# Pyllocrania Paradoxa normal bahaviour?



## Slinkytreekreeper (Jan 10, 2011)

I have a pair of beautiful ghosts, one just molted to L3 and the other still L2. I didn't see the behavior before the molt as the L3 did it in the cup 2 mins after arriving.

The L2 nymph keeps scuttling about almost as if restless and occasionally pauses for a sway, I wasn't too stressed at first but it's been going on for 2 days and she has started falling off a few times in a row - just gets up and scuttles to the top and keeps landing on here head. Footing is shaky too, lots of repositioning before finally planting a foot.

They are both in small, round, clear containers. 7cm high x 8cm wide. Fine netting glued to a large hole in the lids, coco coir substrate and some wooden skewers to climb on. 22 deg C late evening, never goes below 20 or above 30.

The other one seems fine on the netting and stable on the plastic sides if he chooses so all I can think is that he may be coming for a molt as his bro/sis just had one. She is cleaning/nibbling at her feet and legs a lot but that looks normal like when the L3 does it, just more often.

I thought they were supposed to move less, they are both way faster than my Creobroter Gemmatus nymphs too.

Any help is really appreciated, I have had no experience with other mantises yet.

Thanks


----------



## sporeworld (Jan 10, 2011)

Very odd.

If possible, seperate them just to keep the healthy one form being disturbed (especially around molting time). Also, in case there's some biological component at work (not that I've ever heard of it before).

Do you have a lot of food in the container potentially disturbing him/her... (let's say "her")? Again, maybe isolating her without food for a day will let her settle down a bit.

Any other clues...? Can you send us a pic of her enclosure...?


----------



## Slinkytreekreeper (Jan 10, 2011)

Sporeworld said:


> Very odd.
> 
> If possible, seperate them just to keep the healthy one form being disturbed (especially around molting time). Also, in case there's some biological component at work (not that I've ever heard of it before).
> 
> ...


Hi Sporeworld, I did put in a couple of FF today after leaving her for a day without, but he/she does not seem interested at all, occasionally walking over them or right by them. I'll probably take em out if they are still there in the morning.

I'm trying to imagine what it would feel like if my skin was too tight for me and I couldn't see much as the skin lifted away from my eyes, I would probably run about and fall on my head too.

Presumably their sight degrades before a molt? I did get some close shots tonight of the older skins they climbed out of and the ghosts seem to leave behind a full eye covering whereas the Creo Gems seem to leave a hole in the middle of the eye, as though they could maybe see through the centre of their eye prior to a molting.

She's settled mostly with the odd scuttle but I imagine she would just tire herself out if I am unable to get her to take a chill. Tried blocking the sight of the other ghost but no luck.


----------



## Rick (Jan 11, 2011)

Welcome. Please also visit the introductions forum.

What you describe is not normal behavior. It will be hard to give you any real help from here.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Jan 11, 2011)

Yea something is wrong, r u misting them daily? Sometimes they get stressed with to many feeders around, but this does not seem to be the case, kinda makes me think that it has mites and maybe they are itching it. Don't know why I though that, just did.


----------



## Slinkytreekreeper (Jan 11, 2011)

Hi hibiscusmile, I have been misting them every 1-2 days about. If I wet the substrate lightly, it's totally dry within 2 hours, if I wet it so the coir at the bottom gets wet too, not just the top then it takes between 24 - 36 hours to dry out again roughly.

I started off with a good wetting as I thought she was possibly ready for a molt, then I just sprayed lightly the last couple of times.

Sorry Sporeworld, I missed your request for images of the enclosure, hopefully they are attached. I will post an intro, just need a few hours to grab better shots of my nymphs.

No molt as yet but she seems a lot calmer for a few mins this morning that I saw here and so far so chill after work.

She hasn't eaten an flies that were there nearly 24 hours, should I remove for now perhaps?

If she does it again, I will get some footage, i'm stunned she hasn't damaged any antennae or anything.


----------



## sporeworld (Jan 11, 2011)

Well, she isn't starving - she's nice and plump! My guess is she's getting ready to molt soon(ish) and the fruit flies were agitating her. If separated from everything and left alone, I suspect she'll calm down.

Keep us in the loop...


----------



## lion (Jan 12, 2011)

She might be looking for a cozzy spot. Young ones and stuff like Paradoxa must all like beign in protective cover.


----------



## Slinkytreekreeper (Jan 17, 2011)

Thanks for the input guys, I was a bit worried but she did not repeat the falling on her head episodes and became quite sedentary after a few days before finally molting to L3 about a week after.

Kinda surprising the immense change in size, almost twice the size of my L3 Gemmatus, plus they have both been chasing down their fruit flies. Everything I have read about them said they were low eaters and like to hang around till the food comes to them.

Does this mean I need to feed them a bit more or they are just hypo? :huh: 

I grabbed a shot of her climbing out of herself but it's through the plastic as she was stuck to the lid. After hundreds of crappy shots, I finally got a few pics of the others that I will eventually add to an intro, just need to crop and compress em. I'm slow but I'll get there, just bit off more than I could chew expecting nice shots of miniature L1 Gems right off the bat.


----------



## GreenOasis (Jan 22, 2011)

I had noticed when I got my first few Ghosts that they tend to wander around a lot until they're settled in. I would think it was just normal behavior (except the falling, which may just be due to poor footing on slick plastic). They definitely each have their own personality, so it doesn't surprise me that one would be mellow and the other hyper. Like mantis ADHD?  

I have one H. multispina that just LOVES to scare the [email protected] out of me by darting out from under the lid as SOON as I open it and running up my hand &amp; arm! I swear she just does it for laughs! :blink:


----------



## hibiscusmile (Jan 22, 2011)

Yea, remove food and just let her be.


----------

