# crippled baby



## hibiscusmile (Dec 16, 2008)

Heres a pic of my baby that is crippled and has to be hand fed. The first day I discovered it could not eat, was about a week ago. I had seen it a couple times and never really paid much attention to it. Then I noticed it's little hands were outstretched and could not catch food. So I took it out of the container and put it in a cup by itself and gave it a drink, then I caught a bb fly and offered it to him. He grabbed it with his mouth and without hands kept it in its mouth until it was All Gone.! So now we had a system going. The next day I seen it was still alive (it was weak the day before, probably from starving :huh: ) so I hot glued a tree (small branch) to a cup and put him on it, after awhile I put him on his feeding lid and he ate, he was taking a long time to eat today so I went in search of my own substance while I waited for him to finish, he was about 3 or 4" away from his tree when I left, when I came back into the Bugatorium, he was on his tree hanging out! I thought how cute! He knows where his little house is! Now mind you, he had to manuever with just his back legs and climb up and over the cup to get there. Isn't that funny? Who would think he knew where his house was, with everything sitting on the counter, he went there.


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## Katnapper (Dec 16, 2008)

Awwww.... :wub: What species is he, Rebecca? That's nice that you take the time and effort, with all of the mantids to have to care for, to give him special attention and tend to his needs.


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## shorty (Dec 17, 2008)

That's too bad his arms are crippled. I accidentally crippled one of my H. membranacea rear legs last night while feeding. He dropped his food and tended to his leg for hours. Finally got him to eat today. Is that an H. membranacea? That looks exactly like the ones you sent me.


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## Morpheus uk (Dec 17, 2008)

_Pnigomantis sp_?


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## shorty (Dec 17, 2008)

Morpheus uk said:


> _Pnigomantis sp_?


If that is the case I may have received the wrong species. I don't think it is though. After looking at several pics it doesn't really look like a Pnigomantis sp nymph.


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## Morpheus uk (Dec 17, 2008)

If you ignore the shield it kinda looks like a female of mine, proportion wise and all, we`ll see what it is soon ^_^


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 17, 2008)

It's a budwing or Dead leaf, I forget which. When I go to feed this morning, (is it morning already)? I will compare it to the others to see.


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## Morpheus uk (Dec 17, 2008)

100% not a dead leaf, im not too sure about it being a bud wing either


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## Rob Byatt (Dec 17, 2008)

What's with all these wild guesses ? It's just a _Sphodromantis_ psp.D


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## Morpheus uk (Dec 17, 2008)

Well i `ant kept Sphodromantis before  

Although looking at the shield now it is the same shape as my sisters african mantis :huh:


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 17, 2008)

Yeppers, that's what I come up with too! It took 2 1/2 hours to figure it out  ... now if I could only capture Rob Byatt!


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## Dinora (Dec 17, 2008)

Will his hands grow back?


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## The_Asa (Dec 17, 2008)

lol, looks just like the African mantis you sent me Rebecca!


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 17, 2008)

I say they won't, but others here say they may and some say they will, I will personally be surprised if he makes it thru his next molt.


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 17, 2008)

I was kinda hoping someone would say something about his going back to his tree, like yea, I've seen this before, anyone?


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## shorty (Dec 18, 2008)

That's amazing he made it back to his tree with out being able to use his forelegs. I wouldn't expect them to be able to do this.


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 19, 2008)

I was just surprised that it went there, when there was so much else he could of climbed on, it just went back to its house.


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## shorty (Dec 20, 2008)

Dinora, great avatar! Did you make that yourself?


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## Dinora (Dec 20, 2008)

Why thank you!

and no, I did not. &lt;_&lt; 

I did a search on Google's images, found one I liked and cropped it into a square.


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## shorty (Dec 21, 2008)

shorty said:


> If that is the case I may have received the wrong species.


I did some research and it appears that I did get the wrong species. When I actually looked into it, it became quite obvious that I have Sphodromantis lineola nymphs. I ordered H. membranacea and didn't really know what to expect. I just assumed that's what they were. After viewing different photos of people's giant asian nymphs, I just started to doubt that's what I had. It's ironic, actually, as I was originally thinking about ordering S. lineola, but decided to go with H. membranacea at the last minute.


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## kamakiri (Dec 22, 2008)

hibiscusmile said:


> I was kinda hoping someone would say something about his going back to his tree, like yea, I've seen this before, anyone?


Well, it's not that unusual behavior compared to one mantis I observed in the 'wild'. Returned to the same rose bush through several instars.


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## sk8erkho (Dec 23, 2008)

Awwwwhh!! Poor little dude. I had one like that a while back also which I had to hand feed until his next molt. I felt so bad because I was right there when he was struggling to get the skin off of his arms. he was chewing away and pulling and all. then I just took the tweezers and a needle and worked the skin off along with him but it was too late. His arms were useless for a while. I thought he was going to have a hard time during the next moult but he did very well!!! "Well done!!" I said to him!!!  

But, as for your little guy finding his way back to his little pad, That's awesome!!!! I have never seen that happen I must say. The most I have seen is a runt of a Chinese little dude we called "Chewie" ( when he was L3 I had a meeting here at the house and when my people arrived I had him out to clean his tank and decided to let him hang out on my hand during the meeting. while he sat he just kept chewing on the skin on my hand &lt;_&lt; ) Anyway when I would let him out for feeding or just to get out he would wander off in minutes and I would always find him in the same exact place... 4ft across my living room under the stand which houses my desktop right up in the corner under the table where the table leg connects to the top!! Everytime he'd wander he'd go there!


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 23, 2008)

Awesome, *sk8erkho, I know outside they tend to go back to where they were, but inside is incredible, I only say that because they did not make their own way there, we put them where they are going to be. I lost a mystery mantis (now) the other day, and I put his cup back where it last was hoping now to see if it returns!*


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 30, 2008)

Well he molted, one are looks good the other is worse, I fed him today and he is still eating good, I have a tiny orchid with same problem, but it is eating good to.


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