5 days and still no molt?

[messianicmomof3]

Hi~

I new here and new to keeping mantis...we've had our mantis going on 3 weeks now...we found him outside, he's still a nymph. We fed him everyday a moth or grasshopper, he was a really good eater! About 5 days ago he bagan batting at his food rather than snatching and eating it. I read this is something they do before molting. So I removed the food and after 3 days I thought I might try it again, still he was batting at the food. I began misting the cage more often because I read they needed more moisture to molt. It's been 5 days without food and other than not eating and hanging on the lid of the cage there has been no changes...is this normal? Please help I just don't know is this normal?

Thanks

Penny in TN

Oh he looks like an European Mantis? green and about 2" long no wings, before this he was very curious and active...

 

[Birdfly]

It might be that it has gained all the weight/food it needs well before its time to molt so it is refusing food earlier and will hang around longer waiting to molt

 

[The_Asa]

That's something I don't understand about this species. He may molt, but sometimes they won't ever eat on me, even when they aren't about to molt <_<

 

[messianicmomof3]

whoo hoo!! our mantis molted, a beautiful complete molt...I'm gonna take pics later. I went in and checked on it this morning about 7:00 and nothing,

a little after 9:00 I checked on it again and saw what I thought was 'Mannie" dead on the bottom of the cage...oh no I was really heart broken (I didn't have my glasses on ) As I picked up the cage I saw him in the top window...wow, he's really big a least an inch longer and what big arms he has...better to snatch prey with my dear...lol! I'm so relieved, I had alot of worries with our ah er his molt We are thrilled our mantis finally molted...only 7days without food.

We're gonna wait till tomorrow to offer food. Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement...

Oh it has small wings, look like their about 1/4 size of it's abdomen, his color is still green but there is more brown lines on him, he isn't our 'little mannie' any more now he's our "big boy"...lol (we think it's a boy, if I can get a good picture of his underside i'll post it, so ya'll can let me know what it is...)

 

[The_Asa]

I'm glad she made it!

 

[messianicmomof3]

Our "Big Boy" is now our "Goreous Gal" Mannie is now Madiline...we have a female...her last segment on her abdomen is long...from what I understand that would make her a girl...and she's a beauty! My girls want to mate her...I was a nervous wreck with the molting could you imagine what I would be like if we mated her and hoping and praying she wouldn't eat her mate...I dont know if I could handle that...

 

[chrisboy101]

Our "Big Boy" is now our "Goreous Gal" Mannie is now Madiline...we have a female...her last segment on her abdomen is long...from what I understand that would make her a girl...and she's a beauty! My girls want to mate her...I was a nervous wreck with the molting could you imagine what I would be like if we mated her and hoping and praying she wouldn't eat her mate...I dont know if I could handle that...

why not? lol

 

[Thorska]

she's going to lay an ootheca or more anyway, might as well try to make them fertile

and as other people have stated if she had been eating alot (you said you fed her every day) then she would need to get rid of the weight before molting, if the abdomen is heavy then it can bend when the mantid is soft, which can be fatal, happens to chinese mantids sometimes cause they don't know when to stop eating

 

[messianicmomof3]

So do you think it would be ok to feed her every other day? I was feeding her daily because I thought she needed it? didn't really know for sure what to do. I wouldn't really mind mating her except we have no male...

she's going to lay an ootheca or more anyway, might as well try to make them fertile and as other people have stated if she had been eating alot (you said you fed her every day) then she would need to get rid of the weight before molting, if the abdomen is heavy then it can bend when the mantid is soft, which can be fatal, happens to chinese mantids sometimes cause they don't know when to stop eating

 

[collinchang635]

The 'small wings' you mentioned are probably wing buds because you said they only cover 1/4 of her abdomen. She should get wings either the next molt or the molt after next. Her wings should cover her whole abdomen. The wings signify that she is adult. When she is adult, she would release pheromones which should attract a male. When she starts to release them you shoud put her outside in a net cage.

 

[The_Asa]

Feeding her daily is not necessary. Every other day is more acceptable.