Broken leg - close to death?

[carley]

My Carolina female is approx. 7 months old and she still seems active, and is still eating properly. I supervise her feedings, so I was surprised to see today that her back leg had been broken nearly to the bend/joint, so she has no tarsus on that leg and cannot hang anymore. Her last molt in August resulted in a dent in her other back leg and it is crippled, and she doesn't use it. Basically, all she has left is her raptorals and two front legs now. I don't know how it was broken (it was in the floor of her container) so I'm a little baffled.

I have noticed also that she has been making egg sacks off and on for about a month now. There's a normal sized one and then about 5 small amounts of residue around her container. There is a big goop of the material stuck on her foot.

I'm just wondering what I should do. I am a first time mantis owner so I have never encountered an issue like this. I would like to steer clear of euthanasia but if she is going to suffer, it seems like an applicable choice. If you were in my situation, what would you do? I have attached a picture so you can see what her injuries look like.

 

[lunarstorm]

Sorry to hear this, it sounds like she's nearing the end of her life, as you suspected. Mantid limbs often become brittle and break at the joints in their final days, not your fault in the slightest. Because she's still active and eating, one can only guess how much longer she has but she will eventually refuse food and after that there's not much we can do. I offer more frequent mistings to my older, ailing mantids in an effort to keep them as comfortable (warm and hydrated) as possible.

 

[CoolMantid]

She is near the end. But is most likely not suffering. I think you should se how long she goes.

 

[crucis]

Hmm it definitely seems like she's getting older and weaker. But it doesn't sound like she's been an adult for very long.. If she's only been at it for a month, theoretically she could still yield a few more oothecae / egg sacs Coupling her with a male now might halt the ageing process for a while, enough for her to construct some fertile ooths. But if it's not possible to mate her, her condition will probably go downhill from here.. All you can do for her is to keep her as comfortable as possible until her lights go out