# Yet another molting question.



## Lagawrd (Apr 22, 2008)

Yes, a another molting issue. I have no doubt that this quesiton has been asked, but here goes. My Shield Mantis just molted into adult; now has wings. The outer layer was laying on the floor, so I think it is safe to say there was no problem getting it off. However, I was not there and do not know how long the procedure took. The Shield mantis is now hanging on the side, he looks somewhat deshevelled; his wings are wrinkly and not very stable. The leg is somewhat bent and does not move much either. The mantis currently has trouble moving much, except for wiggling. Is this common after molting? Is it safe to mist while in this state if it is normal?

Thank you!


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## mrblue (Apr 22, 2008)

its best to leave them alone for a while after they moult, so no misting, it just does more harm than good. mantids are naturally quite vulnerable after moulting, but if the dodgy leg and dodgy wings persist after a couple of days then i guess it just had a bad moult, or may have fallen somehow after moulting/while drying. sometimes wings dont extend/fold properly, i think this may be due to low humidity though thats a complete guess.

so yeh, for now i would say just leave it be a day or two. if it stays like this then theres no much you can do.


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## OGIGA (Apr 23, 2008)

Sounds like something must have gone wrong during the final stages of the molt. Hard to guess what happened though. I usually find the exoskeleton hanging somewhere and not on the floor. Good luck with your mantis though.


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## Guest_Lagawrd_* (Apr 23, 2008)

Yea, I gree it is probably the humitidty. However, I think it is the other way around. I believe it is too much humidity, because the outer layer was already off. Too much himidity would probably elongate the period it needs to dry up, and then like you said, it might have fell, and probably crawled up to the side. This is assuming that it did have energy to climb up.

Thank you though, I will go as much as I can, would it be advisable to touch it at all?


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## mrblue (Apr 23, 2008)

just leave it be. regardless of what the problem may have been, there is nothing you can do now to fix or help it.


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## Lagawrd (Apr 23, 2008)

I can see that the mantis will not survive. However, I have reasons to believe it is due to genetics. I had another one of the same species, and never experienced any trouble like this.

Now, all i can do is put it down, or perform surgery. I am thinking of making amputations and replacing part of the leg with tooth picks. Tie the stick with rope to it's limbs... that would be interesting. Hehe, joking.

However, now people know what to expect when they see this.


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## MantidLord (Apr 23, 2008)

I doubt its genetics. Not all mantids (even same species) are the same. This happens quite frequently while breeding mantids, and unfortunately, it will probably continue. You should just put it out of its misery, and try again.


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