Ghost nymph just damaged her arm.

[Amantis]

So I just got a ghost nymph in this morning, and got her all set up, and as I was feeding her her first bout of fruit flies she got her arm caught in the lid of the enclosure and pulled part of it off. In this diagram, she appears to be missing the tibia (and tarsus).

Now, I know it will grow back if I can get her to feed, the problem is, at this size (I think she's L2) the tweezers I use to feed larger mantids are bigger than her and the flies combined. Does anyone have any ideas for helping this little girl?

I'm beside myself with grief for letting this happen on the first day I have her despite how careful I was being. Can a nymph subsist on honey until a molt?

 

[izbiggs]

Here's a method commonly used called the thumbtack method: 



Best of luck with your mantis, I hope she turns out alright! I love ghost mantises. If there's an open wound, honey is a very good idea to help it heal without infection. @Amantis

 

[Amantis]

I tried this but she wont take the melanogaster fruit fly, the spear is almost as big as the fly though so maybe she's just too small to save ((

 

[izbiggs]

have you tried slicing in half a larger feeder, squeezing out the guts, and offering that to her? I've done that with my nymphs 

 

[izbiggs]

@Amantis

 

[crabbypatty]

Don't give up, like @izbiggs says, try cutting up a feeder and hand feed it. I've been feeding my little budwings mini mealworms that's I've cut and I just simply put the gooey part on their mouth, they grab it right away. At least it has one raptor for now. Do your best and good luck! Keep us updated.

 

[cwebster]

Hopefully when he or she molts the foreleg will be ok.