help please! ghost mantis.

[beatsnotbombs]

It's molting as we speak from l3 to l4. It seems to be going well, but one leg is discolored ( a white) and is small and does not have the leaf like protrusions that usually result, like the other 5 legs. Is it normal for a leg to be different? Generally not, but has this ever happened to anyone? Does this mean that this leg will never catch up to the rest? ):

 

[Bryce08]

Should be just fine, as long as it doesnt effect normal getting arund too much...next molt should help a lot, but each molt over time should fix any smaller mismolts.

 

[beatsnotbombs]

Yeah, that leg is definately shorter the rest of them. Oh dear, she's hanging now, and that leg looks like it works, but not 100% effectively.

 

[lunarstorm]

As long as it's not one of their famous raptorial prothoracic legs, don't worry about it. A single mangled or even missing hind leg doesn't tend to have much impact on them. And as xFault said, it'll very possible (even likely!) that as long as the mantis reaches adulthood, the leg will regenerate over time and you'll witness a full recovery.

But I'd up your humidity a little bit in response, especially if you think a molt is near. They don't need it very humid but I suspect minor mismolts like that are often due to insufficient humidity.

 

[beatsnotbombs]

It's just dangling, have yet to see it work...

 

[beatsnotbombs]

Can anyone give me a scientifc approach to this? I didn't molt incorrectly, it seems like the leg didnt grow at all! Why didn't that part grow, I dont think that can be contributed to the humidity levels?

 

[lunarstorm]

Any time the leg doesn't develop properly during a molting process, it's called a mismolt. It happens sometimes. Is your mantis eating? If it's eating and pooping, don't worry about the leg.

 

[warpdrive]

as said, this is a mismolt. it is caused by not enough humidity overnight while the ghost was molting.

I like to mist twice per day. once after morning feedings, and once before lights out. I never miss an evening misting because I want to prevent mismolts.

all my past ghosts molted durring the hight of full moons (molt started at midnight to 1am and was over by daybreak) or at the normal time of daybreak.

( almost wonder if the ones that did molt durring the full moon did so at the time instead of the normal day break because the moon had some mistical power over the molting mantis.)

at this stage I wonder if you need to also add paper towels of moss on the bottom to help maintain high levels of humidity?

your antid will be fine by next molt (or two) and you should not worrie. I would keep it by itself at least for now and remove any uneaten flys before lights out.

 

[Precarious]

The leg was likely wounded and you didn't notice. Usually when one leg is shorter it's because it was damaged or part of it was missing. Nothing to worry about. They do fine even with a whole leg missing. If the leg actually dies and starts to get in the way, which is not likely, she will just chew it off.

 

[Chivalry]

I had 2 ghosts mismolt... I keep them pretty humid all the time now, and monitored more closely than the others (except the idolo). I have a viridis who was missing a leg when I got him, and he just molted today... he has a little more leg with each subsequent molt. I even have a C. gemmatus ("Lefty") who got a raptorial arm chomped off. He hasn't molted since but even with that he has no trouble catching food although he's not in the communal container anymore.