constipated?

[mantidian]

My female budwing hasn't laid a single ooth yet and seems to be constipated cos she poops very little. I got my male to mate her 2 times and after that I stuffed her with food. ever since she has pooped very little and her abdomen is hanging at 45 degrees. I suspect that the eggs are probably preventing the poop from being able to come out. her abdomen is really fat and at it's limit. what can I do to allow the poop to pass through??

 

[Rick]

Nothing you can do. Sometimes mantids get eggbound and ever lay eggs but instead die. If you know she is due let her out on a houseplant or a larger enclosure to give her more options for laying eggs. Sometimes it works.

 

[mantidian]

I'll give it a try... fingers crossed!

 

[agent A]

Nothing you can do. Sometimes mantids get eggbound and ever lay eggs but instead die. If you know she is due let her out on a houseplant or a larger enclosure to give her more options for laying eggs. Sometimes it works.

You never gave me that advice!

 

[Rick]

You never gave me that advice!

Ok.

 

[superfreak]

raise the humidity. provide new material on which to lay. thats about all you can do.

 

[Nymphe]

I just had the same problem with a Pnigomantis medioconstricta that I used to keep on a plant.

The main advice I got was raising temperature. I put her into a semi ventilated box with some damp kitchen paper and a spotlight on top, so I guess I did three things at once: raising temperature, raising humidity and providing a different surface. She's been in there a couple of days now. Last night she started with two sorry excuses for an ootheca that left her almost as fat as she were. Third attempt today (watching as I type) seems to work better, but only after I turned the box so she hung vertically after she had started dripping foam onto her wings because she wasn't able to lift her abdomen high enough.

I really hope she'll get rid of the rest of her eggs now. She wasn't mated BTW.

So if you've been keeping your Budwing at room temperature so far, definitely try a spotlight, too. Up to 32°C is fine for that species.

 

[mantidian]

Okay so I've been giving her water frequently and put her in a net cage. So far she's pooping more but still very little. Is Singapore's temperature good enough? if not I'll use a lamp.

 

[Orin]

Do you have a screen cage you can place her outside in?

 

[mantidian]

I live in a flat/ apartment, i have no garden lol.

 

[Orin]

I live in a flat/ apartment, i have no garden lol.

I was going for the aiflow, temps, UV; flats around here all have small patios.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Okay so I've been giving her water frequently and put her in a net cage. So far she's pooping more but still very little. Is Singapore's temperature good enough? if not I'll use a lamp.

Yep. Temp in the 80's(F) and humidity in the 80% range. That just leaves aurflow -- or something completely different! What are you feeding her, BTW?