Just want to make sure...

[yeatzee]

I recently caught a nymph male and it has one useless claw. Basically it cannot close the small part of his left front arm so he cannot go into his "praying" position. It eats anything i give it, but i just wanted to make sure i wont run into any more complications. Also in its next molt will that correct itself or what? Thanks

 

[The_Asa]

That should fix itself in it's next molt. Is the mantis able to help catch the prey with its damaged claw? I don't see any complications arising :huh:

 

[collinchang635]

What instar is the nymph? If it is sub adult then it might not correct itself I had a female Tropidomantid. She broke her leg while she was sub adult. After the next molt, she didn't correct herself.

 

[yeatzee]

not sure as i caught it in the wild. And no it cannot use its other claw to help catch food. I'll get a pic up if i can

 

[collinchang635]

not sure as i caught it in the wild. And no it cannot use its other claw to help catch food. I'll get a pic up if i can

Does the mantid have any wing buds?

 

[yeatzee]

yup

 

[collinchang635]

yup

Are they big? If they aren't it is probably a pre sub-adult. If it is then it is a sub-adult. This is not too good news. If the mantid is a sub-adult, it may not correct it's claw. For some reason they have a good chance of correcting themselves when they are in their earlier stages.

 

[The_Asa]

I'm pretty sure it will fix itself.

 

[collinchang635]

I'm pretty sure it will fix itself.

I hope your right....

 

[yeatzee]

To be honest I'm not to worried, he walks like a pirate with one arm always stuck in that position but he is my most aggresive mantis. Holy ###### he eats anything!

 

[yeatzee]

Bad news....i took him out to feed him a de-winged fly and i noticed as he started eating that a small drop of green fluid was comming out of his hurt arm. After eating i put him on a plant so i could clean his cage realquick and when i came back to get him he had fallen and that hurt part of his arm broke off completely :'( He's still doing ok but some more green fluid is coming out of his "amputated" arm. Whats going to hapen?

 

[The_Asa]

It will clot up. The mantis may try to eat off his own arm...that's a bad sign.

 

[yeatzee]

Well he's doing fine, he doesn't even seem to notice it.... Him eating himself is deffinently a bad sign lol :lol:

 

[kamakiri]

probably better that it broke off...at least that way it shouldn't interfere with the next molt. The end where it broke off should clot and turn a little black.

 

[collinchang635]

probably better that it broke off...at least that way it shouldn't interfere with the next molt. The end where it broke off should clot and turn a little black.

Thats what happened to my Tropidomantid's back leg.