Eggbound death?

[scsheaffer]

We'd appreciate anyone's help on this topic:

I have 5 Mantids: 3 female and two male, all from same ootheca. All 3 females have mated with the males. One of the females has laid eggs, the other 2 have not. All are healthy, except the 2 who have not laid eggs. One of them was oozing a dark fluid from the junction of one of the front foremost segments. The other one is very lethargic with a somewhat discolored abdomen. There appear to be dark spots along her side (in a line).

Any ideas what this might be? I'm assuming it has something to do with them not laying eggs. They all mated on the same day (perhaps 1 month earlier). The one who laid eggs did so on 08/20/11. I noticed problems in the others on 08/27/11. Both got ill around the same time. Any ideas how to help them?

Thanks

Steve

 

[guapoalto049]

What have the mantids been eating?

 

[hibiscusmile]

Sounds like eggbound to me and slow down on thier feeding, half of what you have been doing, and nothing you can do for them.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Sounds like eggbound to me and slow down on thier feeding, half of what you have been doing, and nothing you can do for them.

+1

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Try and raise the humidity to very high, and if there VERY fat don't feed for a few days just mist would be my advice.

 

[scsheaffer]

An update: One of the girls died. The other is still real ill after 2 weeks.

Black spots on the side of the one who died

 

[scsheaffer]

An update: One of the girls died. The other is still real ill after 2 weeks.

Black spots on the side of the one who died



Autopsy showing egg size and internal black mass





Brown "rupture" area on the still living one



I'm guessing what happened is the 2 females needed to get the eggs out of their body before they started to enlarge. The eggs seemed very big to me and there were alot of them. I suppose it would be the size of an ootheca. but the eggs AND the foam I think would have made a much larger mass. I assume the normal size of an internal egg would be much smaller.

I'm guessing the increased egg mass compromised respiration and digestion. The black mass may have been necrotic tissue or a compressed digestive tract.

I think when the surviving female "burst open" it may have relieved pressure, allowing her to breathe. She hasn't eaten anything for 2 weeks and I'm hoping her body will absorb the eggs as nutrition. With this hope in mind, she's not ready for the freezer just yet. Time will tell. If she lives, I made the right decision. If she dies, I let a lot of suffering go on to no avail.