From Hatching to Adult

[D_Hemptress]

vitioso, my first mantis to have hatch and rear to adult. she molted last night and almost didnt make it. i guess me being a nervous mother saved her life. while watching her molt her front feet came unhooked and started to sway back and forth. then another foot came loose and she was dangling. i quickly grabbed little pieces of tape and gently took the lid off her enclosure so she wouldnt fall, and i taped her feet to the top. she made it through and i took the tape out so her new feet wouldnt get stuck to it. and this morning she is looking nice a pretty.

it was scary but we made it through

 

[glock34girl]

Woo hoo! Fast mama thinks fast!

 

[D_Hemptress]

i cant lie it scared the out of me. and i read somewhere on here that you can do that. im so glad it worked... ill take pictures in a bit and show off her beauty

 

[Mime454]

Dangling by the abdomen is the normal last stage of the adult molt. They do it to help expand their wings. She probably would have been fine either way.

 

[Sticky]

Good for you! One of my babies fell but she will be ok. Shes deformed but I will take care of her and help her molt.

 

[D_Hemptress]

Dangling by the abdomen is the normal last stage of the adult molt. They do it to help expand their wings. She probably would have been fine either way.

um no, she was barely half out of her exoskeleton and her exo. was dangling by one. she would NOT have been fine. once she was out of her exo. she did what you are saying, and i was previously aware that they do this ( and they dont hang by the abdomen, they hold by their front legs letting their back legs hang so the (i dont remember what its calle) "blood" can go to the rest of their body and wings

 

[Mime454]

Here is my Tau male doing it. He turned out fine. Every adult molt I've seen does this.

 

[D_Hemptress]

right ! i understand what your saying. i wish i had got pictures so you could see. none of her legs were free yet, just her head was when she started to fall

Here is my Tau male doing it. He turned out fine. Every adult molt I've seen does this.

 

[Mime454]

right ! i understand what your saying. i wish i had got pictures so you could see. none of her legs were free yet, just her head was when she started to fall

Oh, I misunderstood what you were saying then. Sorry. If the legs weren't free, she definitely wouldn't be okay.

 

[D_Hemptress]

Oh, I misunderstood what you were saying then. Sorry. If the legs weren't free, she definitely wouldn't be okay.

right! if she would have fallen it would have been a face plant to the bottom and all terrible.

something ill do different, the top of her enclosure is mostly nylon and barely has any screen. im guesing she couldnt grasp the nylon well enough. next time when they get this big ill add more screen so they have more to grip... its was a learning experience... scary tho!

 

[lancaster1313]

Good job, Hemptress!