# voilin mantis



## sjb123 (Sep 16, 2010)

ok so i have 5 voilin mantis 3 of witch live together. I feed them food each every 2 days. I read on alot of care sheets that they are comunal and can be kept together without any problems. i wake up one morning to find one walking around quite happily without a head?... ######

i know it will very soon be the end of the line for him but i will keep everyone updated to how he does anyway


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## LauraMG (Sep 16, 2010)

Suck! Maybe you should feed them more often. They are communal, but they aren't above cannibalism anyway! :lol:


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## kitkat39 (Sep 16, 2010)

lol... sorry to hear about that..The whole "communal" thing really only works when they've got their food and are satisfied enough to not wanna eat each other. I've had quite a few "communal" species eat each other even when there was plenty of food running around in the cage. If you want to be 100% sure that nothing is eaten you'll have to separate them.


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## Nepfreak (Sep 16, 2010)

maybe you can run a little tube through its stomach and feed it that way until it molts another head?


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## Rick (Sep 16, 2010)

I can say I have never had an issue with these living together. I am really surprised this happened. Did you find his head?


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 16, 2010)

Well, I also have 5 gongy's and I keep the 3 females in one cage an the 2 males in another,I have keep them all together with no problems I only have seperated them to make sure the females are ready (L7) before the males since the males won't live as long I didn't want them to mature way ahead of the girls.

I feed them every day 4-5 bb's each and they scarf them down, They are VERY big eaters that if deprived food can get grumpy and attack each other. sometimes the L7's will eat 6-7 flies a day.

I think you may want to feed yours more and make sure they have some space to get away if one is in pissy mood, mine do box and display threat once in a while but no grabbing happens.

I think 3-5 gongy's need something in the way of a 10 gallon or bigger size cage for a happy, Well fed group.

I've had mine about 3 months now (2-3 molts each) with only 1 death (had 6) do to a bad molt.

hope this helps you.


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## guapoalto049 (Sep 16, 2010)

It could have been one attacking the other while it was feeding. Sometimes when one catches a fly, other violins get interested and try to steal it! I've broken up a few situations like that, maybe yours just got extra greedy.


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## sjb123 (Sep 17, 2010)

thanks guys they are l4-5 and i feed them 5 flies between them and i dont think i would find a tube smaller than his prothorax!i dont think he will molt a new head anyway will he? sorry, i forgot to mention that the grabbers and some of his pro-thorax are gone not just the head and i think they have been consumed because there are no sighns of them.


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## ismart (Sep 17, 2010)

Nepfreak said:


> maybe you can run a little tube through its stomach and feed it that way until it molts another head?


OMG! That would be awesome! :lol: It does kinda make me wonder if that is even possible?


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 17, 2010)

I had a Chinese nymph that was headless for at least 24 hours before it actually grabbed a moth that was passing. The nymph held on to that moth for another day until they both died. :blink: That was interesting. I wonder how long their body would be animated for if they were artificially nourished.


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## Schloaty (Sep 17, 2010)

Ok, you guys are starting to sound like Dr. Frankenstein...

_That's Fronken-STEEN!!_

IT......COULD.......WORK!!!!

 :blink:


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## sjb123 (Sep 18, 2010)

ok who else thinks the probe thing mite work or has any other solutions? lol and where is a mantids stomach and how could i get the tube to it without him/her bleeding out from the hole i would have to make?


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 18, 2010)

Mantis Man said:


> ok who else thinks the probe thing mite work or has any other solutions? lol and where is a mantids stomach and how could i get the tube to it without him/her bleeding out from the hole i would have to make?


WHAT!!! you can't tell me he's still alive day's later??? :blink:


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## sjb123 (Sep 18, 2010)

angelofdeathzz said:


> WHAT!!! you can't tell me he's still alive day's later??? :blink:


lol still hanging on - hes a fighter! fifty five hours so far!


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 18, 2010)

you could try to dab some honey on the opening, but I doubt it will help?

P.S. feed the rest MORE flies at least 3 each a day...


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## Rick (Sep 18, 2010)

You might be able to run a small tube into the thorax where the head used to be. Under low pressure pump in some fly mash. I doubt it will work though, I think the head also contains nerve centers. Then of course infection is a concern too.


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## PeterF (Sep 18, 2010)

While insects do have brains, they also have a highly decentralized nervous systems, and most functions are managed by nerve clusters near the location of the activity.

My main concern would be "blood" loss and internal pressure.

There are definitely cases of head transplants and gland transplants onto decapitated insects. Although, total function isn't so good.


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## LauraMG (Sep 18, 2010)

Can I just say that I'm EXTREMELY fascinated with the turn this topic has taken?!


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## sjb123 (Sep 19, 2010)

thanks for the tips but i think its too late


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