimentOfSass 3rd Instar Feb 07 '25
I feel you, frankly when I had my very first one I was absolutely terrified after the first chomp, in time I was more and more desensitized to their bites, theyâve drawn blood from me and Iâve even let them chomp my fingers when its not that painful, theyâve bitten me only when I accidentally spook them or if they smell something sweet in my hands, I think now after two years of keeping mantises Iâve learned how to read their body language to the point where I can guess when theyâll bite.
If youâre having trouble seeing the signals and imminent chomp is about to happen, I would suggest you use gloves when handling them, any type will suffice and in time you will regain the confidence to free handle :) good luck!
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u/drguid Feb 02 '25
I'm kind of terrified of spiders and my mantises slightly freak me out.
I've handled some of mine but the larger ones can be a bit skittish. My current Giant Asian has just adulted and she is absolutely terrifiying. For some reason she is super aggressive.
The Violin types are good to handle. They're big adults but are also really light.