# wife's subadult greenie ghost died :(



## cloud jaguar (May 29, 2009)

My wife had a really pretty subadult green female ghostie that she really liked and was looking frward to mating. Unfortunately when i was taking my kid to kung fu i noticed that she was a downer and seeemed supr weak. I gave her some water. She had not eaten for about five days and we figured she was about to molt but i guess not. When i came back from the kung fu her abdomen was bloated and she was not moving except a bit of panting. That sucks.


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## Katnapper (May 29, 2009)

Oh, Roland... I'm sorry the sub-adult girlie didn't make it.  That's too bad! I hope you are having good luck with your adult pair.


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## hibiscusmile (May 29, 2009)

So she died ? I guess I missed the ending.


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## kamakiri (May 29, 2009)

Sorry to hear that.  Always sucks when it's a sub-adult.


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## matt020593 (May 29, 2009)

She could have been about to molt but got stuck in her skin, I've had this happen with some of mine before. Some times it's obvious then theres times like this when they just kinda expand whilst still in their old skin. What were her wing buds like? If they were swolen then she probably did get stuck in her molt.


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## agent A (May 29, 2009)

She may have eaten something poisonous. Subadults are really hardy so it had to be something tough.


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## PhilinYuma (May 29, 2009)

agent A said:


> She may have eaten something poisonous. Subadults are really hardy so it had to be something tough.


Like a green caterpillar?  :lol: 

Sorry to hear that she died, though. It's particularly frustrating when they get to that stage.


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## Katnapper (May 30, 2009)

agent A said:


> She may have eaten something poisonous. Subadults are really hardy so it had to be something tough.


Why would you even suggest this as a possibility, agent A? Mantids in captivity are rarely subjected to poisonous food. There are so many other causes of death that are far more likely. And I would not classify all sub-adults as "really hardy." Sure, younger instar nymphs have a higher risk of death. But mantids at all stages of life incur risk regularly... even sub-adults. Unless you have constructive imput based on previous experience, it's better not to mislead other inexperienced keepers with unlikely conjecture.


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## agent A (May 30, 2009)

Well then, katnapper. Sure, critique what I say. I just think (because tomorrow I will begin my 4th year of rearing mantids) that subadults are hardy. In all my years no subadult of mine has died. Maybe the ghost was exposed to an indoor pesticide ir a very strongcleaning spray. Maybe there was a harsh cleaning chemical or something. If I knew exactly what happened involving this mantis leading up to her death, then we might know what happened. We only know like her final hour or something like that. Maybe a food insect bit her and she got an infection.


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## PhilinYuma (May 30, 2009)

agent A said:


> Well then, katnapper. Sure, critique what I say. I just think (because tomorrow I will begin my 4th year of rearing mantids) that subadults are hardy. In all my years no subadult of mine has died. Maybe the ghost was exposed to an indoor pesticide ir a very strongcleaning spray. Maybe there was a harsh cleaning chemical or something. If I knew exactly what happened involving this mantis leading up to her death, then we might know what happened. We only know like her final hour or something like that. Maybe a food insect bit her and she got an infection.


Congrtatulations on keeping mantids for four years, Agent A (BTW, is there an Agent B?  ) and never losing a sub adult. Sometimes a member will post his concerns about an ailing mantis or mantids, and some of us will sympathize and try to guess the reason in order to provide a remedy, often to no avail. Here, though, the mantis is dead, so speculation on its COD does not seem productive. It seems extraordinarily unlikely that Arkanis and his wife would expose their mantis to harmful chemicals, though.


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## agent A (May 30, 2009)

True, unless it was an accident. I think it may have been an infection caused by something she ate.


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## cloud jaguar (May 30, 2009)

Well, she had not eaten anything for a while. She was overdue to molt and avoided trapped blue bottle flies and young crickets. I did not feed her crane flies on account of I suspect those may have chemicals or something in their bodies that are not good for mantids since I have had some problems in the past.

She had been doing the shimmy dance for a couple of days which to me usually signals an imminent molt. Her abdomen seemed to bloat up a bit. After we thought her dead she was still alive the next day, albeit not moving except for panting of her abdomen.


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## agent A (May 30, 2009)

Maybe it was a respitory infection.


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## superfreak (Jun 1, 2009)

LOL


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## superfreak (Jun 1, 2009)

oh, and im sorry for your loss


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## Katnapper (Jun 1, 2009)

agent A.... I'd like to apologise if I sounded harsh at critiquing your suggestions. I just think it's better not to speculate and name specific causes like "poison" or infections when we really don't know the reason for the death.


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## agent A (Jun 2, 2009)

Yeah your right. But there is something fishy about the mantis's death


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