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Curiosity

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My current favorite mantis, Nansen II, is acting kinda strange. It's similar but also dissimiliar to how Patricia Mindelle behaved right before dying.

1. Patricia Mindy lost her ability to climb. A couple hours ago, I noticed Nansen hanging on two legs. Since MantisGirl13 diagnosed Mindy's condition, which began exactly that way, as pesticide caused, I assumed the same for Nansen and acted on this story where someone almost killed their mantis with flea killer and ran the mantis under some cold water and that saved the mantis. In other words, I doused Nansen pretty good. (I have no pets besides my bugs.) She did, after that, hang by four legs for the next hour or so, but then went back to two legs. Her ability to climb or grip cardboard is diminished, although she still clings easily on cloth.

2. Patricia Mindelle refuse to eat or defecate. The news here is much more hopeful on Nansen. I convinced her to eat some honey, and I got some water and some milk into her. Shortly after drinking the milk, about five minutes after, she passed some very watery stool. Was that long enough for the milk to have been giving her diarrhea, or was it something else?

3. Patricia Mindelle became increasingly lethargic. She ended up basically in a coma. Or dead; I couldn't tell. Nansen will still walk and try to climb, but she's kinda subdued. It could just be the fact that she's my tamest mantis talking though. When standing upright, as in not upside down, she lets her legs go sort of flat and her abdomen rests on the ground. I get the feeling this is more fatigue than the inability that was clear in Mindy's case, because when prodded she will stand up normally.

4. Random note. I took Nansen along on a 2 mile bike ride in fairly hot weather right before the "symptoms?" started. I'm not sure if that could possibly have caused anything, but I'm not sure it's unimportant, either. 

Also, Nansen is older than Patricia if that matters at all. I estimate her at L7, although I can't be certain. 

Is this another pesticide problem (she has been living on wild bugs) and how do I solve it? Really that's the only question I need answered.

@MantisGirl13, you seem to be the ruling expert on this site. . . is there any way to get Nansen back to normal quickly (or is this a molt)? That is the only question in this post I really care about an answer to; the rest is all academic.

 
When was her last molt? Are her wingbuds inflated at all?

See if you can get her to hang upside down on all four feet and keep an eye on her.

- MantisGirl13 

 
Also, what kind of cage is she in? Does it have a wire mesh lid? Are her tarsi damaged in any way that you can see?

- MantisGirl13 

 
It's a moot point now. . . some ants decided to attack her. I really wasn't expecting that. . . I did get her to hang upside down in a mostly stable position. One of her tarsi was bent. She lives in a cardboard box. 

Doesn't really matter now though. I think she's dead. . . she was still moving until about half an hour ago. Those ants really did a number on her. Assuming the ants hadn't attacked, what should I have done?

 
Yeah, you should never have ants near a mantis. 

A cardboard box doesn't have the right grip for a large mantis so she probably fell and bent her tarsus. 

Assuming no ants, you should have put her in a cage with a good fabric mesh top and let her be.

- MantisGirl13 

 
Thanks. . . I'll remember that. 

Is it possible to kill a mantis via handling it too much? My mom and I were talking about Nansen and I noted that it's always my favorite mantis that dies. My oldest mantis has been basically ignored for two months and he's still here, and I do tend to physically interact with my mantises a lot, so we were wondering if there was a connection.

 
I don't know much about this. But I handle my favorite mantis Larry all the time and she is great. I also keep her terrarium in my room. :)  

It could be because of over caring for the mantis since its ur favorite. I try to care for all my mantids the same way I do with all others of that species and age. Hope this helps.

 
I guess handling does put a bit more stress on the mantis, but it shouldn't be too bad.

- MantisGirl13 

 
On some days when my mantis is having a good day she will bang on her container until I take her out. And she will climb to the top and wave trying to find my hands. Although, I have domesticated her from taking her out so much so she doesn't have stress from it. From my experience, nymphs are best not to take out if they're small because they stress out.

 
It could be because of over caring for the mantis since its ur favorite. I try to care for all my mantids the same way I do with all others of that species and age. Hope this helps.
What do you mean specifically by overcaring? Like, I'm overfeeding the one I like best or something like that? (It's not that. On food decisions I go by the mantid's size.) 

Also my favorite mantis is rarely the smallest. I tend to prefer large females. . . the smaller ones basically get ignored.

 
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What do you mean specifically by overcaring? Like, I'm overfeeding the one I like best or something like that? (It's not that. On food decisions I go by the mantid's size.) 

Also my favorite mantis is rarely the smallest. I tend to prefer large females. . . the smaller ones basically get ignored.
Yes feeding was part of it. But also a bigger terrarium could be it. They might have trouble with finding food, molting, ventilation, temp, etc. Although honestly, I think you are just having bad luck.

 

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