Help molting?

[Bunnywafer]

Hello all,

I have a single chinese mantis. I think it is a boy. This is probably his 4th or 5th molt and for the first time ever, he seems to be having trouble. He is hanging upside down but he has been molting for probably at least 3 days now. Before we've never even seen him molting, only seen the skin left over. For a little while I was worried he was dead, but he is alive....I see him flexing his body. We have tried misting him gently, but I am unsure if we should do anything else to help with the molting. I am a veterinarian and I have in the past had to help lizards molt by soaking them and gently pulling off the skin with thumb forceps. I've never done this with a mantis though and am worried he is so fragile that I'll do more harm than good by trying to help. Is there anything I should be doing? Before his mouthparts were covered in skin but it appears this AM he has gotten his mouthparts free.... I'm not sure if I need to try to hand feed him or if I should just let him be. I haven't seen him eat in awhile but I'm not watching 24/7 either. I'm worried even the action of me opening the enclosure and trying to hand feed him could knock him off his precarious perch. Any advice? This is my first mantis and first problem I've encountered and want to do the best for him. I'm a little surprised how attached I've gotten to him..... I know with lizards problems shedding can be an indication of an underlying health problem or problems with husbandry...if he makes it through this episode, is there anything we should be doing to prevent problem molts in the future?

Thanks!

 

[lancaster1313]

That doesn't sound good.

Can you post a photo?

All of my mantids have molted within minutes, not days.

 

[RevWillie]

Does it walk around with just some of the old skin stuck to it, or is it stuck in place where it started molting with most of the old skin attached?

Other than making sure the humidity is way up ~90% (droplets on glass) I'm not sure what else you can do.

 

[Bunnywafer]

Does it walk around with just some of the old skin stuck to it, or is it stuck in place where it started molting with most of the old skin attached?

Other than making sure the humidity is way up ~90% (droplets on glass) I'm not sure what else you can do.

It is stuck in place where it started molting and most of the skin is still attached. I tried taking a picture but the quality is not good at all....

Thanks I'll try misting him lots today, I'm home all day.....

 

[Bunnywafer]

OK misted him alot, also put him in a tiny bathroom with the shower running for a bit, I'm going to try to capture some humidity in the room and leave him there for a few hours......

 

[PhilinYuma]

Yeah, it seems as though you are already doing the right things. What is your ambient humidity? Chinese are an extremely adaptable species, hence the success of their introduction to the states, but when they are ready to molt, it is a good idea to have a high (60% or so) RH. Some folks will say that theirs have always molted fine at ambient RH, but it's a numbers game, and you increase the chance of success by increasing the RH.

Let him try to get free on his own, but if he can't, the reverend's advice of upping the moisture to nearly the dew point is good. Some folks also try and remove the dead skin with a moist cue tip.

Let us know how it works out, and could you make a post on the Introduce yourself forum?

 

[Bunnywafer]

Yeah, it seems as though you are already doing the right things. What is your ambient humidity? Chinese are an extremely adaptable species, hence the success of their introduction to the states, but when they are ready to molt, it is a good idea to have a high (60% or so) RH. Some folks will say that theirs have always molted fine at ambient RH, but it's a numbers game, and you increase the chance of success by increasing the RH.

Let him try to get free on his own, but if he can't, the reverend's advice of upping the moisture to nearly the dew point is good. Some folks also try and remove the dead skin with a moist cue tip.

Let us know how it works out, and could you make a post on the Introduce yourself forum?

Basically we've left him at ambient RH and he's been fine so far. Ironically, it was only a week or two before this problem molt that we started misting him some.

And no problem with introducing myself. Even if this little guy doesn't make it, I'm expecting to continue to be a mantis owner....

 

[ShieldMantid1997]

well good luck!

EDIT: does it look like this?