Ghost Mantis Mismolt

[CoolMantid]

My ghost mantis had a mismolt and lost one back leg. Four days later he ate is last leg down to the nub and cant hang or walk at all. He only has the four front legs and constanly falls on his back. Is it time for the freezer or can he make it. oh and feed is a problem he wont notice movement or try to attack and resists hand feeding. I took him out of his communal cage with the other ghost mantises and put him in a small cup with cotton balls on the bottom for cusions and wont get up. And again is it time for the freezer.

Thank you

 

[Ryan.M]

If he cant hang upside down to molt properly, it isnt likely he'll molt successfully but it also isnt impossible.

If you can put up with hand feeding him for the next little while until he molts, he may grow those two limbs back.

Its up to you if you wanna throw him in the freezer, but if it were me i'd at least give the little bugger a chance to make it out alive on his own terms, they can be pretty resilient.

Good luck!

 

[CoolMantid]

If he cant hang upside down to molt properly, it isnt likely he'll molt successfully but it also isnt impossible.

If you can put up with hand feeding him for the next little while until he molts, he may grow those two limbs back.

Its up to you if you wanna throw him in the freezer, but if it were me i'd at least give the little bugger a chance to make it out alive on his own terms, they can be pretty resilient.

Good luck!

But he wont grab the food. I will try doing that but he is lying down in his seprate cage

 

[RevWillie]

One technique that seems to work is to take a juicy bug of some sort, break off the head, get some juice sticking out of the opening, and touch that to the mantis' mouth. Usually the taste of food will start them feeding and it may grab onto the food and finish it.

 

[CoolMantid]

One technique that seems to work is to take a juicy bug of some sort, break off the head, get some juice sticking out of the opening, and touch that to the mantis' mouth. Usually the taste of food will start them feeding and it may grab onto the food and finish it.

He wont sit up to do it though and he tries fighting it

 

[Ryan.M]

He wont sit up to do it though and he tries fighting it

Rev is right, that technique works beautifully with my ghosts.

So you're saying he cant stand up at all? He just lays down the entire time? Try picking him up and holding him in a position so his head is facing upwards. Cut the head off a small cricket or mealworm and slowly move it towards his antennae so he can smell it. Then move it very, very slowly towards his mouth with a pair of tweezers. Once it touches his mouth his mandibles should start moving and he should start feeding on it. After 10 or 20 seconds he should grab on with one of his raptorals so you can let go of it.

If all this fails and he wont eat, then maybe its time for the freezer

 

[CoolMantid]

Rev is right, that technique works beautifully with my ghosts.

So you're saying he cant stand up at all? He just lays down the entire time? Try picking him up and holding him in a position so his head is facing upwards. Cut the head off a small cricket or mealworm and slowly move it towards his antennae so he can smell it. Then move it very, very slowly towards his mouth with a pair of tweezers. Once it touches his mouth his mandibles should start moving and he should start feeding on it. After 10 or 20 seconds he should grab on with one of his raptorals so you can let go of it.

If all this fails and he wont eat, then maybe its time for the freezer

He wont grab the food and Ive been doing it for twenty minutes. But he still can eat it but just not grab it. I would like your opinion on this, what would you do and how do you put it in the freezer for how long. I want him to stay alive for as long as I can. But I dont want to torture him.

 

[lancaster1313]

You could make a little table from a bottlecap or anything that he can reach. A needle or pin, pushed through a piece of cardboard, with the sharp end sticking up, could work. Just impale a piece of prey on it, and adjust the height to his reach. That way you won't have to hold the prey forever.

 

[Ryan.M]

Well he may not be feeling any pain, but its impossible to know. There's no point in torturing him. Mismolts happen, its your call whether you want to end it early for him or not. You can just throw his container in the freezer for a few hours, that would ensure he is dead.

If it were me in your situation (im sure others have other opinions) i would hand feed him every couple days (painstaking, i know) until he is ready to molt, and see if A) he is able to molt, and if successful, then B ) see if his quality of life has improved. If he couldnt fend for himself after that molt, then i would most likely throw him in the freezer.

Then again, i only have a few mantids so id try to keep as many healthy as possible. If you have quite a few it may not be practical to spend as much time caring for a single one.

Good luck

 

[CoolMantid]

Thank you I will hand feed him.I Only I have 2 other mantises besides the five other ghosts so I think I can do it

Thanks for all of your help

 

[Ryan.M]

Also, make sure the humidity is at least over 60 percent in the container youre keeping him. Youll want to make sure you do everything possible to ensure he has the best chance for a successful molt.

Again, good luck and keep us posted!

 

[GreenOasis]

This is a bit late, but may still be of help: Ghosts, in particular, really love honey. If he still resists food, you can try dipping a small part of it into a bit of honey & try touching that to his mandibles. Or, you can just feed him a drop of honey from a toothpick every so often until he is strong enough for "real" food (I would try a few times a day to keep his strength up.)