# Mantid problem!!! please help!



## mantidfromhell (Jul 16, 2011)

so i caught a greenish,pale Stagmomantis californica a week ago. it was doing good but then it sopped being active yesterday, it can barely hold on to the plants and screen inside of its terrarium and it wont catch any insects anymore. im thinking it might either:A) Moly or B) Die. please help me!! i believe it might be a L3 mantid.


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## mantidfromhell (Jul 16, 2011)

oops i meant molt instead of molly sorrry


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 16, 2011)

Mantids From heck said:


> so i caught a greenish,pale Stagmomantis californica a week ago. it was doing good but then it sopped being active yesterday, it can barely hold on to the plants and screen inside of its terrarium and it wont catch any insects anymore. im thinking it might either:A) Moly or B) Die. please help me!! i believe it might be a L3 mantid.


I think that you are right. Let us know which!


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## ismart (Jul 16, 2011)

Sounds like a molt. I would keep the humidity up during this time. Let us know what the out come maybe?


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 16, 2011)

Could be either, make sure it has enough to drink


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## crucis (Jul 16, 2011)

If it can't really hold on to anything in the terrarium, you could consider adding some medium it could grip.. paper towels or dry branches/sticks would be easiest i think.

All the best..!!


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## mantidfromhell (Jul 16, 2011)

thing is.. he looked healthy for the first few days, and well i really hope its a molt because i only have one shot at prayingmantises because i catch them. and they are hard to find over here


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## mantidfromhell (Jul 17, 2011)

nevermind all hope is lost one of its legs is broken


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## crucis (Jul 17, 2011)

Mantids From heck said:


> nevermind all hope is lost one of its legs is broken


Cheer up, all hope is _not_ lost...  

I wonder how it broke its leg, but that usually won't prove fatal to the moulting process. If it really is L3, there is a very good chance it'll be able to regain all of that limb's functionality before it reaches adulthood. A bleaker scenario would be if it loses the whole limb during moulting, but the mantis will live (and probably regenerate a miniature leg eventually).

Based on what I know, I think it is best to just assume it's about to moult. All you can do would be to provide it with a vertical/angled surface it can grip, mist the terrarium a little, and then leave it alone (don't let it notice you if you come by to check...)

If the problem isn't related to moulting, I'm afraid there might not be much you can do except continue (once in awhile) to see if it would accept any food. You can also make sure that the terrarium is well-ventilated and there isn't much stagnant moisture lying about (i think too much humidity is just as bad as too little)

I'm no expert, but this is what i'd do...


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## mantidfromhell (Jul 17, 2011)

i woke up this morning and he/she was dead


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 17, 2011)

Mantids From heck said:


> i woke up this morning and he/she was dead


Bummer! It seems almost certain that the mantis was already dying when you found it. Much more important is whether this disappointment will cause you to drop out of a hobby that you have apparently just joined. Do you plan on catching/buying more mantids? I have e a few exotic nymphs that grow into very pretty mantids, and i would be happy to let you have a couple just for the price of postage (about $7, Priority) if you are interested.


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## mantidfromhell (Jul 17, 2011)

PhilinYuma said:


> Bummer! It seems almost certain that the mantis was already dying when you found it. Much more important is whether this disappointment will cause you to drop out of a hobby that you have apparently just joined. Do you plan on catching/buying more mantids? I have e a few exotic nymphs that grow into very pretty mantids, and i would be happy to let you have a couple just for the price of postage (about $7, Priority) if you are interested.


i do plan on catching but what species of nymph are they?


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## PhilinYuma (Jul 17, 2011)

I have a cuppla Sybilla pretiosa, too few for a breeding colony or sale. They are at L4, unsexed, strong advocates of _Platforma Obywatelska, _and have a slight Polish accent. If you're interested, let me know.


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## Malti (Jul 17, 2011)

PhilinYuma said:


> I have a cuppla Sybilla pretiosa, too few for a breeding colony or sale. They are at L4, unsexed, strong advocates of _Platforma Obywatelska, _and have a slight Polish accent. If you're interested, let me know.


you're really a top guy :rockon:


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## ShieldMantid1997 (Aug 13, 2011)

> I have a cuppla Sybilla pretiosa, too few for a breeding colony or sale. They are at L4, unsexed, strong advocates of Platforma Obywatelska, and have a slight Polish accent. If you're interested, let me know.


Thats so kind of you to do for him,Sybilla pretiosa's are beautiful, those are known as cryptics right?


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## mantidsaresweet (Aug 13, 2011)

ShieldMantid1997 said:


> Thats so kind of you to do for him,Sybilla pretiosa's are beautiful, those are known as cryptics right?


Yes there common name is the cryptic mantis and that is very nice of you Phil  .


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## PhilinYuma (Aug 13, 2011)

ShieldMantid1997 said:


> Thats so kind of you to do for him,Sybilla pretiosa's are beautiful, those are known as cryptics right?


That's the one! A very graceful and civilized mantis.


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