# Need advise



## Tirfing88 (Jan 13, 2010)

Hello,

Recently i found a mantis and decided to keep it as a pet.

I fed it some common house flies but since 2 days ago it just remans in the same position standing on a leaf upside down. At first i thought the poor thing just died but upon looking very very carefully i can see its abdomen moving very faintly, and this morning i saw its mandibles move a little bit. Other than that it is quite idle.

Is it dying or molting or something? Was feeding it flies a bad idea?

Thanks for the help.


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## PhilinYuma (Jan 13, 2010)

Feeding it was a good idea!

Where do you live? Most of us don't find any mantids still alive outside in January!

If it is an adult, it is likely to be very old in mantis terms. Does it have wings? They mark it as an adult, females' wings do not extend to the end of the abdomen, males' usually extend beyond the tip of the abdomen.

My guess is that you gave a very old mantis a welcome last meal, but it would be very cool if I am wrong. At any rate, there is nothing that you can do but wait and see. If it does die, you didn't do anything wrong.

Can you provide a pic? Maybe one of us can identify it.


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## Tirfing88 (Jan 13, 2010)

Thanks for your reply.

Right now i don't have my camera so all that i have are these 2 blurry cellphone pictures, hope they help. It has a yellow spot on the second to last segment of its abdomen, maybe that can help you identify it.









I live very close to you Phillin, in the city of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. I've marked it wit ha red dot here:


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## Krissim Klaw (Jan 13, 2010)

Hasn't moved in as it is turning down food or as in it simply isn't wandering about the cage? Mantises are rather prone to hanging upside down in one spot for extremely long periods of time. That is how they catch their food after all. Could be he/she simply found a comfy spot and is relaxing. You can mist it with a bit of water from a spray bottle to see if it wants a drink.


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## Tirfing88 (Jan 13, 2010)

It hasn't moved at all, it stays in the same position, place, everything. Even its legs and arms are folded the same way. Doesn't look like he's searching for food thogh, tried placing a fly close to it but nothing.

It doesn't even to that "claw licking" thing it did when i found it.


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## Krissim Klaw (Jan 13, 2010)

Do you have any food in the cage to see if it will eat? From the pictures it looks to be an adult (if those are wings I see) so as PhilinYuma mentioned it could be toward the end of its life. mantises tend to sit with their claws folded up, this doesn't mean it hasn't paused to clean itself off, but unless your watching it all the time you might never know.


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## Rick (Jan 13, 2010)

It is an adult so it will never molt again. Sounds about normal. Mantids often don't move much.


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## Katnapper (Jan 13, 2010)

Krissim Klaw said:


> Hasn't moved in as it is turning down food or as in it simply isn't wandering about the cage? Mantises are rather prone to hanging upside down in one spot for extremely long periods of time. That is how they catch their food after all. Could be he/she simply found a comfy spot and is relaxing. You can mist it with a bit of water from a spray bottle to see if it wants a drink.


+1

Do give it a drink every day by misting, even if it doesn't appear to want to eat.


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## MantidLord (Jan 13, 2010)

I shall ID it as Iris oratoria. the range and yellow spot you speak of is key. It seems all of the ones in Nevada died out. Good find.

And it's a female.


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## Tirfing88 (Jan 13, 2010)

Thank you guys, but sadly i am sure it's dead right now.  

It's on the floor of the tank lying by its side, one eye is starting to darken, as if it was burnt with a flame, and it is starting to lose its green color, it's starting to become pale now.

Thanks again guys.


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## 3.1415926 (Jan 13, 2010)

That happened to me once


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## ABbuggin (Jan 13, 2010)

Its dead.

Sorry you couldn't have it for very long! Hope you find another soon.


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## Katnapper (Jan 13, 2010)

Sorry to hear. It is that time of year though, and to be expected sooner now rather than later, of wild caught mantids.


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## PhilinYuma (Jan 13, 2010)

Katnapper said:


> Sorry to hear. It is that time of year though, and to be expected sooner now rather than later, of wild caught mantids.


True. I hope that you consider buying at least one replacement, though. There are several mantis breeders from Mexico on this forum.


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