D. lobata molting

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merlyn923

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Hi all,

I got home today to find my D. lobata had molted. Both the molt and the mantis were on the bottom on the enclosure (she is completely molted), and she has been stuck at the bottom ever since. She is moving around pretty well, but doesn't seem to be able to lift herself up really. She also doesn't seem to be able to climb well - she keeps trying, using her main spikes, but her feet aren't clinging to anything. Is this normal? Also in the shed, she seems to have injured her eye - it has a dark, flat section and a little black piece was in the molt as well. Any ideas what that is, and what I should do about it?

Thanks!

 
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Anybody? She seems to be hardening up but now looks like some of her legs are a bit deformed, and her front feet beyond the spikes look off. She just tried to climb a branch in her tank and fell back over. I think she's probably not going to make it but would love some input....

 
Pictures might help us get a better idea of the extent of her problems. It seems like for females, that last molt can be especially difficult. She might need help feeding. Since it's her last molt, there's not much in the way of fixing her problems, but she could still live a full life.

 
I can try to get some pics when I get home - I just ran home to check on her, but had to go back to work. She isn't an adult yet, and I'm not sure her Instar, but she has wing buds, so I would guess she only has one or two molts to go. I'm just not certain as to her chances right now - the most she can do is sorta swim along the bottom, and seems to end up on her back often as not when she tries to climb.

 
A picture would help. If she cannot hang herself then she probably won't make it...

 
Yea, that's kinda what I was thinking. This was her second molt with me, and after the last one I moved her to a bigger tank - she was maybe 1.5 inches long at the time and is in an ExoTerra 8x8x12t glass tank with screen top, small 15 watt light for additional heat, sphagnum moss substrate to help hold humidity, and daily misting. She has eaten just fine. I guess I'm just a bit stumped as to why she fell.

 
Whoops, misread your message, I though she was an adult. Since that's not the case, she might be able to fix some of her problems if she can molt again.

 
my best guess is, she fell, perhaps while hanging from her abdomen off the skin, at which point the impact of the fall, coupled with her soft exoskeleton might have had some dramatic effects on her internal anatomy.
My fingers are crossed for both of you, but a nymph who can't find its feet is in a lot of trouble...

 
Yea... she's hardly responsive to the lightest of touches anymore. If she's still moving at all in the morning, I'm going to let her feed the cycle of life and give her to my bearded dragon. I feel like it's the most humane thing to do for her at this point. She was my first attempt at keeping a mantis, and I don't think I did anything wrong, so I'm sure I'll try again...

 
I'm sorry :<
Definately try again, sometime. It's quite a blow to have your first mantis perish, but rest assured, you're right that it's probably nothing you had done wrong. Sometimes, these things just happen, and we can't always be there to constantly watch and moderate their behavior. If she picked an unwieldy place to molt, or if she managed to panic and fall near the end of it--none of these are really your doing.

RIP little lady <3

 

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