# White frass or vomit?



## meaganelise9 (Dec 8, 2011)

I've been noticing spatters of what looks like a dried white liquid the past couple days on a couple of my mantids walls. I don't know if that's normal or vomit or indigestion or them being bothered by the humidity level or what. Thoughts?


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## patrickfraser (Dec 8, 2011)

I've read somewhere that some mantids "squirt" liquid sometimes. I don't recall what or why, though.


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 8, 2011)

It may be more humid in here than usual. Hopefully you're right and it's just some excess water/moisture..


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## gripen (Dec 8, 2011)

they will throw-up when over fed.


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 8, 2011)

True. I'll chill on the food for a bit, just in case.


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## mantisboy (Dec 8, 2011)

I can't speak about other species but my Euros expel water fluid from time to time. I always attributed it to juicy crickets after being gut loaded with lettuce.


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## crucis (Dec 8, 2011)

yes, i notice they expel excess liquid quite regularly (especially adult females, i dunno why??).. They always seem to do this with an upward / sideways flick of the abdomen, so the result is often a linear accumulation of semi-opaque dots on the tank / container wall.

I would be worried if those dots are as opaque as chalk - like the uric acid cast in lizard / bird excrement - or if the amount is really excessive and pooled together...


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## hibiscusmile (Dec 8, 2011)

Long as they dont spit on me, its ok


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## Psychobunny (Dec 9, 2011)

I think it has to do with excess moisture injested from food and drinking.

Their digestive system is very simple, sort of a straight tube open at both ends.

The food is taken down into the lower gut where the moisture is reabsorbed and

the waste is expelled as dry pellets (AKA: frass)

They do this to conserve water in the wild.

Once they have too much moisture, they expel some through the annus.

I have seen little drops of the liquid on their rear ends before  

If you feed them gut loaded cricks, you will see it all over the place (my cricks eat

very well before they die!!


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## lancaster1313 (Dec 9, 2011)

I have had a few mantids that squirt, especially females. I like to keep their abdomens aimed away from myself when I handle them.  They can squirt whatever it is, a couple of feet away from themselves but I have never seen any of the fluid stay on the mantids' abdomens.

I have seen the fluid dry very quickly. Once, within a couple of minutes it dried on my skin while I was still busy putting the offender away and getting another out. :huh:


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## agent A (Dec 10, 2011)

I notice those whit blobs on the wall of my popa cage, but more of it in the fly cage, I usually place many flies in her cage at once, so im thinking it's from bottleflies, there's a ton of it in the fly cage, I have to get a pic


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## meaganelise9 (Dec 10, 2011)

I've never had it with flies.


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## Zelthan (Dec 17, 2011)

Hi I have seen white liquid, red and black before, white is the only "healthy" liquid they can expel may be an excess of water in crickets like other guys said before.

Cheers Dave


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## Krissim Klaw (Dec 17, 2011)

I also notice the occasional white dried up droplet here or there in the cage. The girls seem more prone to it than the boys and I notice it seems to occur more with my older girls than my younger ones. Since it doesn't smell and I've never noticed any negative side effects with the mantises I've always figured it was a natural excrement.


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