Abdomen Collapse, Please Help!

[Sixgills]

Hey there, I'm new to the hobby, and I'm at a loss at what to do. I had a L3/L4 Spiny Flower Mantis nymph (seller did not specify which instar) and five days ago after feeding (hydei fruit flies) she uncurled her abdomen and it started pulsing. I had owned her for two months and she hadn't molted yet, so I thought that she was a late bloomer and that she was finally molting.

For two days she exhibited standard molting behaviors, and I hydrated her tank by spraying the top of the starter enclosure and letting it drip in, seeing that she was hanging from the top and opening it would have disturbed her. I think this is where I might have gone wrong, considering that there was a heating lamp. I might have overhumidifed her. In the next two days she pooped excessively, and her abdomen turned dark brown and collapsed. One of her eyes also had a small, grey dent. I took her out yesterday and it seemed as if she was fried, she looked like an exoskeleton.

I want to get another mantis and try again, but I don't want to kill another one, please let me know where I went wrong so I don't repeat my mistake.

 

[TheWolven]

Pooping excessively sounds like some kind of disease to me. Did you get your flies from a source that may have carried diseases? I'm not super experienced either so I wouldn't know if you overqualified her but it sounds like she may have had some kind of infection. If you get a mantis again, I'd buy one of the kinds that are considered more of a start mantis like a Carolina or a Ghost mantis. 

 

[Sixgills]

Pooping excessively sounds like some kind of disease to me. Did you get your flies from a source that may have carried diseases? I'm not super experienced either so I wouldn't know if you overqualified her but it sounds like she may have had some kind of infection. If you get a mantis again, I'd buy one of the kinds that are considered more of a start mantis like a Carolina or a Ghost mantis. 

I got the flies from a seller on ebay with good ratings, but I might have left the culture go on too long and the flies somehow became ill. Thank you for the advice! Next time I'll go with a ghost mantis, or do extensive research beforehand. 

 

[TheWolven]

I got the flies from a seller on ebay with good ratings, but I might have left the culture go on too long and the flies somehow became ill. Thank you for the advice! Next time I'll go with a ghost mantis, or do extensive research beforehand. 

It could have been possible. Sometimes you just don't know what happened which seems common in this hobby unless you're very experienced. Ghost mantids do fine at room temperature and don't require as extreme of humidity I believe. Carolina mantids are what I'd describe as... sturdy. My male smacked into my ceiling fan when he took off and was more or less fine. If he had brain damage from that, I don't think it could have made him anymore dumb. My recommendation would be to purchase from PanterraPets as they are very reputable when it comes to mantids.