# Walking strangely



## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

I hate it when this happens, I just wish I knew what caused it.

My evil European mantid has begun limping, although all his legs are intact. His legs kinda' cross over each other. Anyone have any ideas as to why?


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## Kriss (Jun 26, 2007)

Was it caused by a previous molt? The legs may look intact but they could be slightly twisted in the last shed.

Is it an old mantid? Maybe its just getting unsteady with age.


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## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

It's not an old mantid, not even adult. It just shedded, and is still limping. It was limping before the previous shed also.


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## Butterfly (Jun 26, 2007)

I have a mantis I called tripod because she lost a leg. It came back with the last 2 sheds and has gotten longer with each one so far, it's not quite the same length and she walks kinda funny but I figure as long as she can eat Ill keep her away from the freezer..


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## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

I don't know about this one. He's stumbling constantly and falling on his face.


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## Birdfly (Jun 29, 2007)

Not being funny Asa but i think there might be a little bit more wrong with it than just a tangled/short or dodgy leg, It is obviously impossible to guess its problem but i suspect that it might be a general weakness often associated with an infection or the like.

Funnily enough i was speaking to a good mantid friend about some thing similar only yesterday, he has only ever been able to save "sickly" mantids with a MANUKE/MANUKA honey (this is the best or purest honey) i suspect the U.S has the same or equivalent, and as you might now honey is a good antibiotic.

I dont know how succesful it is but i know it has worked, i spose it depends on a lot of other factors?

Ive never fed honey directly to mantids but some people have to some degree of succes.

Good luck, hope its just a wonky leg


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## Asa (Jun 29, 2007)

It's a wonky leg for sure. Still, I have yet to see it catch its food. It's forearms are crooked now, and I don't know if he can grab anything.


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## Birdfly (Jun 29, 2007)

Oh dear, well you can bring them back to normal from some smaller moult deformity's, as i'm sure your aware. Front legs are tricky but you can still do it..I recently had a medium sized nymph _Plistospilota_[forget the instar] thats front legs and walking legs were deformed from a fall, it couldn't feed itself from the start, but after i'd handed it food a couple of times it started to catch flies coming around from a chill down and moulted out ok.

Honey still might help its over all vigor at this time?

good luck


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## Asa (Jun 29, 2007)

Thanks, it just ate three house flies


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## colddigger (Jul 2, 2007)

just tell it to walk it off


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## Asa (Jul 2, 2007)

It doesn't like to walk


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## tnienhaus (Aug 22, 2008)

hopefully it will fix itself with the next molt...what instar did you say it was? I have a european that I caught in the wild and it tends to bumble around from time to time...however i think mine's just getting old


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## Rick (Aug 22, 2008)

Mantid Friendly Squire said:


> hopefully it will fix itself with the next molt...what instar did you say it was? I have a european that I caught in the wild and it tends to bumble around from time to time...however i think mine's just getting old


You do realize this thread was started over a year ago right? Please do not revive dead threads.


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