black raptorial

[Krissim Klaw]

Pulling off a limb is a ridiculous idea to even contemplate. I don't think you have fully thought this through. First of all you have no control over how much will be removed. Second, you risk damaging the mantid in ways you can't even predict because you would have to hold the body with one hand while you pull with the other. Just picturing that in my head is disturbing. It's not going to come off having a tug of war with it and it's not going to just sit still while you pull its body apart. What's more it would be traumatic. Whereas cutting the tip of a limb is very fast and the mantis doesn't even react.

The fact the mantis was already lethargic and not eating would have been a sign for me things had already spread too far. As for the pulling I was thinking less along the lines of whole limbs and more along the lines of when the spread hasn't gotten that far and you are pulling to the closest joint on the limb that is past the infection. You would need two padded forceps and would pull right at the joint in a controlled swift manner. My main concern with cutting was that the mantis would have a slow death after the fact from bleeding out. It sounds however like you and Rick have both cut limbs in the past without this problem, which is a nice fact to know and would make cutting a much easier process for all involved.My concern with fiddling with them is always that I'll do more harm than good in the long run. Of course you already know I am one of the bleeding hearts on this forum. My mantises are pets for me just like any of my other animals. They all get their own names, have to suffer through my mantis themed baby talk, and even get individual stockings with their names in glitter at Christmas time. :wub:

 

[Precarious]

Of course you already know I am one of the bleeding hearts on this forum. My mantises are pets for me just like any of my other animals. They all get their own names, have to suffer through my mantis themed baby talk, and even get individual stockings with their names in glitter at Christmas time. :wub:

Hahaha! That's hilarious. You know we're on the same emotional level in this regard (minus the Christmas stockings).

Grabbing a mantis even with padded forceps just seems too dangerous to me. I would never attempt it.

I think I stated this earlier (too lazy to check), but it's very important to be sure when removing a portion of a limb that the mantis can reach the wound with its mouth for cleaning. Otherwise infection is very likely. I had an Idolo that lost a leg in molt at the base where it couldn't tend it. There was nothing neither of us could do about it. It eventually died of infection.

Bleeding never seems to be an issue with any wound they can potentially survive. Again, if they can reach it with their mouth they can stop the bleeding. Wounds out of reach take longer to stop.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Hahaha! That's hilarious. You know we're on the same emotional level in this regard (minus the Christmas stockings).

Nothing says it is Christmas time like decorating mantis stockings. =pAs for limbs/parts out of reach of their mouth, have you tried super glue? I originally heard of its usage for arthropods from the tarantula hobbyist. It can save the spiders lives when it comes to something like an abdomen rupture. I would think it would be as effective on a mantis. It could both stop the bleeding and seal the wound off from outside contaminants. One of the reasons super glue was such a nice break through when it was originally invented was because they found it was great to quickly seal wounds in wartime on people. The liquid band aid Agent A mentioned is basically a modified version of super glue. I would think however the super glue is probably more durable in the long run and on an out of reach limb it isn't like it would be something we would want eventually removed.

 

[MandellaMandy123]

I've heard about a lot of people using super glue in the mantis hobby, luckily I've never needed to try it myself but I have heard of it

What do you put in a mantid's stocking

 

[Krissim Klaw]

What do you put in a mantid's stocking

Usually I use it as an excuse to buy more pretty exo terra plants since they look nice and I like them for my cages and around the room for mantis perches. I always tell them they must be good little bugs or the Christmas Angle Spider will eat them instead of leaving them presents come Christmas morning.

 

[agent A]

lol i love the little spider!!

i cant wait for christmas to come around again

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Usually I use it as an excuse to buy more pretty exo terra plants since they look nice and I like them for my cages and around the room for mantis perches. I always tell them they must be good little bugs or the Christmas Angle Spider will eat them instead of leaving them presents come Christmas morning.

Ooh, good idea for stocking stuffers

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Ooh, good idea for stocking stuffers

Yep they are lovely. =3

lol i love the little spider!!

i cant wait for christmas to come around again

Hahaha thanks. I got the spider at Halloween one year than stitched on the wings and added the outfit. He also has a wizard costume for Halloween.Yikes, sorry peeps, I managed to derail this topic quite a bit. :blush:

 

[Bug Trader]

Has anyone tried to apply baytril to a fungal infection? Being I've kept dendrobatidae for a dozen yrs or so I can say that I have quite a stock of fungal and bacterial meds for the herp collection. I have no been hit with the fungal infections with Hymenopus or any other mantid yet but I do tend to keep things sterile as well as I use well ventilated setups and just rely on misting more often to keep up humidity.

I would think the act of tearing out an entire limb would not only prevent the mantid from being able to clean and manage its own wound but we really have no way of telling what nerves, muscles and such we are tearing, stretching and destroying inside the abdomen further stressing them. Also keep in mind superglue is not sterile, its no longer the quick battle field fix for wounds without a basic knowledge of whats going on you may just be further injuring or stressing the mantis. Nature tends to weed out the weak and damaged on its own, in a controlled environment its up to the keeper to consider a humane ending over a best guess surgery because for the most part when the animal is showing signs such as stunned or slowed behavior its already too late, infections work their way through the inside doing just as much damage you cant see.

 

[MandellaMandy123]

I've never had a mantid with an infection myself (I've kept mantids since I was five), and I keep all my mantids in mesh containers, which are totally ventilated. A badly ventilated container is never good for any species. Even if there is enough air to breathe, it's a great habitat for disease.