Do mantids regrow limbs?

[GingerC]

My presumed L3 giant Asian mantis just molted last night. I'm thinking it wasn't humid enough for him, though, and he came out with only five legs. It's just a walking leg he lost, thank goodness, although I haven't checked him for other damage yet.

My question is: do they regenerate their limbs? I'm guessing it'll come back in a moult or two, like with roaches, but I thought I'd come here to make sure.

 

[Ranitomeya]

Yes, they'll regenerate limbs as long as there's at least the coxa remaining. It won't regenerate right away and may be a tiny nub after just one molt. It usually takes multiple molts to regenerate a limb completely.

 

[GingerC]

The coxa is the first tiny segment of each limb, right? The nymph still has one of those, so he should be fine.

 

[CosbyArt]

The coxa is the first tiny segment of each limb, right? The nymph still has one of those, so he should be fine.

Yes, the very first (aka the hip joint). Glad it is intact, and it should regrow in 1-2 molts. After typically 2-3 molts, it will be the best it can be regenerated (often a bit smaller but fully usable).

 

[MantisRCool]

Unless it's a front arm then they usually die sooner or later, wonder if anyone had success with bad front arm molts, I sure did not. 

 

[CosbyArt]

Unless it's a front arm then they usually die sooner or later, wonder if anyone had success with bad front arm molts, I sure did not. 

I had a Ghost (Phyllocrania paradoxa) that I got at L2 with only one forearm, he remained that way for his entire life and did just fine. See him here near the bottom images eating a fly, he could catch anything even with one arm. He lived 7 months with me, which is on the low end for a mantid male, but still a normal lifespan.

For molts though I've had a few that lost most of their ability to grip/capture prey as well and in their next molt returned to normal thankfully. Sadly a forearm can be a issue as it makes it difficult for them to eat or molt.

 

[MantisRCool]

I had a Ghost (Phyllocrania paradoxa) that I got at L2 with only one forearm, he remained that way for his entire life and did just fine. See him here near the bottom images eating a fly, he could catch anything even with one arm. He lived 7 months with me, which is on the low end for a mantid male, but still a normal lifespan.

Cool  I now found out one of my Rhombodera nymps doesn't have a front arm, so we'll see...

 

[CosbyArt]

Cool  I now found out one of my Rhombodera nymps doesn't have a front arm, so we'll see...

Just feed it smaller prey than the other nymphs as they grow so it has a chance to catch the prey with only one arm. Other than that keep an eye on it and if needed use the thumbtack feeder until it learns to catch them on it's own. Best of luck.

 

[Ranitomeya]

I have had mantises regrow their raptorial claws. I currently have a ghost mantis male that lost both raptorial claws to the trochanter in a bad molt and they've taken two molts to become functional again. In the past, I had received a L2 Hierodula with just one arm and it regrew completely after just one molt.

 

[GingerC]

The nymph  molted today (barely an hour ago, actually) and the leg has regrown completely, although it's shorter and paler than the others. Unfortunately, due to a recent accident, I think I'll have to stick him in the freezer.

Somehow, he got trapped under the paper towel I use in the enclosure, and was stuck in a scrunched up position for a while. I removed all items from the cage once I saw and I've been keeping close tabs on the nymph all day, but the ordeal left him crippled, with legs bent incorrectly, a droopy abdomen, and pretty much complete inability to climb, despite many attempts to reach the top of the container.

So far, my nymphs have all chosen the most inopportune moments to molt, and this time was no different. He somehow did this on the bottom of the cage, without losing any of his oddly mangled legs, and even growing one back. His abdomen has been fixed, but he's dragging himself pitifully around the side of the cage, against the wall. He can barely walk.

I mean, I'd heard mantids can die for stupid, random reasons, but I never expected this to happen. I feel terrible about it. Does anyone think there's any chance of recovery? I could take pictures if needed, but I'm pretty sure the freezer is the only way to deal with this. :/

 

[Ranitomeya]

When stuck in our enclosures in rather unnatural conditions, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. I've long since stopped placing paper towel into my containers unless it's hot glued so that there's no way for mantises to get trapped underneath due to several similar circumstances. Since the bottom of the containers are usually transparent, they'll try to get out from under the paper towel by scrabbling away at the bottom rather than just move forward and out from underneath.

 

[GingerC]

Surprisingly, the nymph is suddenly doing a lot better a few hours after the molt. He's been climbing again, but shakily. Still not entirely sure he'll be okay, but at least I know not to use paper towels anymore.

 

[CosbyArt]

Surprisingly, the nymph is suddenly doing a lot better a few hours after the molt. He's been climbing again, but shakily. Still not entirely sure he'll be okay, but at least I know not to use paper towels anymore.

Glad to hear he is doing better than he was.

I would recommend giving him 24 hours (how long it takes to fully harden the new exoskeleton) before making a judgement on his condition for freezer/euthanasia or not. Often nymphs can recover remarkably if given enough time to fully harden after a molt, and it seems although he won't be 100% he might be enough to survive another molt to fix the new problems.

If he can climb/grip then he has a chance for a full recovery. Regarding his regrown forearm it usually takes 2 - 3 molts for it to be repaired the best it can, so it sounds promising it will return nearly to normal (if he has a chance to).

Sadly molting problems can and do occur seemingly at random sometimes even with the best care. I've read that some keepers that have done this for many many years will still leave the room when a nymph is molting as they gave them the best care they could, and the process is too much for them to watch.

 

[Zeppy44]

Surprisingly, the nymph is suddenly doing a lot better a few hours after the molt. He's been climbing again, but shakily. Still not entirely sure he'll be okay, but at least I know not to use paper towels anymore.

My observations have shown me that the first 24 hrs or so after a molt, a lot of changes are going on. Even eating seems to be put on hold till changes are done. Well guess that does makes sense.

 

[GingerC]

The nymph has since eaten (fruit flies were there originally) and reverted to its original behavior of getting stuck in corners and faceplanting when attempting to walk. The abdomen looks shrunken and disfigured.

 

[CosbyArt]

@GingerC Any progress on your nymph? Is it still eating? Doesn't sound promising, at least beyond eating, but if it makes it to a successful molt it should clear up most of the problems.

 

[GingerC]

@CosbyArt He managed to catch some fruit flies a few days ago, but seems to have broken both raptorial arms in the process. One of them is missing a foot, the other can't hold anything, but it might just be because the legs are bent and the nymph can't sit up properly. He's definitely hungry, though; the abdomen is as flat as carpet, so we're trying squashed crickets today.

The nymph somehow managed to climb the walls when I gave it more fruit flies, but is hardly moving lately.

 

[CosbyArt]

@CosbyArt He managed to catch some fruit flies a few days ago, but seems to have broken both raptorial arms in the process. One of them is missing a foot, the other can't hold anything, but it might just be because the legs are bent and the nymph can't sit up properly. He's definitely hungry, though; the abdomen is as flat as carpet, so we're trying squashed crickets today.

The nymph somehow managed to climb the walls when I gave it more fruit flies, but is hardly moving lately.

Sorry to hear it seems to be even worse. If he climbed then he can cling to molt, so unbelievably he still has a chance.

Besides the squashed feeders, you can also rig-up a feeding stand using a thumbtack, read the post here. If there is anything you have questions about until then or I can do to help, just let me know.

 

[GingerC]

I spent about an hour trying to coax the nymph to eat; I squashed a cricket, impaled it on a tack, and rubbed it on his face repeatedly. I'd usually get it to nibble for a second and then quit, so I'm pretty sure it's a lost cause by now. I left the cricket in the cage just in case the mantis eats it on its own, but I'll likely continue trying with fresh crickets for a few days.