# Can Lieutenant Dan Survive with 1.5 legs?



## Dartania (May 15, 2013)

Hi all, I"m back to the wonderful world of mantids after a 6 year break to do the mom thing. I got my first mantis, a beautiful lil' L2 ghost , which I've had and bred back in the day, so I am familiar with. He molted immediately and somehow lost two back legs, and half of one front leg!! (hence the name Lieutenant Dan)

I am now trembling in fear for his next molt since they always use their back legs to hold on to the molting branch. He has NO BACK LEGS!! I'm scared he will fall during molting- and it will be much worse. I read the thread about the tape, but as of now he only has the one good leg. I think it would come off if i taped it.

He is eating just fine and seems alert and healthy otherwise.

Any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone before and what was the outcome? Will he get new sea legs?!

Please help!!


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## OctoberRainne (May 15, 2013)

In order for new parts to grow it will need to be able to hang and molt properly which I'm not sure it will be able to with so few legs :\ That is the down fall to bad molts,even if you are able to feed him and retack him somehow I don't think it would be enough sadly,just too much in need of fixing it sounds like


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## jrh3 (May 15, 2013)

who did you buy him from cause they shouldnt send a nymph if it was about to molt. maybe ask for a replacement. on the other part olny time will tell. good luck.


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## hibiscusmile (May 15, 2013)

maybe they did not know it was gonna molt! hey, I tried this method and it may work, I find the tape does not hold them, Look for a nice spider web and use it to hold his good leg in when he is about to molt, hopefully it will hold him.


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## Paradoxica (May 15, 2013)

I've never tried this but I recall Rebecca recommending this technique for a mantis that falls mid- molt: Take a small amount of spiderweb and use it to hang the mantis in the appropriate position to molt. I realize your circumstance is different but it seems to me that it would work.


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## Paradoxica (May 15, 2013)

Well just as I post that, we get it straight from the source!


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## agent A (May 15, 2013)

Youd be surprised at what they can survive

Its possible...


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## Krissim Klaw (May 15, 2013)

jrh3 said:


> who did you buy him from cause they shouldnt send a nymph if it was about to molt. maybe ask for a replacement. on the other part olny time will tell. good luck.


I imagine that wouldn't be hard to do if you were only ordering one nymph but most people get more than one and it isn't like all nymphs agree to shed at the same time. This is why in my opinion, most of the good breeders tend to ship out extras with the order to allow for the potential mishaps that can occur along the way. A well packaged container can also do wonders. Little nymphs are pretty light and they tend to shed well even in transit as long as they are packaged well.

As for the chances of survival, like Agent A I am not quick to write them off. Feed the little one. supply lots of texture and angled surfaces for the nymph to cling to and he might very well surprise us all.


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## Dartania (May 15, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies! I am going to try the spider web idea- genius who ever thought of it. Yeah, I should've gone with someone I trusted from back when, but I didn't, so yes, I only got one. I guess that makes this lil guy that much more special!

i will post the result of what happens. :shifty:


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## thalassarche (May 15, 2013)

Good luck to Lt. Dan! Hopefully the spiderweb method will work!

And I have to say regarding mantises molting in-transit, the lovely green ghost in my icon--Greta--surprised the heck out of me when I opened her container to find she'd molted in the mail. She came from Rebecca with express shipping, and the shipping container had a little ring of foam on the top that gave her a good enough hold to molt perfectly. (And just molted perfectly again, she is such a lovely green!)

But I have also lost a nymph that started to molt soon after I opened the package, and it mismolted. :/ I definitely understand that it can be hard to keep track of which nymphs are due to molt. Sometimes a bad molt just happens. I hope your ghost can pull through!


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## dgerndt (May 17, 2013)

I've had many a mantis survive some bad molts, so don't give up hope! Just make sure you give the little guy that extra love and care.


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## Dartania (May 17, 2013)

LD is female- I counted the segments today.

It also looks as is her two missing leg 'buds' have gotten longer- Maybe by the next molt will bring them back?!


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## Coneja (May 18, 2013)

Best of luck with her! Sounds like it's going to be a challenging molt and I am hoping for the best for you and LD!


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## Paradoxica (May 18, 2013)

Dartania said:


> LD is female- I counted the segments today.
> 
> It also looks as is her two missing leg 'buds' have gotten longer- Maybe by the next molt will bring them back?!


 My last ghost mantis that was missing a leg grew back a little nub of a leg after 1 molt, and by the following molt she had the full leg again.


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## dgerndt (May 23, 2013)

Paradoxica said:


> My last ghost mantis that was missing a leg grew back a little nub of a leg after 1 molt, and by the following molt she had the full leg again.


Yeah, they are just little baby legs!! So cute!


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## PragmaticHominid (May 25, 2013)

Has she molted yet? Did she make it through?


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## Dartania (May 31, 2013)

OMG, I think she is molting today! Her skin is looking lighter in color and she has been still since yesterday night. ( Still alive though). Thank god it's my day off and I am ready to catch her with my spider web if needed....I will post an update!


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## psyconiko (May 31, 2013)

Sorry for your mantis.Let us know when it is dead.


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## Sticky (Jun 1, 2013)

Nikkko, She said her mantis is still alive. I bet she will make it. They are amazing little beings.


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## Dartania (Jun 2, 2013)

OMg!! I was watching her all day, she was in molting position. I was misting and checking her every few hours. Just now I looked and noticed she was still in the same position, but hanging on to the branch with TWO NEW LEGS!! She molted- I didn't even see it happen, and grew back her two new sea legs!! Unbelievable!! Oddly enough- the one half leg she had stayed the same. The missing legs grew back completely new! Nature is f*cking amazing!!!


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## BugLover (Jun 2, 2013)

Yay! Glad she made it through ok


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## Paradoxica (Jun 2, 2013)

Awesome!


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## dgerndt (Jun 2, 2013)

Congrats!!  another mantis success!


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## agent A (Jun 2, 2013)

I knew it! she would be fine! yay!!


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## sally (Jun 2, 2013)

Yay! Great job on saving her!


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## thalassarche (Jun 3, 2013)

Awesome!!!


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## Sticky (Jun 8, 2013)

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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