# Fall during molt



## Predatorhousepet (Mar 15, 2018)

One of my L5 orchids fell (about 7 inches) while molting just now. She landed upside down but out of her old exoskeleton while still soft. I carefully set her right side up and propped her up with a Q-tip. She's still alive and her body doesnt appear to be injured or deformed aside from her abdomen being a bit wrinkly but she's extremely weak. Is there a chance she could survive this or should I euthanize her? Decisions like this are hard, I'd just like another opinion.


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## Velve (Mar 15, 2018)

If there are no visible deformations then give her some time. It can easily take an hour or more until the body is hardened enough for it to move.


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## Predatorhousepet (Mar 15, 2018)

Thanks, it's been 3 hours since she fell and she's still alive. She isn't as soft now as she first was but still extremely lethargic. I tried to arrange her as straight as possible so that she would harden without extra complications. Her abdomen looks like it's going to stay wrinkly (if she survives) since she wasnt able to dry with gravity's assistance to pull it straight. I did get her to sip the tiniest amount of real maple syrup (she prefers it over honey) but she gave up on it pretty quickly as she doesn't have the energy to hold her head up for more than a second.


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## River Dane (Mar 15, 2018)

I would suggest leaving her be. Time will tell. She might be exhausted from the whole thing. I had the same thing happen to a Deroplatys desiccata, and he seemed pretty tired after it all, but recovered. Just let her relax and rest on her own, and try not to disturb or handle her.


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## Predatorhousepet (Mar 15, 2018)

Thanks. I looked at her abdomen very closely and it appears she has a pretty big section of exuvia she didn't shed still stuck to it and that is why it appears wrinkled. I'm guessing this was probably a major cause  of why she fell in the first place. I'm going to wait on doing anything about it, right now she's too weak and it may not even be an issue.

In the meantime, my other female orchid (L6) started to molt and she seems to be progressing pretty well, no issues.


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## Mantis Lady (Mar 16, 2018)

Hope your mantis will find the strength to get ok again.


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## Predatorhousepet (Mar 16, 2018)

Thanks for the well wishes but I don't think she's going to make it, she's been slowly deteriorating through the night. I keep thinking she's already dead but then I'll see her move one or both of her raptoral claws every so often. The excess exoskeleton stuck on her abdomen is turning mushy and dark brown and oozing a clear liquid at the edges when it was dry earlier. I'm debating whether or not I should try to clean or remove the mushy parts....however, by this point I'm not sure anything I do is going to help her and I don't want to hurt her unnecessarily.


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## Predatorhousepet (Mar 16, 2018)

I did try gently cleaning off some of the brown mushy stuff but after getting a look at her abdomen underneath it appeared to be ulcerated. Because of that and the fact that she's only gotten progressively worse over the last 24 hours I made the hard decision to euthanize her. No sense in allowing her to to continue in her damaged state when there's no hope of recovery. I do feel better that I gave her a chance but she was already too far gone by the time I found her, she had mismolted and that is what caused her to fall. I know that there's really nothing that I could have done for her but it still sucks, this is the first time I've ever lost one to a mismolt.


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## Mantis Lady (Mar 16, 2018)

Sad to hear she didn't make it  you have done all you could.


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## bio25 (Mar 17, 2018)

Oh, i really sorry  At least you tried it!


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## Ocelotbren (Mar 17, 2018)

Sorry for your loss, that is tough.


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