Adult Orchid Female not eating

[JennMantis]

My female orchid molted to adult a few days ago on 5/10. She is not interested in any food. I've offered honey, which she will only take a nibble at before pushing it away. She will drink water, but that's about it. I tried offering cut up flies to her mouth, but she doesn't take it.  I'm worried since the last time she ate anything was on 5/6, prior to her final molt. I hope she will eat soon!

 

[crabbypatty]

 Try cutting up a superworm or dubia roach and putting the gooey part on her mouth. Have you let any flies loose in there? 

 

[JennMantis]

Yes, I've let flies loose, but she just ignores them. I'll give more gooey bugs a try. 

 

[Zeppy44]

When you stop to think about all that must be going on inside to get ready to mate, etc. Massive changes to my way of thinking. I noticed with 6 ghosts, it took a while till they ate as adults. Had me worried for a week or so after each reached adult.

But I am sure different species may take less time. With the 3 species I raised to adult, the later the molt the longer to start eating. If they are drinking water and you are really worried, try some diluted raw honey.      -----Be wary of most big store homey. It is very adulterated with additives.---- Good luck and let us know.

 

[JennMantis]

Minimal success this morning. I caught a pregnant cranefly and was able to get a lot of the gooey stuff out and put to her mouth. She resisted for a bit, trying to walk away, but then I was able to get some of a gooey stuff onto her claw. She cleaned it off her claw and it became a small ball that she was playing with using her mandibles. Eventually, the ball disappeared!  It wasn't a lot, but it was something!

 

[JennMantis]

I got some mealworms today and took out the goo. I put it at her mouth and she immediately tried to spit it out and rub it onto the mesh to get rid of it. I tried to put it on her claw and she managed to eat some of it while cleaning her claw. I am wondering if she disliked the taste?  It was a really fast reaction, similar to eating something rotten and trying to heave!  She likes the cranefly goo, but it's not as easy to come by...?

 

[crabbypatty]

@JennMantis wow you've got one picky mantis. Try coating some in organic honey, see if it helps a bit. I would try a fly again then, some mantids are just so picky.

 

[Kermit]

If you have access to a few ? that would be a good too!

 

[JennMantis]

She is such a diva!  I tried giving her organic honey today, just a dab of it and she wasn't too interested. I'm at a loss. I'll put some flies in there later today, hopefully her instincts will kick in. She molted to adult 8 days ago. I don't know how long she will survive if she doesn't get some nutrients and doesn't gain weight!  I have a male that I've been taking care of, just waiting for her.  He's been an adult for almost 4 weeks now, but has a healthy appetite.  Sigh. 

 

[Sarah K]

She is such a diva!  I tried giving her organic honey today, just a dab of it and she wasn't too interested. I'm at a loss. I'll put some flies in there later today, hopefully her instincts will kick in. She molted to adult 8 days ago. I don't know how long she will survive if she doesn't get some nutrients and doesn't gain weight!  I have a male that I've been taking care of, just waiting for her.  He's been an adult for almost 4 weeks now, but has a healthy appetite.  Sigh. 

Orchids can really be such divas sometimes! Just try not to worry too much. She will eventually eat, I have never had a mantis die because they purposefully starved themselves, especially if they are healthy! I can offer my orchid something one day, and she will take it in a second, then the next time she pushes it away. 

 

[JennMantis]

Today, I actually saw her grab a fly!  But, she took one nibble and let it go ?  I am surprised she grabbed it, though, because  she hasn't even done that in the past week. Going on day 9 now, hope she decides to actually eat what she catches...

 

[JennMantis]

Going on day 12...   she still refuses to eat solid food. In addition to offering flies, I've cut up and offered mealworms, which she hates. Honey, she'll take once in a while. She drinks water. 

This morning, I'm watching her groom her claws, but she's also hanging in a position where her claws are slightly above her head and she's doing a bit of twitching/flexing. If she weren't already an adult, I would think she was getting ready to molt.  She has also regurgitated a couple drops of water, from what I've observed.

I just feel like I've failed her, if she passes soon. She should have been voraciously eating by now as she did before. Perhaps I've just prolonged the inevitable by hand feeding honey and bits of mealworm or fly. I don't understand what went wrong. ?

 

[yankeeman1421]

What you could try is feeding her a waxworm. Not a mealworm, but a waxworm. Especially coat it with honey too. I have yet to see a mantis reject a waxworm in my experience so far. Their nice and soft and don't have the hard exoskeleton like mealworms. They are definitely high in fat though. U could cut it up like you did with the mealworm and mix some honey into there

 

[JennMantis]

Just wanted to say, that sadly, my orchid passed away.  She made it 12 days as an adult   It made me very sad, but I don't know what else I could have done.  I think she had a pretty good (short) life with me.  I spoiled her a lot!  RIP pretty girl!

 

[Ocelotbren]

I'm sorry for your loss!  I was following this thread although I didn't have any advice to offer, and it's clear that you did everything you could for her.

 

[spotsy99]

So sorry she passed away.  She sure was beautiful.