# stunted growth...



## infinity (Sep 10, 2005)

It's a simple species to raise but i'm puzzled by a fair number of my chinese mantids... Some of them are growing quite healthily but other are 2 instars behind the rest... I've been feeding them exactly the same as th others but still no moulting! They've been this way for a good month now and I have no idea why... temperature is mid 20's, sprayed about 2 times a week... They seem healthy and readily take up food but just aren't moulting!  

Just curious, are there other ways of permanently delaying moulting? - like tocolytic medication for delaying contractions, could something be done to delay moulting? - apart from the usual lower temp, less food thing...


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## Rick (Sep 10, 2005)

I have seen this in all the speices I have kept. I once had some chinese that were born all from the same ooth. All of them were subadults one day and one was still an L2. I doubt it's anything you're doing wrong. It happens.


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