# Chinese Mantis Hanging Head & More



## Katattack (Oct 25, 2014)

Zorak the Mantis has not been eating. He loves flies, but it's too cold for flies now &amp; he hates crickets. We tried hornworms, but he doesn't care about them. He went over to the one I put in his terrarium yesterday &amp; I thought he might eat it, but he just hovered over it and eventually walked away.

This morning he was on the bottom of his tank kind of draped over a low branch. I thought he was dead. I took him out &amp; after holding him for a bit he kind of pushed himself back up. He's super slow and generally off.

The other big thing is that he's hanging his head. He won't or can't lift it. He's not rotating his head to look around.

I hand fed him a drop of water which he seemed to be into, but then I think he puked it back up. A water bubble came out of his mouth and then dropped.

He's sitting up, but I don't think his legs look quite right position wise. He isn't trying to move. Just the occasional sway or twitch.

I attached a picture to show his head position.

I have read that males may eat less or not at all as an adult, but maybe I just need to hear other's thoughts &amp; opinions.


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## Sticky (Oct 25, 2014)

It sounds like he's dieing. You can freeze him or squash him to help end his suffering. I hate saying that but it is a part of having them.


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## dmina (Oct 25, 2014)

Sorry to hear that... I am not much help.. mine have not gotten to that size yet... I read your intro and know you have been watching these guys all summer. Did you save a female so maybe you could hatch an ooth? this winter?

They do have a short life span.. You could start a new hobby Pinning mantids, I know you have a good story to go along with them.

No results found for 'spiny flower mantis'.


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## Digger (Oct 25, 2014)

Kat,

I raise a lot of T. sinensis. This boy is at the end of his life cycle. Call a priest, rabbi or minister. Don't let him suffer. Put him in the freezer and he will be in the land of Honey and Crickets in short order.


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## LAME (Oct 25, 2014)

I'm also in agreement with Sticky and my friend Digger... Sorry for your loss =/


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## Katattack (Oct 25, 2014)

Zorak is resting in peace now. I went with the freezer route earlier. He's still in there for now because I want to make sure it's all the way.

I knew this was going to be the outcome when I typed my initial post. I just had a little hope left in me, but now it is done

All I have left is my female, Wildling, which is so strange after starting the summer with sooo many nymphs.



dmina said:


> Sorry to hear that... I am not much help.. mine have not gotten to that size yet... I read your intro and know you have been watching these guys all summer. Did you save a female so maybe you could hatch an ooth? this winter?


I mated Bob with Wildling. She is very plump. I am now awaiting signs she is about to lay her ootheca.

Hopefully she is not egg bound. I didn't know about that until I read through the health issues here. Yikes!

She seems happy though. Just did a mini photoshoot with her last night.


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## Digger (Oct 25, 2014)

Sorry about Zorak.  

Egg bound problems are less frequent than you might gather from the stories. Keep her misted every couple of days and feed her once a day or once every other day while she's gravid (I do once every other day).


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## Katattack (Oct 26, 2014)

Digger said:


> Egg bound problems are less frequent than you might gather from the stories. Keep her misted every couple of days and feed her once a day or once every other day while she's gravid (I do once every other day).


Great news! Wildling is currently laying her ooth.

Now here's to hoping Bob got those puppies fertilized!

The picture isn't the best, but my phone was the nearest thing to me.


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## Crazy4mantis (Oct 26, 2014)

nice, hope it hatches


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## Katattack (Oct 28, 2014)

Crazy4mantis said:


> nice, hope it hatches


Meeee, too!


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## Katattack (Jan 16, 2015)

Random update:

Wildling passed on in December.

She laid 3 more ooths before the end.

The first Ooth was the only one fertilized (hopefully fertilized).


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## MantidBro (Jan 16, 2015)

Katattack said:


> Random update:
> 
> Wildling passed on in December.
> 
> ...


Females are fertile for life after mating just once. They hold the males sperm in a sperm sac for up to about 10 oothecae. So all three are most likely fertile.

Sorry about your losses....

Btw, males do eat as adults. He may just have been picky.


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