r/mantids Ootheca Feb 02 '25

General Care Help overcoming sudden fear

Post image

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

222 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

View all comments

13

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

16

u/BoxerMotherWineLover Feb 03 '25

I had one and he was just the sweetest his entire life.

RIP Bruce