Any way to stop the black eyes of death?

[brancsikia339]

Whenever a mantis is near death, its eyes seem to turn black. My male H. majuscula, still a young male, was having a hard time getting his food (apparently even though his food was in there) so in about 2 weeks his eyes had turned black and he was dying. He had his food and he could see it, but he wouldn't eat it. Is there anyway to stop the black eyes of death?

 

[petoly]

Take a small roach, snap it so some of its juices come out, hold the roach with tongs, gently touch the juicy part of the roach to your mantid's mouth, your mantis should start munching and should pick the roach up by itself

 

[brancsikia339]

Take a small roach, snap it so some of its juices come out, hold the roach with tongs, gently touch the juicy part of the roach to your mantid's mouth, your mantis should start munching and should pick the roach up by itself

did that with 3 different food items. Nothing is happening

 

[petoly]

Is the mantis swatting at it?

 

[Mantiskid]

Oh no! Lydia's eyes are starting to get like that...

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Black eyes of death? I have never once had a mantises eyes turn black pre death (minus color changes in the dark). In fact, it tends to take 12-24hours after my mantises have passed for their eyes to go bad and turn pitch black.

Is there any chance you could snap some photos if he is still alive or next time this occurs since it sounds by your post you have possibly experience this more than once? I know sometimes mantises get eye rub spots, and some believe they can get eye spot damage from overly hot of lights, but neither of these believed problems usually make it so the mantis cannout catch prey or cause premature death.

I have also seen some users mention a rather dramatic infection (not sure if that is the proper technical term) where a black spot will errupt and cover an eye but it usually keeps spreading out and consumings even more than the eye droping the mantis pretty fast. This wouldn't be considered normal though but a pretty rare occurance.

 

[happy1892]

Oh no! Lydia's eyes are starting to get like that...

You know when it gets dark mantids change their eye color right?

 

[mkayum]

What temps was you keeping him in?

 

[Precarious]

Black eyes of death? I have never once had a mantises eyes turn black pre death (minus color changes in the dark). In fact, it tends to take 12-24hours after my mantises have passed for their eyes to go bad and turn pitch black.

I'm with Krissim Klaw on this. Not sure why this would be happening to you and no one else.

 

[brancsikia339]

It always happens. He just died so there. It happened to every single one of my mantids. First: Eyes have black spots like this picture:

Second: They stop moving their arms. Third: They die.

Picture belongs to Mantispets.com

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Can you give us any specifics on your cage set up/practices? What type of lighting, humidity, and so on. Also does this only occur with one species or have you had it happen with different species? Do you have an estimate on how many mantises over all you have lost this way? Are they always adults or have you also lost nymphs this way?

 

[mkayum]

It always happens. He just died so there. It happened to every single one of my mantids. First: Eyes have black spots like this picture:

Second: They stop moving their arms. Third: They die.

Picture belongs to Mantispets.com

I remember reading somewhere on thead of Carey's. Here's a link http://mantidforum.n...l=&fromsearch=1

It died of old age but it had black spreading to it's eyes because of rubbing against the plastic deli cup. I'm not sure.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I remember reading somewhere on thead of Carey's. Here's a link http://mantidforum.n...l=&fromsearch=1

It died of old age but it had black spreading to it's eyes because of rubbing against the plastic deli cup. I'm not sure.

I think it is also important to note that the black spots on that mantis did not hinder its eye sight or cause premature death that brancsikia seems to be experiencing.

 

[Rick]

I've had that happen. Some people think it's from rubbing on the enclosure but I don't agree with that.

 

[happy1892]

I've had that happen. Some people think it's from rubbing on the enclosure but I don't agree with that.

My adult female Stagmomantis carolina rubbed her eyes on the plastic a whole lot when I caught her. Soon she had a black dot on each of her eyes. I have never seen a wild mantis have those black dots. And it seems like only the ones that rub their eyes on plastic get the black spots (I do not know if anybody else has a mantis that did not rub its eyes and get the black dots except this). And I have heard that larger mantids get the black spots on their eyes often.One of my sub-adult male Sphodromantis sp. "Blue Flash" died like this. He suddenly had a bug black dot on each eye and brown around it at night. He stopped moving and died. I have him in the freezer. I will take a picture of him later. I am going to a friends house about 3 hours drive away. I am coming back tomorrow. Bye.

 

[brancsikia339]

Can you give us any specifics on your cage set up/practices? What type of lighting, humidity, and so on. Also does this only occur with one species or have you had it happen with different species? Do you have an estimate on how many mantises over all you have lost this way? Are they always adults or have you also lost nymphs this way?

temporarily he was in a large cricket keep, but mainly he was in a net cage. It normally happens to me with the large mantid species.

 

[happy1892]

temporarily he was in a large cricket keep, but mainly he was in a net cage. It normally happens to me with the large mantid species.

How many times has it happened to you?

 

[brancsikia339]

How many times has it happened to you?

2 to 3 times

 

[happy1892]

He used to have black in the middle, now it is brown with dark brown around it.