Fell while molting

[ct.pro]

First time with a mantis and the mantis' first molt with me, and I didn't realize how close it was to molting, since it ate just this morning. I misted the cage and it immediately began its molt when the water hit it.

It slipped about 1/4 of the way through the process and fell face first 4 inches onto the soft dirt floor of its enclosure, I took a pair of tweezers and held it upside down by the discarded skin at the very back of the abdomen until it finished its molt and hardened a bit before letting it transfer itself to a stick(took a half hour or so). No obvious damage, no immediatly obvious deformities, but it does seem to be having trouble gripping with one of its back legs, like its missing the toe claws or something.

Is it going to die? Is there anything I can do to help it? I really am pretty clueless at this point and ANY help at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mutrok4040]

I doubt it'll die with a toe injury. Just let the next molt take care of it

 

[ct.pro]

Oh thank god. If its the visible injuries or getting stuck in the old skin that kills them then we should be fine.

She looks completely normal.

 

[Saebjorn9]

good to hear she didn't have anything serious happen. I've had so many close calls with moltings I have no idea how lucky I am for most of them to get through it without any deformaties. Watch for signs of molting though from now on, decrease appetite to the point of them not eating for a good 2 days. They also get very sluggish.

 

[ct.pro]

Thats what confused me, she kept eating normally right up until she molted, took a fair sized moth just the morning it happened

 

[sueb4653]

Mine eat until molting also

They are getting ready to molt to adult and this time I can see they are sluggish though