# Texas Unicorn Issue



## Rick (Mar 3, 2008)

Have a few of these and they're about L4 or so. So far most of them have had a molting issue. The molt goes fine except the two back legs get stuck in the old skin about halfway. I have never seen something like this happen over and over again with any mantids. Only these. Anyone else have this issue with this species?


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## jplelito (Mar 3, 2008)

Rick,

Just a few of mine as they were growing up did that, and all of those were male.

I've got several adult males and females (one male with a bum leg as well from a mismolt) but it seems to me to be best for them, to up-end two of the tallest insect cups together to make a foot-tall tower (line the two individual cups with window screen too). Keep them fairly humid in there and if they ever hang out in the bottom keep pushing them up in the top. if they molt up there they'll more than likely be fine. At least that's worked for me - I use this same method for any of the big, leggy species: _Tenodera_, _Heirodula_, etc. (although to be fair it failed miserably with _Pseudempusa_)

It seems like a lot of work for the smaller Texas Unicorn instars but it makes a big difference to them - they don't seem to molt right on the cloth insect cup lid material even when they're little.

I hope that helps!

~Jon


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## Rick (Mar 4, 2008)

All of these are molting from the lid and have plenty of room. It's strange.


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## Kruszakus (Mar 4, 2008)

Maybe a bit of insight? Some imput regarding how you keep them would be of use, and I would be glad to help.


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 4, 2008)

I have had it happen also, to both male and female. The last female molted with one bum leg. Yen do they need extra moisture? :mellow:


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## Kruszakus (Mar 4, 2008)

Tell me how do you keep them - I've had no Texicorns stuck in the old carapace and I mist them once in a week - barely.


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## Rick (Mar 4, 2008)

Kruszakus said:


> Tell me how do you keep them - I've had no Texicorns stuck in the old carapace and I mist them once in a week - barely.


Their conditions are likely not the cause. I don't really need any help I just thought I would ask if this was happening to anyone else. But they're kept in 32 oz deli cups with a bit of slightly moist spahgnum moss at the bottom.


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## Andrew (Mar 4, 2008)

I think I have only had two mismolts with this species. My last male when molting to subadult, and one adult female who had a messed up leg and ruffly wings. I raised them in a large screen cage until subsub/subadult.


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## Sparky (Mar 4, 2008)

Mine molted well in low humidity. I usually gave them alot of water to drink manually before a molt. Almost all insect/arachnids molt by secreting fluid right underneath the old skin. Most of that liquid is made up of water.


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## yen_saw (Mar 4, 2008)

My breeding stock from oothecae did well from L1 to L7 under warm temp. and moderate humidity, 85-90F/60% and mist them with water only once every 3-5 days. No casualty from mismolting. The problem then started on the last molt, from the first 4 adults, i have 2 with messed up wings on last molt. So i increased the misting (thus humidity) and the rest molted out alright (keeping the same temperaure). I keep it the same way on the first generation and there are only few mismolting issues especially on the last molt. As i am not breeding this anymore i am letting all my 2nd generation go, so far some had reach L4 without molting issues. This is based on my own experience. (Assumming all the existing Texas unicorn mantis among us is originally from my breeding stock)

Note: this species is originally from Brownsville, Texas which receives lot of rain during Summer months, and the town is also close to GOM so higher humidity is expected.


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## Kruszakus (Mar 5, 2008)

Interesting point, maybe I'll increase the ferquency of misting a bit too.

By the way - I used pantyhose as a screen, but the young nymphs somehow preffered to molt from branches. From L4 upwards they started molting from the screen - no issues at all.


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## Orin (Mar 5, 2008)

The spagnum moss in the bottom may be your problem. Long-term high humidity without airflow causes mantids to lose more internal moisture through respiration which can cause them to dehydrate rapidly with minor drops in the humidity. Sprayed water should dry up within a short period and it increases hydration (they can drink it) without causing an unsafe humidity.


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## Mantida (Mar 5, 2008)

Orin said:


> The spagnum moss in the bottom may be your problem. Long-term high humidity without airflow causes mantids to lose more internal moisture through respiration which can cause them to dehydrate rapidly with minor drops in the humidity. Sprayed water should dry up within a short period and it increases hydration (they can drink it) without causing an unsafe humidity.


Wow Orin, I never knew that.

That explains why my mantids always molt fine.  The water I spray dries up in about 15-30 minutes.


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## Kruszakus (Mar 5, 2008)

That's even more shocking, than even I had originally surmised!


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## joossa (Mar 5, 2008)

Orin said:


> The spagnum moss in the bottom may be your problem. Long-term high humidity without airflow causes mantids to lose more internal moisture through respiration which can cause them to dehydrate rapidly with minor drops in the humidity. Sprayed water should dry up within a short period and it increases hydration (they can drink it) without causing an unsafe humidity.







I am not understanding how an individual can loose internal moisture due to respiration. By definition respiration in an animal (animal cells) creates water as a product. So, losing water (moisture) via respiration doesn't make sense.


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## Kruszakus (Mar 5, 2008)

Well, come to think of it - a guy that I know was keeping his T. sinensis in a tank with poor ventilation and at a high humidity - nymphs were doing well until it was molting time - 3/4 of them mismolted, most of them beyond rescue. I don't mist my Texicorns too often, once in a week maybe - no mismolts.

Joossa - em... we all lose water due to respiration.


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## joossa (Mar 5, 2008)

Kruszakus said:


> Joossa - em... we all lose water due to respiration.


Not at the cellular level. Water is a product of cellular respiration.

At the cellular level:



> All insects are aerobic organisms -- they must obtain oxygen (O2) from their environment in order to survive. They use the same metabolic reactions as other animals (glycolysis, Kreb's cycle, and the electron transport system) to convert nutrients (e.g. sugars) into the chemical bond energy of ATP. During the final step of this process, oxygen atoms react with hydrogen ions *to produce water*, releasing energy that is captured in a phosphate bond of ATP.


Breathing:



> The absence of taenidia in certain parts of the tracheal system allows the formation of collapsible air sacs, balloon-like structures that may store a reserve of air. In dry terrestrial environments, this temporary air supply *allows an insect to conserve water by closing its spiracles during periods of high evaporative stress.*


When humidity drops, spiracles close and conserve water. So, how does dehyradtion occur when spiracles are closed?


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## Kruszakus (Mar 5, 2008)

_"When humidity drops, spiracles close and conserve water."_

So, would that mean that if the humidity is higher, spiracles are open and it may cause the loss of water?

Sorry - I'm majoring in English, I'm not a good biologist


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## Orin (Mar 5, 2008)

joossa said:


> Not at the cellular level. Water is a product of cellular respiration.At the cellular level:
> 
> Breathing:
> 
> When humidity drops, spiracles close and conserve water. So, how does dehyradtion occur when spiracles are closed?


On your first point try an internet search for "water loss and respiration", there's a libary of online research about invertebrate respirartory water loss. (I'm assuming your cellular respiration 'confusion' is not just an attempt at being silly).

On your second point, mantids adapt to their environment which is what causes the problem, not an excuse against it. If you really think that the animals' adaptations to changes in humidity and moisture are even close to perfect then 0-100% humidity would make no difference in captivity (nor would any other husbandry parameter affect them since their ability to adapt to changes is by your standards apparently absolute).


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## Rick (Mar 5, 2008)

Orin said:


> The spagnum moss in the bottom may be your problem. Long-term high humidity without airflow causes mantids to lose more internal moisture through respiration which can cause them to dehydrate rapidly with minor drops in the humidity. Sprayed water should dry up within a short period and it increases hydration (they can drink it) without causing an unsafe humidity.


I have used this method with every mantis I have ever kept. Not saying it doesn't happen but I think if that caused issues it would have been apparent by now. I have a mismolt every now and then like everybody however these are just different in the way that they tend to get stuck at the middle of the back legs. Out of six nymphs three have molted with this issue.


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## Orin (Mar 6, 2008)

Rick said:


> I have used this method with every mantis I have ever kept. Not saying it doesn't happen but I think if that caused issues it would have been apparent by now. I have a mismolt every now and then like everybody however these are just different in the way that they tend to get stuck at the middle of the back legs. Out of six nymphs three have molted with this issue.


I've reared quite a few in 32oz. containers with no substrate and haven't had bad molts.


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## Peter Clausen (Mar 6, 2008)

I use paper towel almost exclusively for mantises of all sizes. I have problems when I use screens made from plastic. The fibrous texture of paper towels seems best. I usually use a piece that covers one side and then the bottom (sort of an L shape). This makes cleaning really easy too. Old towel out, new towel in! Consequently, most of my mantids molt on the side of the container. I occasionally experience mismolts, but I usually attribute them to humidity issues (hard to watch every mantis, ever day). The L shape also helps them to have textured surfaces both below and above their chosen molting point. I also try to pinch the upper lip of the paper towel between the container and its lid.

Not the best way, necessarily, but it works for my mantises. I do think humidity levels are different in every home and even perhaps during different parts of the day. We can give 30 days of attention to our mantids and then neglect them one day and suddenly they're in the middle of a mismolt!

Peter


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## Precious (Mar 10, 2008)

I get what you're saying Rick. It's more like a condition of heredity than environment. I had a batch of Chinese and out of six, three got stuck in their exoskeleton and exploded. Now, that happens once in a while but not HALF of the time! But that's the way it happened, no change in environmental conditions or diet. That particular batch had the squiggle leg moult thing too. I don't know what the deal was with them, but I know it was something and it wasn't anything I was or was not doing.


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## Kruszakus (Mar 26, 2008)

I think that this really might be about humidity being too low - today one of my females mismoulted, her wings did not form well. I think I will increase humidity a bit, besides, they love to drink directly from the droplet, so I will be misting the enclosures once every 2-4 days.

But so far it ain't bad - two females and one male moulted with no problems in dry conditions - the rest should follow up soon.


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## MantidLord (Mar 26, 2008)

Precious said:


> I get what you're saying Rick. It's more like a condition of heredity than environment. I had a batch of Chinese and out of six, three got stuck in their exoskeleton and exploded. Now, that happens once in a while but not HALF of the time! But that's the way it happened, no change in environmental conditions or diet. That particular batch had the squiggle leg moult thing too. I don't know what the deal was with them, but I know it was something and it wasn't anything I was or was not doing.


 :blink: ...exploded!!! WOW :lol: So subtrates aren't nececary, but they are useful?


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