# More problems with hierodula patellifera



## Rick (Jun 5, 2005)

Had one die last week and now another one has a strange problem. He is turning very darkly colored and has dark feces on his abdomen that look like tar. I suspect he wil die as well. :?


----------



## yen_saw (Jun 5, 2005)

I'm afraid when my Hierodula Patellifera die they have liquid thick dark feces too and their body turn dark in color as well. Apparently I fed them some sick insect which may have been infected by fungus. Hope your Hierodula Patellifera can survive.


----------



## Rick (Jun 5, 2005)

I don't think he will make it Yen. The other two seem ok. For some reason this species just isn't doing well.


----------



## Ian (Jun 6, 2005)

rick, I had exactly the same problem. When mine got to around L6, they slowly starte dying off, at which point, I stopped selling them. Within a week, I had lost around 20 of them, I was like 

Cheers,

Ian


----------



## yen_saw (Jun 6, 2005)

Oh bummer Ian  I lost all of them too


----------



## Ian (Jun 6, 2005)

yeah Yen, it must have been a weak strain or sometyhing, I am not sure....oh well, we can have lots of Joe's diabolica when they hatch  

Cheers,

Ian


----------



## Rick (Jun 6, 2005)

The mantis did die.


----------



## Macano (Jun 6, 2005)

Wierd, all 5 of mine that I got from Yen are still thriving and jumpy as ever. Maybe I can keep the bloodline alive lol.


----------



## francisco (Jun 7, 2005)

Hello guys,

I also had some died, but I still have about 8-10 of them so, hopefully we can continue rearing them.

Joe did you ever get the Idolomantis?

thanks

Foc T


----------



## Leah (Jun 7, 2005)

There are a few things you can do to reduce deaths when the mantids are sick, as described:

Remove them to a CLEAN, sanitized, large container with NOTHING in it but a couple sanitized sticks. Mist several times a day and do not offer any food for a week, if there is improvement you can try feeding a wild moth, or grasshopper, etc. DO not feed what was being fed before when they got sick, as the food is often the cause of sickness. ALthough bacterial infections can manifest themselves this way as well.


----------



## Rick (Jun 7, 2005)

All my mantids eat from the same food source so in this particular case I don't think the food was the culprit.


----------



## dino (Jun 23, 2005)

> Had one die last week and now another one has a strange problem. He is turning very darkly colored and has dark feces on his abdomen that look like tar. I suspect he wil die as well. :?


Had the same thing happen to one of my Chinese mantids


----------



## Rick (Jun 23, 2005)

All of this species I had did die. They were kept the same as my others. So I am stumped.


----------

