# Lost her mate...



## sk8erkho (Feb 18, 2008)

I have these three Giant Asians. Two of them have been molting around about the same times since I got em. Last Wednesday the female molted successfully to L-5. Her mate (which I called him since he was just right for her) normally molts the same day or no later than the following day. Well, he had been in the molt position on his branch from that Wednesday until Sunday and each day we would check on him he would seem like he was trying to molt but for some odd reason he just couldn't get it right. Finally, Sunday evening I watched him twitch and turn and sway from side to side trying to break the skin. You could clearly see the new body tearing though the bottom end of the mantis. I left him to do some stuff only to return to find him on the floor of his tank still trying to burst the skin. When I finally got him up and tried to put him back on the branch he seemed so absolutely weak, he kept falling off. Now I am in panic mode and ran to the computer to try to find help at the forum. I then transferred him to a 32oz. cup hoping the screen on the lid would be a better surface for him to grip to no avail. I tried everything I could to try to get him to hook on to anything, a twig, leaves, course material, etc. Finally, he grew so weak and just started drying out he was truly trapped in the skin and I felt so helpless. He had molted successfully 4 times prior in the same environment without incident. Even in the misted tank, it just seemed he waited too long to complete the molt. We kept looking at him day after day saying , Why is he not breaking the skin. Then when he finally began the molting process I imagine he was far too weak to hold on, lost his footing and the rest was a done deal. He died in the skin. I was even tempted to take a razor carefully to him but did not want to accidently slice him to death. Maybe I should have I just did not know what else to do for him. I felt so bad I had to freeze him he seemed to be struggling in vain once he could not hold on anymore and slowly began to move less and less but I could still see his eyes following me. Once again, I said to my nephews how unfortunate it is that you mantid can be just fine today and a bad molt can claim him tomorrow. really kind of sad how vulnerable they are in that state it's just left to chance, it seems.

RIP, Rusty (named because when we got him he was a rust colour unlike the others)

Jinx (my boys and their names!!!) has one other male mantid around but he is only L3. He is like half her size and barely has wing packets yet. Will he be able to mate with her when he molts to full grown, I'm just wondering about the time line. How far ahead of the male is too far ahead or is there such a thing?


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