bad molts- what did I do wrong?

[hookedonmantids]

I recently bought some mantids from Mantis Kingdom- my first few after buying a ghost at the Tinley Park reptile show in March. I got a violin, a sphodromantis, and two c. gemmatis (ordered one but received two- thanks!) The violin molted within 48 hours after I received it, and had a bad molt, but I was late on getting a heat lamp set up so I'm sure that was from low temps. (My spare room stays in the low 70's during the day, and drops to no lower than 68 at night, and I have a humidifier running that keeps humidity in the low 60's or high 50% range.) Last night both C. Gemmatis molted- one successfully and one not. I fed them yesterday, and the one that molted badly had eaten, but the other one did not. Does that make a difference? They are both in tall deli cups with a piece of paper towel leaning against the side. I found the poor guy laying on the bottom of the cup this morning, with all 6 limbs still stuck in the molt. I pulled the molt off carefully, but so far it's not looking hopeful- it's curled up and not moving much. I'm going to keep an eye on it over the next few hours and see if it manages to get itself up & moving. I'm very sad that I've had two bad molts, and I'm wondering if I did something wrong to cause the gemmatis to molt poorly, or if it was just bad luck. Any pointers?

 

[Sarah K]

I am sorry for your bad luck.   Well, it sounds like the humidifier was keeping the humidity fine for the C. Gemmatus. Also,  whether the mantis had eatten or not shouldn't really have any bearing on whether the mold was successful or not. What kind of lids do the deli cups have?

 

[hookedonmantids]

The cups came with plastic lids with lots of tiny holes (got them from Josh's frogs.) I guess I thought that the paper towel would give them something to hang from, but should I use different lids? I was thinking about picking up some cheesecloth to use- would that be ok?

 

[Sarah K]

The cups came with plastic lids with lots of tiny holes (got them from Josh's frogs.) I guess I thought that the paper towel would give them something to hang from, but should I use different lids? I was thinking about picking up some cheesecloth to use- would that be ok?

Yes, I would bet that is the problem! Mantises have trouble gripping that plastic material, and should be hanging upside down when molting, not from the side. Molting off of the side does not work for them, and results in molting issues. A temporary solution could be to just hot glue a piece of paper towel to the underside of the lid (or cheesecloth, but I prefer paper towel). But Josh's frogs also sells FABRIC vented lids, which will fit the deli cup just as good as the plastic ones with the little holes, but mantises can actually grip the fabric lids with thier feet.

https://www.joshsfrogs.com/fabric-vented-insect-cup-lid.html

 

[crabbypatty]

@hookedonmantids It maybe that they didn't have a proper foot hold to molt. I give my violins sticks and window screening and they've all molted successfully, also make sure that you keep that violin at high temps to avoid future problems as well. I keep mine at 85-90°. All my other mantids have either tulle, organza, or shelf liner to molt off of. I mist them one a day. Just use hot glue to add a little molting strip for them so they don't slip and fall. 

 

[hookedonmantids]

I will order some of the fabric vented lids- thanks for pointing out that they are available! I've added a lamp for the violin that is keeping the temps where they need to be. I plan on getting screen cages when they get bigger, but they seemed huge for these tiny nymphs!

 

[Sarah K]

I will order some of the fabric vented lids- thanks for pointing out that they are available! I've added a lamp for the violin that is keeping the temps where they need to be. I plan on getting screen cages when they get bigger, but they seemed huge for these tiny nymphs!

We sell these mini round mesh cages that could be good for small violin nymphs! I have always just kept mine in groups in the 12X12X12 mesh cubes though, even when they are 1st and 2nd instar, and never had any problems. Deli cups are not ideal enclosures for violins for several reasons though. 

 

[crabbypatty]

@hookedonmantids yeah I would switch the violin out of there asap, you can go buy one of those little laundry hampers for now, them get something better later. Also you don't need to go out and buy new cups, I just modify all of mine to fit the mantid's needs. It's cheaper, haha. 

 

[Teamonger]

I'm with CrabbyPatty, get yourself a cheap glue gun it is the single most useful tool a mantis owner can have!

 

[Zeppy44]

Yeppers, get the glue gun now. Some practice on hot glue and you will be sold. So many uses building habitats. Wish I had started using one years ago.

 

[bug lady]

Also, that grip shelf liner is good for inside their habitat.