# mantis ready to die?



## sevenoaks (Sep 8, 2010)

my mantis was hatched in march and she has since been doing well. her abdomon was always puffed up . she has been hanging out on the bottom of her cage lately (usually on top or upside down on roof) she hasnt eatten in many days. i noticed she layed a small ooth but it was only the size of a pea (not fertile as she is alone). i spray her daily. do you think this is the end of her life? what can i do to make her comfortable at this point. her belly is still puffed up


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## Findarato (Sep 8, 2010)

would she eat if you feed her by hand? Mine wasn't eating for some days as well, and she seems quite lazy. sometimes I have to nudge her a bit, or feed her (using tongs to wave the food in from of her eyes)so she grabs it. Mine hatched in February, and is a Hierodula, what species is yours?

It might not be a good sign if your mantis sits around on the bottom. But as my mantis is the first I ever had, I really have too little experience to give you more advice. I'm sure someone here has a better idea.


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## LauraMG (Sep 8, 2010)

If she is really large and puffy she may be getting ready to lay the rest of an ootheca. She probably still has some time left, so I would just keep doing what you're doing because it sounds like you're doing great!


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## sevenoaks (Sep 8, 2010)

Laura G said:


> If she is really large and puffy she may be getting ready to lay the rest of an ootheca. She probably still has some time left, so I would just keep doing what you're doing because it sounds like you're doing great!


thanks, she is a Chinese species, and her belly has been puffy for a very long time. i did feed her alot during the first couple of months, but then i laid back a bit because she looked super fat and she never laid an ooth until a couple of days ago and it was only small one. i waved the cricket in front of her with tongs and she didnt take it, she used to.


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## LauraMG (Sep 8, 2010)

sevenoaks said:


> thanks, she is a Chinese species, and her belly has been puffy for a very long time. i did feed her alot during the first couple of months, but then i laid back a bit because she looked super fat and she never laid an ooth until a couple of days ago and it was only small one. i waved the cricket in front of her with tongs and she didnt take it, she used to.


Yea, maybe ready to lay more, maybe just not hungry! :lol:


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## sevenoaks (Sep 9, 2010)

she has died. i hope it wasnt because i left her out on a cool night (60's)or that i didnt feed her enough( a cricket or bug every couple of days0 i buried her next to her mom. and that ends the story of my mantis keeping my friends. thanks for all you patience with me.


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## Rick (Sep 9, 2010)

Like I told you over on the other board her time was simply up. Six months is a respectable life span for that species.


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## sevenoaks (Sep 9, 2010)

thanks Rick...


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## Rick (Sep 9, 2010)

sevenoaks said:


> thanks Rick...


What better way to move on but to get another one!


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## LauraMG (Sep 9, 2010)

Rick said:


> What better way to move on but to get another one!


Spoken like a true mantid fanatic! I AGREE! :lol:


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## Mars1962 (Sep 18, 2010)

I looked at this thread because *Rock died*, and i wonder if she was just old. May 10 - Sept 18 is only 4 months though.

She just laid that crazy ooth, but acted like she needed to lay more. She was still "pumping" up and down last night. Last meal was Tuesday, a decent sized grasshopper. I gave her 2 flies on Thursday but they died before she got to them. Friday my last cricket was dead in ITS cage so I had nothing to give her till today. I was cleaning her cage and putting a couple just-bought crickets in there when i realized she was only hanging on by one leg : (.

God I feel awful if she literally just couldn't go one more day without food... First it sounded like i was feeding her too much. But it's hard to imagine it was old age for a Chinese female to die at 4 months and one week.

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