Found Juvenile, not well

[emptywords93]

Hello!

A few days ago I noticed a small mantis outside my apartment door, sitting in the middle of the floor. I left him be, since I live on the top floor and figured it'd be unlikely for someone to come step on him. Yesterday I noticed he was still there and upon nudging him gently realized he didn't want to move much. I scooped him up and set up a good sized jar with a layer of clay pebbles beneath some cocohusk I had laying around. He's got some sticks and things to hide around, and I have a fruitfly problem right now so I trapped a few in there.. not sure how he's going to catch them.

He stays put mostly, I have seen him move but very little. Sometimes he wiggles his butt or moves his legs... he seems intact, but unable to hold himself up properly. I'm not sure what to do to help this little guy and would really appreciate some tips. I live in Southern California, would like to release him back into my garden when he's well if I can.

 

[CosbyArt]

@emptywords93 Looking just at the photo, the mantid nymph appears dead. Most mantid species will rarely get on substrate, and even then just for a quick moment. If they appear to be "laying down" on the substrate that only means they are extremely weak and in the process of dying.

The mantids abdomen is nearly flat in the photo too, so the poor thing is literally starving to death. If there are other causes (perhaps parasites, bacteria, or damage from a animal/human/etc) that started the current health condition while the nymph was outside is unknown by a photo though. The nymph has been in ill-health for at least a week judging by the abdomen, and in the state you mentioned (nearly unable to move) it is too late to do anything besides euthanasia in a freezer (for 24-48 hours).

Sorry but the mantid doesn't look like it will survive more than a day even if not euthanized (by letting nature finish the process).

For any future mantids though, they need feeder prey that is at minimum two times larger than their heads, and no larger than 1/3 of the mantids body length. Either species of fruit fly is of no use as a feeder for a mantid nymph this large (many mantid species outgrow fruit flies after the first instar (2-4 weeks after being born)).

 

[emptywords93]

Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it. Sadly, he didn't make it.

 

[hymenopus]

I'm sorry, I've never seen a healthy wild nymph (I only find unhealthy ones)