Got home from vacation and my mantis has passed away.

[Sauromayne]

Went on a week long vacation and had my mother in law take care of Dante while I was away. She knows nothing about Mantids but I showed her how to feed him and just to mist his cage everyday.

She said that he last ate Tuesday and that he was healthy up until Friday night. She went to hold him I guess and normally to get him out of the enclosure you have to tap his abdomen and guide him to the door where he will crawl on top of the cage and then on my hand. This is always how he does it I can never get him to crawl on my hand from inside the cage. 

So she says that Friday night she went to get him out and he was on his roof as usual and when she tapped him he just crawled straight onto her hand then wouldn't move. She says she put him on his stump and thats when he looked like he does in the video I will attach. Then I got home tonight and his corpse looks like it does in the picture.

I'm really sad right now, I never should have left him with someone that has no idea what she's doing. I think she disturbed him during a molt and that's what killed him but I just want to see if anyone else can confirm if they think that's what happened too. I just want to figure out what happened to him, he was my first mantis...

Here is the video she sent me: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pQp9qrLLtgYRK9dr6

 

[Mantis Lady]

Sorry for your loss. I don't know what happend.

 

[MantisGirl13]

I am so sorry that he died! From the picture it looks to be some kind of infection because the abdomen is so much lighter than the rest of his body.

- MantisGirl13

 

[cwebster]

Am so sorry for the loss of Dante.

 

[Jaywo]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Prayingmantisqueen]

Ahh.. So sad. I wonder how few of us actually don't water up when a mantis is lost?!? I know I do.

 

[Mystymantis]

Sorry to hear your mantis passed. It does look like an infection because of the color. It doesn't look like it was about to molt. If it is a species that has particular needs, like specific humidity and such, that could have also been a problem. For instance Giant Asian mantises don't like high humidity, and can randomly drop dead for seeming no reason if there is too much humidity. I have had that happen to a few of my Giant Asians.

 

[Mh987]

I'm so sorry for your lost!  Losing a mantis is never easy

 

[hysteresis]

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