# Honey Treatment



## Ellithain (Sep 17, 2018)

One of my Heirodula girls Leia has been leaving brown streaks all down her cage the last two days. I think she is throwing up. No idea what caused it as she is eating the same blue bottle flies as everyone else. Perhaps bacteria. Anyways, today I created a very light honey and water mixture, saturated a qtip with it and let her drink and this was the result! Its interesting to watch even if I'm worried for her   Hopefully she pulls out of whatever it is. Anyone have any other tips for this?

View attachment 41850454_315950099171085_3675885830871711744_n.mp4


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 17, 2018)

Hmm, is she looking healthy otherwise @Ellithain? What instar is she? I would suggest more honey than water in a honey-water mixture.

- MantisGirl13


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## Ellithain (Sep 17, 2018)

She is L4. Her sister that was from the same ootheca molted to L5 on the 12th and is easily triple Leia's size. I wonder if there is something wrong with her. As for the honey tip  I will do that next time then! I had heard too much honey could cause her to crash so I was really cautious.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 17, 2018)

@Ellithain I have never heard that honey will make a mantis crash, but I know that nymphs don't like concentrated honey because it sticks to their mandibles, and that is why we water it down for nymphs. Leia may molt soon, but that should be no reason for throwing up like this.

- MantisGirl13


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## Ellithain (Sep 17, 2018)

Yeah, the only other thing I could think of is the stress from all the cleaning I had to do weeks ago to get rid of the grain mites I had. I had cleaned each mantis cup with hot water 4 or 5 days in a row which meant handling them more than I would under usual circumstances. If that was the case, I would have thought that it would show itself then and not several weeks later..


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 18, 2018)

No, it probably has nothing to do with that. Keep offering honey and small prey items, and keep me updated!

- MantisGirl13


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 18, 2018)

Using a cotton swap to let a mantis drink. That is a better idea then a tootpic/straw. She drinks good from it?

Ttry an other feeder than than a blubottle fly? I had a mantis was was vomiting too, He got crickets like the others. I gave honey/water and it stopped. I gave a cricket again and the litle guy vomited again. Gave him honey/water again and vomiting stopped. I changed feeder for him (part grasshopper that the adults got) and vomiting was over. I never gave him a cricket again.


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## Ellithain (Sep 18, 2018)

Little Mantis said:


> Using a cotton swap to let a mantis drink. That is a better idea then a tootpic/straw. She drinks good from it?
> 
> Ttry an other feeder than than a blubottle fly? I had a mantis was was vomiting too, He got crickets like the others. I gave honey/water and it stopped. I gave a cricket again and the litle guy vomited again. Gave him honey/water again and vomiting stopped. I changed feeder for him (part grasshopper that the adults got) and vomiting was over. I never gave him a cricket again.


I had heard that crickets can cause this during my research online about it but I’ve never fed any of my mantises crickets. I’ll move her back to the smaller Fruit flies I have thank goodness she still bothers with them unlike her sibling.


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## Ellithain (Sep 18, 2018)

Oh and sorry to double post but yeah I was happy to see how well she drank from the q-tip. I have watched many (probably too many) antscanada YouTube videos and I know they use cotton balls for ants to drink so I thought I’d give it shot! Worked well! I was a tiny bit worried she’d try to eat the q-tip but nope! Thank god lol


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 18, 2018)

if she still eat those give her that. and see if she still vomits.

Yeah, that is why i bought baby grasshoppers because crickets can give problems. my nymphs started to ignore ff after their last molt and my pet store don't sell fly pupea.


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## Ellithain (Sep 18, 2018)

Little Mantis said:


> if she still eat those give her that. and see if she still vomits.
> 
> Yeah, that is why i bought baby grasshoppers because crickets can give problems. my nymphs started to ignore ff after their last molt and my pet store don't sell fly pupea.


Hey whatever works for you! I have had good luck with josh’s frogs fly spikes just take a few out of the fridge a few days early and let them emerge from the spikes as flies. All of my mantids very clearly prefer them over the small dubias or cut up mealworms I’ve offered before. Especially my dead leaf nymphs which I’ve had trouble enticing to eat in the past. Just perhaps not working with Leia.. I’m not sure. As a new mantis keeper, I’ve found this inbetween size before they can take on adult dubias but don’t like FFs to be a little more challenging and a kind of trial and error.


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## Ellithain (Sep 18, 2018)

No throw up today! Yay! I fed her two small fruit flies (not trying to over stuff her) and we’ll see tomorrow if it stays the same.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 18, 2018)

Yay!!!!!!!!!I am glad she is getting better, and I will pray that she stays healthy!

- MantisGirl13


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Sep 19, 2018)

I pray there is continued improvement health wise!!


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 19, 2018)

I will pray for your mantis too. Hopefully she won't throw up and getting better.


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## Ellithain (Sep 19, 2018)

There is still no throwing up of her food today and she’s been not moving from the underside of her leaf so I’m thinking molt today or tomorrow!


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Sep 19, 2018)

Thats great! Keep us updates please.


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 19, 2018)

Yup we want to know if your mantis healthy.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 20, 2018)

Yes, please update! How is she now?

- MantisGirl13


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## Ellithain (Sep 21, 2018)

Good news! She’s still free of anymore vomiting and she’s molted! Hopefully in the clear now.


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Sep 21, 2018)

Yay! Wish I could say the same for mine.. He's in the freezer now.


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## Ellithain (Sep 21, 2018)

Aw I’m so sorry


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 21, 2018)

Ellithain said:


> Good news! She’s still free of anymore vomiting and she’s molted! Hopefully in the clear now.


Good! I am happy for you! Can you show us some pics?



Prayingmantisqueen said:


> Yay! Wish I could say the same for mine.. He's in the freezer now.


I am so sorry. We will miss Itsy!

- MantisGirl13


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 21, 2018)

Prayingmantisqueen said:


> Yay! Wish I could say the same for mine.. He's in the freezer now.


Sorry for your loss


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## Ellithain (Sep 27, 2018)

Okay weird thing, after she molted she’s started it up again. Only small amounts and not nearly as dark as before but she’s throwing up again ? she seems otherwise fine.. i don’t get it.


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 27, 2018)

Start the honey treatment again. Then she can get some energy. What did she eat the last time?


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## Ellithain (Sep 27, 2018)

I am still giving her around 7-8 hydei whenever her abdomen starts looking too flat. I haven’t gone back to the blue bottles since they were what she was eating when this all started.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 27, 2018)

I agree, start the honey treatment again. Can you try feeding her Dubias instead of flies?

- MantisGirl13


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## Ellithain (Sep 28, 2018)

I can try to find a small enough dubia. I think I still have a few nymphs... in the meantime I’ll start the honey.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 28, 2018)

Ok. I hope she gets better!

- MantisGirl13


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 28, 2018)

I hope she gets better too.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 28, 2018)

How is she now, @Ellithain?

- MantisGirl13


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## Ellithain (Sep 28, 2018)

Shes still doing it and now its looking reddish. No longer a dark brown. Honestly I have no idea because she's otherwise still acting fine! Maybe its not what I thought it was? I'm unsure.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 28, 2018)

Hmm... I see what you mean. I am clueless here, sorry!

- MantisGir13


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## Ellithain (Sep 28, 2018)

Ultimately shes quarantined from my others and I wash my hands in between her and them in case she has something. If she never passes then great! weird but great! If she does then I've tried everything I can think of.


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 28, 2018)

That is good. If she doesn't really seem affected, then she may not be sick. I have really no clue what this could be!

- MantisGirl13


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## Ellithain (Oct 4, 2018)

Leia passed away today..  it’s my first ever mantis death but I had been preparing for this outcome for a while. I still don’t know what this was but she fought it for so long and at least I know I truely tried my best to save her.


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## Graceface (Oct 5, 2018)

So sorry for your loss. You did all you could for her! Even if you know it may be coming, losing a friend is never easy. My condolences


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## MantisGirl13 (Oct 5, 2018)

Oh, no! You fought very hard for her, I am so sorry that you couldn't save her.   

- MantisGirl13


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