droopy rear end

[blackwidow89]

oh no!!! one of my mantid's rear ends (the part where you count the segments) is hella droopy. he molted yesterday but was doing good I thought..now it looks like he's dying

 

[Scruffy Aphid Herder]

Hmm, are you misting him ?

 

[blackwidow89]

I have been :/ like every other day.. holding him right now...he's so wobbly and weak

 

[blackwidow89]

his butt looks kinda crispy and dead... but he's holding on tightly

 

[blackwidow89]

jdudnxkskdosn

so mad

dunno what went wrong..why he's doing so poorly. I don't want him to die..but I don't want him to be in pain....

really don't wanna put him in the freezer, but he like can't hold himself up

way more depressing than I would of thought

 

[sally]

awww I am sorry about that. Poor mantis......

 

[Sticky]

Any pictures?

 

[Rick]

Tenodera? Is it kinked?

 

[patrickfraser]

How old is it. Sometimes age causes droopy bottoms. Ask your grandma. :lol:

 

[blackwidow89]

is tenodera the scientific name for chinese mantids? cuz the wiki pic looked like mine (was told they're Chinese Praying mantises).. it. might have been kinked...cant tell..was really limp to the point of being floppy.... I put him in a soft sock (cuz I saw someone else made a taco blanket for theirs..but little Manny passed away during the night......hopefully the other 2 wont all of a sudden die after molting he was kinda the runt it seemed though idk

 

[blackwidow89]

he was only 2 or 3 months old I think

 

[Rick]

It sounds like a fairly common condition in this species where the abdomen creases or folds.

 

[jamurfjr]

It sounds like a fairly common condition in this species where the abdomen creases or folds.

Agree with Rick. I've had several T. sinensis with the same condition.

 

[blackwidow89]

ok thanks guys...so it's probably not something I did wrong right?? the other 2 seem healthy but I was freaking out they were gonna randomly die too

 

[jamurfjr]

ok thanks guys...so it's probably not something I did wrong right?? the other 2 seem healthy but I was freaking out they were gonna randomly die too

I believe it's caused by hanging upside down without respite. Despite identical enclosures, a small percentage of Tenodera nymphs seem prone to the condition. In my experience, If it doesn't result in a rapid demise, death usually catches up with the afflicted individual during the next molt—mismolt. Providing more horizontal space and perches may reduce future incidents, but don't count on it. It's just something that comes with the territory, I guesss...