# Well, My Mantis is dieing.



## cybereyes (Sep 3, 2009)

He hasn't eaten in a couple of days, and I assumed he was getting ready to molt again, because I've only seen him do it once and he behaved pretty much the same way. Every so often I have been going in to check and see if he has started yet, but he is always just hanging there. Then I went in there a couple hours later and he is laying at the bottom of the enclosure on his side. I took him out and he is still alive, but he is obviously not going to make it. I can't figure out what happened, he was doing so good before this, and then he just stopped eating and is now on the verge of death. The only thing I can think of is the fact that he turned brown from his original green when I found him, and has stayed that way. So I'm not sure if he had a disease or what. I figured that he turned brown right before he molted, but even after he did he was still brown. I doubt there is anything that can be done at this point, but if anyone has any suggestions or an idea of what happened, please let me know.


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## Rick (Sep 3, 2009)

They often change colors after a molt so that is not an indicator of why he died. Sometimes it happens to all of us.


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## cybereyes (Sep 3, 2009)

Rick said:


> They often change colors after a molt so that is not an indicator of why he died. Sometimes it happens to all of us.


Well, at least I know that much now. That has been bugging me for a while. I'm really bummed that he died, he was doing so well. I just don't get it.


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## cybereyes (Sep 3, 2009)

well I just checked him and he is actually still alive, but he is just laying there. Its like his back legs dont work. He crawled up my shirt, but doesn't hang there for long. He acts like he is paralyzed in his lower legs.


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## ismart (Sep 3, 2009)

cybereyes said:


> well I just checked him and he is actually still alive, but he is just laying there. Its like his back legs dont work. He crawled up my shirt, but doesn't hang there for long. He acts like he is paralyzed in his lower legs.


That does sound rather odd. You did not by chance close a lid on him or anything? Is his upper half moving about as normal?


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## charleyandbecky (Sep 3, 2009)

He might make it with special care. I have one that was quite "dead" at the bottom of the enclosure that I ended up babying through a couple of molts from injured legs. Now he's an adult and just fine.

And don't worry about the color change. I had a bright, bright green one that molted once into a dusty brown and the second time into a striped gray. I can never seem to keep a green mantis!

Don't give up on your little guy yet...he may turn out okay.


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## -MK- (Sep 4, 2009)

I'm not sure which species you have, but many of my Chinese have changed from green to brown. Of the three that died nearing adulthood, two were brown and one was green. The brown sub-adults I have now seem to be doing great.

I had one who was on the verge of death and could barely move, but would still gobble up the honey I fed him like he really wanted to live. Good luck with your little guy! They do sometimes make a comeback.


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## cybereyes (Sep 4, 2009)

-MK- said:


> I'm not sure which species you have, but many of my Chinese have changed from green to brown. Of the three that died nearing adulthood, two were brown and one was green. The brown sub-adults I have now seem to be doing great.I had one who was on the verge of death and could barely move, but would still gobble up the honey I fed him like he really wanted to live. Good luck with your little guy! They do sometimes make a comeback.


Well unfortunately he didn't make it. I wish there was something more that I could have done. I dreamed about it all last night and had a dream that I woke up and he had finally just molted and was doing fine. He had come out of his molt bright green and with wings and kept flying around. Then I actually did wake up and he was gone.  Rest in peace little guy.


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## agent A (Sep 4, 2009)

-MK- said:


> They do sometimes make a comeback.


like Mr. Nervous, who then died of starvation cause my dad wouldn't bring me to get ff's :angry:


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## spicey (Sep 4, 2009)

cybereyes said:


> Well unfortunately he didn't make it. I wish there was something more that I could have done. I dreamed about it all last night and had a dream that I woke up and he had finally just molted and was doing fine. He had come out of his molt bright green and with wings and kept flying around. Then I actually did wake up and he was gone.  Rest in peace little guy.


Sorry he didn't make it. And maybe your dream was showing you what was happening in Mantis Heaven, where there are no mismolts.


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## Emile.Wilson (Sep 5, 2009)

agent A said:


> like Mr. Nervous, who then died of starvation cause my dad wouldn't bring me to get ff's :angry:


You can only blame yourself, you could not find anything outside?

Maybe you should take more care with feeders and create new cultures of fruit flies frequently, instead of blaming your father.


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## -MK- (Sep 5, 2009)

cybereyes said:


> Rest in peace little guy.


Sorry to hear the news. As I'm sure you've heard others say here, sometimes they just die and we don't know why.


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## smittys (Sep 5, 2009)

My little guy died too. He seemed to be stuck mid molt and seemed to be paralyzed too. He would eat like crazy but that was it. I tried for several days but he showed no improvement. Put him in the freezer last night so he could die a quiet and hopefully painless death. Poor little guy. I hope our two little guys are flying together up in Manti Heaven.


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