# What's going on?



## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 22, 2007)

My sub-adult female texas unicorn is dying and I have no idea why. She was fine this morning and now she's almost dead. Has anyone seen this in thier colonies?

I noticed she always held one of her feet off the ground, that never happened before. Hopefully whatever is killing her won't get to my others.


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## Andrew (Oct 22, 2007)

Dying...how? Care to be a little more specific?


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## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 22, 2007)

Andrew said:


> Dying...how? Care to be a little more specific?


I don't know, i just came into my room and she was on the bottom of the cage with her legs somewhat crossed. I checked on her a hour ago and she was fine! She's still taking water but that's it.

I keep anything harmful away from them and I don't handle them that much. (once every other day, sometimes only once a week.)


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## Andrew (Oct 22, 2007)

Is it possible you startled her when you came into the room and she decided to play dead? Aside from that I don't see any reason for her to die.

For the record though, I give my unicorns a good mist every day and they seem to love it. It's a little difficult to believe she could be suffering from dehydration though. Doesn't this species come from a pretty arid region?


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## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 22, 2007)

Andrew said:


> Is it possible you startled her when you came into the room and she decided to play dead? Aside from that I don't see any reason for her to die. For the record though, I give my unicorns a good mist every day and they seem to love it. It's a little difficult to believe she could be suffering from dehydration though. Doesn't this species come from a pretty arid region?


They're pretty used to me. They live in the same room as I do. I don't think I starled her and she sorta looks dead to me.  

I spray thier cage about 4 times a day cause it's a wire screen and I have a light on them. But They've been in that cage for a month now, I can't see anything wrong with how I'm keeping them.

Hopefully there isn't a sickness going round. I've lost enough mantids already. :angry:


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## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 22, 2007)

I just noticed that the new unicorn I got is doing the same thing as my female was doing. I just moved him into a different cage to see what happens.


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## hibiscusmile (Oct 22, 2007)

Every now and then I find one doing that right before a molt, it's like they just fell and said I've fallen and can't get up :lol: :lol: . Opps sorry couldn't help myself. No really, I just gently pick them up and put them back on whaterver they hang from and hope for the best. You know it won't hurt to pick them up. Just put your hands in front of them slow like and they will climb on. When you are done with them or they tire of you, just put them back in their house slowly and they will be fine. You can't hurt them, they fare far worst out in the wild!


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## Rick (Oct 23, 2007)

It is very unlikely anybody here can help determine exactly why she is dying. It is my opinion they should only be handled on rare occasions. I have seen mantids that were handled often end up dying.


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## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 24, 2007)

I just picked up her body to throw out and it crumbled(It was all wet and gooy). Like it rotted from the inside out. I have never seen that in any of my dead mantids before. Could she have gotten some ttime of parasite of sickness that would have done that?


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## Rick (Oct 24, 2007)

Mantis_Whisper said:


> I just picked up her body to throw out and it crumbled(It was all wet and gooy). Like it rotted from the inside out. I have never seen that in any of my dead mantids before. Could she have gotten some ttime of parasite of sickness that would have done that?


Doubtful but you never know. I had an orchid mantis that died not long ago. One day she was fine and the next she was dead and black. She fell apart like yours when I removed her.


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## Andrew (Oct 24, 2007)

Not enough ventilation maybe?


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## Rick (Oct 24, 2007)

Andrew said:


> Not enough ventilation maybe?


I think that may of been the case with that orchid mantis but I am not convinced though.


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## Mantis_Whisper (Oct 25, 2007)

Andrew said:


> Not enough ventilation maybe?


I have my Unicorns in a all screen cage so vetilation is pretty good. I'm watching them to see if it happens a again. So far everybody is fine.


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