Is my orchid mantis having trouble molting? She's been molting for 1.5 days

My orchid mantis is about 6 months old now.  She stopped eating for the last week so I thought she might be at the end of her life (since her sibling passed away a few weeks without any apparent reaso n).  Then yesterday midday I saw that she was in the middle of a molt and I was overjoyed.  However, a day and a half later, it is in roughly the same position.  She is still alive, since I can see her wiggling every once in a while, but she does not seem to be making progress.

Furthermore, what appears to be molts of her wings are turning brown on the parts near her body.  This concerns me.

Is a molt this long normal?  I almost want to help her free her abdomen, since it looks like that would help her alot in getting free.  What do you all think?



This video is a time-lapse from yesterday's molting, for a couple hours.

View attachment VID_20191227_203002_2.mp4

Is she still moving/trying to get out? I'm sorry to say but she may have died...

It’s a mis-molt and a bad one at that. even if you loosened her out of the moult she is not going to be in good shape. Also it’s a final moult, so even with hand feeding and extra care that can be given she cant moult again to rectify the bad moult. Get more advice from other more experienced members first. Me personally I’d cull it.

Budwing said:

It’s a mis-molt and a bad one at that. even if you loosened her out of the moult she is not going to be in good shape. Also it’s a final moult, so even with hand feeding and extra care that can be given she cant moult again to rectify the bad moult. Get more advice from other more experienced members first. Me personally I’d cull it.

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Thanks for the advice.  Out of curiousity, how long should a last moult last?

About an hour I would think. I replied earlier but don't see it. She like budwings said will not make it. I agree with them. 

I'm sorry, but a molt should only take an hour at the most. Sorry for your loss, she looks like she was a beautiful mantis! If she is still alive, you should do her a kind thing and freeze her. She's not salvageable after that kind of mismolt. 

- MantisGirl13 

@MantisForMyKid Ouch! Everything they said! Orchids don't usually mismolt unless they're very dehydrated.

Sorry man! What have you been feeding recently? at what interval? how well was she drinking?

Chris

Thanks everyone for the advice and kind thoughts.  I suspect that the humidity in the enclosure was just too low. It's already dry in the house due to it being winter now, and she already hadn't been interested in eating for a few days, and just been hanging upside down.

I helped her out of her molt this morning, but she's seems pretty immobile.  Most likely I will put her down today. 

These were the first mantises we kept, and I certainly have to say they were a joy and a wonder.  We've learned alot from the experience (especially this mismoult), which I'm ready to take forward into our next mantises, which ever they may be. Thanks everyone!

I hate bad mismolts... poor girl. Freeze her is the most humane to do to end suffering..

Sorry for your loss....