# Molt to adult gone wrong



## cdcrocks (Sep 3, 2014)

One of my T. sinesis males molted from a very dumb place and ended up with his wings stuck to a wall and his legs stuck in the molt. I got the legs out in one piece but he is overall severely disfigured. Do I freeze him? He can't climb but his raptorials seem to have come out ok. I definitely won't be able to breed him, and this species likes to crawl around a bit, not to be stuck on the bottom of their containers in one spot. I'm thinking freezing would be the kindest fate for him, but I wanted a second opinion. What do you guys think?


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## soundspawn (Sep 3, 2014)

He's not going to be the happiest mantis in Kentucky, but if you can get him to eat he could live out his days. I have a really hard time with the tweeners like this... not crippled enough to feel like they need put down but not well enough to live a "full" live.

I say go with your gut, but if you decide to work with him and he refuses food to the point of looking thin and weak, do him a favor.


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## Danny. (Sep 3, 2014)

Freeze the poor thing.


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## Ralphys_Mantids (Sep 3, 2014)

Eeeeek. Please put her out of her misery


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## Darkrai283 (Sep 3, 2014)

Ditto with all the comments posted so far. I would put him out of his misery by placing him in the freezer as I think it would be 'wrong' to prolong his life in this cripped state.

Sorry about your loss.


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## LAME (Sep 3, 2014)

man..... This sucks, personally, id put him down. Its not right for him to live the rest of its days crippled up or in misery.

of course if you raised it from babystage, id be questioning my next action aswell... I feel for you man. Tough decision....


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## soundspawn (Sep 3, 2014)

LAME said:


> man..... This sucks, personally, id put him down. Its not right for him to live the rest of its days crippled up or in misery.
> 
> of course if you raised it from babystage, id be questioning my next action aswell... I feel for you man. Tough decision....


Exactly, I had to put down a beautiful euro the other day due to mismolt and it's hard. I do have a female adult chinese that looks almost as bad as this guy but she was snacking on a cricket when I found her so I decided as long as she's got some fight in her I'll let it ride. Really it's just her wings and her back is (really) crooked, but it doesn't seem to bother her.


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## Aryia (Sep 3, 2014)

I think euthanasia would be the kindest thing to do in this case. Remember that it's only going to painful for yourself, your mantis will be feeling much better in mantis utopia : )


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## Chelsea (Sep 3, 2014)

My Joe Swanson looks like this, but his mismolt to adulthood happened about 3 and a half weeks ago. He had the will to live , even caught a few tiny mealworms so I decided to just handfeed him. He eats superworms and sometimes a moth or cricket, now. He still has the will, he crawls about. So I just think of him as handicapped. If we didnt have wheelchairs and special devices for people, or people to help them, handicapped people would just die. But instead they can live their to the fullest in their own way. This is true for captive mantids.


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## Darkrai283 (Sep 3, 2014)

Yes, that is true... but that's only the case for mantids which only suffered from a little bit of damage due to a mismoult.

What about mantids that are seriously deformed from a mismoult such as twisted thoraxes or when all of his/her limbs become useless (mangled) and s/he is just flailing them around in the air getting no-where? There's a certain point where past that, the damages are too horrific for you and the mantis to let them live on and prolong their 'suffering'. The case you're talking about certainly doesn't sound too bad as you said he is able to crawl around.

What about mantids who die from the dreaded 'question mark' mismoult? Or those that fall halway through and their body becomes a clump of useless mess?











Personally, I would euthanise cdcrock's T. sinensis if he were in my posession.


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## Mantis Man13 (Sep 3, 2014)

Cdcrocks, from the picture you have the mantis is disfigure, but can still very much live and can. I have had mantises disifgured like that at adult and be healthy and alive. Its legs are twisted, but not too badly. The front legs are fine, and so the mantis can still eat. The crippled wings don't matter. Please do not kill this mantis, as it can still be alive and well still. If you want it to climb and be happy just put big sticks in the cage that it can climb on. Also, put mesh on the sides of the cage it can climb the plastic parts. I urge you not to kill this mantis, as I have seen MUCH worse than this, and that is when you put them out of their misery, but not in this cage. Please reconsider and listen to Sound spawn's, Chelsea's and my opinion.


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## cdcrocks (Sep 3, 2014)

I'll keep him for a couple more days. Maybe he'll learn to crawl a little bit. If he's just grabbing whatever is in front of him and flailing his hind legs, and not eating properly, I'll freeze and bury him. Thank you all for the imput.


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## soundspawn (Sep 3, 2014)

good decision


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## Mantis Man13 (Sep 4, 2014)

Good job everyone who supported the mantis!


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## Chelsea (Sep 4, 2014)

Those last 2 pics look really bad. My Joe Swanson looks a lot like the top pic, and he can crawl useing his front 2, sometimes 3, legs. I cut off the head of the worm/cricket and hold in front of his mouth, he usually grabs the prey with one hand and supports himself with the others. Cutting off the head, makes it easier for him plus he tastes it then realizes it is food.


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## LAME (Sep 6, 2014)

keep us all updated on its progress if you could.


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## soundspawn (Sep 6, 2014)

Chelsea said:


> I cut off the head of the worm/cricket and hold in front of his mouth, he usually grabs the prey with one hand and supports himself with the others. Cutting off the head, makes it easier for him plus he tastes it then realizes it is food.


That should seriously be i the first paragraph of "Nursing mantids 101", it's is probably the single best way to keep them going and/or get their energy up enough to recover.


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## cdcrocks (Sep 6, 2014)

My parents saw him and want me to put him down, and he hasn't moved a centimeter since I put him back in his cage after getting his legs out of the molt. I think I'll freeze him after I write this post. I hand fed a mantis once before, daily until she molted to where she could catch food again. But she had a chance to improve. This poor guy is stuck like this.


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## cdcrocks (Sep 6, 2014)

Rest in peace.


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## soundspawn (Sep 6, 2014)

cdcrocks said:


> My parents saw him and want me to put him down, and he hasn't moved a centimeter since I put him back in his cage after getting his legs out of the molt. I think I'll freeze him after I write this post. I hand fed a mantis once before, daily until she molted to where she could catch food again. But she had a chance to improve. This poor guy is stuck like this.


I don't disagree with them, but I do disagree with their pressuring you to do one thing or another. Hopefully you were leaning that way already so your hand wasn't forced. Regardless I'm sorry for your loss and it may well have been the right call. Sucks, what more can be said right?


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## Ralphys_Mantids (Sep 7, 2014)

Sad


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## PrayingMantisPets (Sep 7, 2014)

same thing happened to me! just a couple of days ago


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