Do mantids always stop eating before a molt?

[Trailblazr80]

I have a Spodromantis viridis, and I think he molted overnight at some point. I've read that mantids usually stop eating right before a molt, but he quickly and voraciously ate 2 pinhead crickets during the day. His molt looks normal- I guess conditions just vary depending on the mantis?

What other conditions can determine when mantids are ready for a molt? I've heard of swollen abdomens, but had no clue that mine was going to molt. I had him out and was handling him, also. I'd just like to avoid bothering him if I had an idea when he was going to molt. (and also I can avoid having prey in there with him).

 

[HungryGhost]

I've heard of the larger species like yours taking food hours before a molt. I think some of the rhombodera sp. can do that too.

 

[Trailblazr80]

I've heard of the larger species like yours taking food hours before a molt. I think some of the rhombodera sp. can do that too.

Thanks! I'll just keep an eye on him when I have food in there.

 

[TheBeesKnees]

Definitely, My Hierodula sp. ate voraciously even mere hours before every molt! She never even grew sluggish! She'd stalk prey from across her terrarium just before I'd go to sleep, and then always molted sometime in the middle of the night (her final molt into adulthood was the only exception).

I was only ever able to tell when she was due for a molt based on the amount of mass she had in her abdomen. Once she stopped losing mass between feedings, and only gained mass (eventually until her abdomen was so "full" looking that I was nervous to feed her anything relatively large), then that was the only way I knew she was ready to molt.

From what I hear, Spodromantis is basically the African version of a Hierodula in terms of not only appearances, but in temperaments and habits as well, I would not at all be surprised if your mantis exhibits very similar behaviors to what I observed in my Hierodula sp. My best advice is to simply monitor his meals, and never leave prey items in his enclosure unattended for long. This will just avoid any problems with surprise molts occurring under the viewership of uneaten food items!

 

[Trailblazr80]

Definitely, My Hierodula sp. ate voraciously even mere hours before every molt! She never even grew sluggish! She'd stalk prey from across her terrarium just before I'd go to sleep, and then always molted sometime in the middle of the night (her final molt into adulthood was the only exception).

I was only ever able to tell when she was due for a molt based on the amount of mass she had in her abdomen. Once she stopped losing mass between feedings, and only gained mass (eventually until her abdomen was so "full" looking that I was nervous to feed her anything relatively large), then that was the only way I knew she was ready to molt.

From what I hear, Spodromantis is basically the African version of a Hierodula in terms of not only appearances, but in temperaments and habits as well, I would not at all be surprised if your mantis exhibits very similar behaviors to what I observed in my Hierodula sp. My best advice is to simply monitor his meals, and never leave prey items in his enclosure unattended for long. This will just avoid any problems with surprise molts occurring under the viewership of uneaten food items!

Thanks for your detailed response! I will keep an eye on him. I looked up Hierodula and they do look similar!