# Bacterial infection?



## jandl2204

*recently i have had 5 mantids suffer from what i believe is a bacterial infection which affect either one or both eyes. The pigment does not change however. *

The mantids are at various stages of development ranging from L5 to adult and come from varied species including pw's and h grandis. They appear to develop a small black colouring under the eye which quickly dvelops into a creater (a large black creater) and it seems to affect the sight of the mantis.

What is the cause, how do i prevent it?

I have moved all infected cultures into a different room however 2 more (taking the total toll to 5) have become infected.

Any ideas :?: :idea: :?: :idea:

Lee


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## ibanez_freak

Hey,

Man, I'm really not sure, my adult male H.Membrencea has this too. Didn't think any thing of it though. But Doesn't ever notice the femle while trying to breed it, I wonder if this is the problem.

Hmmmmm.

Cheers, Cameron.


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## Rick

Is it just black spots or actual holes in the eyes? The black spots are common and generally do not affect the mantis.


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## ibanez_freak

Ah,

I just got big black spots on the front of my males eyes. It can't still see prey but thought it might cause it not to see the female somehow.

Ah well, doesn't matter.

Cheers, Camerron.


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## Samzo

em, ive seen it in loads of mantis they havn't died or anything because of it. I think i read somewhere that its when they fall and hit their eyes but i dunno


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## Joe

my grandis and asian mantis doesnt have it, i guess the black spots are caused by bad molts, malnutrition( being fed one species of bug almost all the time), usually feeding crickets can cause this growth, i feed my grandis and asian mantids roaches, moths and craneflies and they have became healthy giants. usually if they molt and that pigment is thin, they bleed from the eye, i've experienced this from a african mantis wich was put on a bad diet and had these spots but as i gave it healthier food and they started to disappear, their spots are like scabs and can come off during a molt if thin. heres a pic of an healthy asian mantis and one that i bought from another guy with eye spots.


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## Rick

Nobody knows what causes it. I see it on wild mantids too.


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## jandl2204

*in terms of diet it could not be more varied, the containers could not be in better condition, it seems unlikely that it would be soething so simple.*

O well


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## Johnald Chaffinch

one of my blepharopsis mendica's eyes had gone black a day or so ago and then now i've just found that it's puked all over itself and even managed to poo on itself. i think black stuff is round the back of it's neck too. very strange. i can only imagine it's got somthing to do with the crickets i've been feeding it ( i've also been giving them fruit flies ).

anyone got any theories as to what could have caused this?

should i change anything?

on a brighter note another one of the three i have has just reached aduthood, my first adult!


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## Rick

All my mantids eat crickets for the majority of their diet. I only rarely get some with the eye spots. Some of the ones I find outside have them too. So that rules the diet theory out.


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## Johnald Chaffinch

does what i said sound like what other people have had, the mystery illness?


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## Christian

Hi.

Usually this is a necrose caused by rubing the face (i.e. the eyes) against the cage wall. This is due to wrong climatic conditions, too small cages and/or distraction from another neighbor cage (food). Wild caught mantids have it because of small transport containers for weeks.

A single large black eye is an infection, though, and will cause the death of the insect.

Regards,

Christian


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## Johnald Chaffinch

i see how that could happen. didnt happen like that for mine though, seemed very healthy and then within about two days it had black eyes, and puked black smelly stuff.

i'm really quite thorough about keeping their containers clean and they have large netting over the top. i keep them in a vivarium at very specific temperatures. i dont spray the mantids directly, just the enclosures sides about once a week (these like dry conditions after all).

i reckon it had something to do with a cricket it ate that was about the same size as the mantis. perhaps the cricket had a bacterial infection which spread to the mantis?..

it all happened very quickly.


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## Rick

> Hi.Usually this is a necrose caused by rubing the face (i.e. the eyes) against the cage wall. This is due to wrong climatic conditions, too small cages and/or distraction from another neighbor cage (food). Wild caught mantids have it because of small transport containers for weeks.
> 
> A single large black eye is an infection, though, and will cause the death of the insect.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Christian


I would have to disagree with ya this time. I have had mantids with the eye spots and they never rubbed their faces against the cage. The wild caught mantids I speak of are mantids I find in my backyard complete with the same eye spots, not mantids wild caught and then transported somewhere. So once again we are back to square one on this one.


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## Christian

:lol:


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## jrpx

I have heard that H. Grandis some times get a "unknown" disease.. their eyes get a kinda dark dot, and it gets bigger... Finally it makes them blind...

Out of an H. Grandis ooth i think about 10 developed this disease and then died..

Just my story  

/Jonas


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## JoshTopp

If 10 out of the same Ooth had it, could it possibly be genetic, maybe its not something that anyone is doing wrong, Its a hereditary thing that cant be stopped, like heart disease.. Just a thought.


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