JoeCapricorn
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So the last of my Shield mantises named Vex recently laid her second oothecae. Infertile, since I never paired her up with a male. However, something quite bizarre happened and I'm quite baffled as to why.
Her abdomen expanded like a balloon. Just last night her abdomen was normal sized, a little on the skinny side because she had just laid an ooth and I've been careful in feeding her. She's quite old for a mantis, over fourteen months old, so she is a little slow.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c47/JoeCapricorn/vexballoon2.jpg
Has anyone seen this symptom before? What could cause this?
I have two theories, since Vex doesn't feel heavier than last night. First, material to make an oothecae somehow expanded inside her. Second, a bacterial infection caused her abdomen to swell up like that. I gently felt the abdomen to see if it was squishy or firm, and it is firm - not too different from how the abdomen feels in a freshly molted adult mantis (once upon a time a long while ago I had to hold a mantis by her abdomen after she molted because she almost fell. Once her feet were strong enough I let her cling to the paper towel 'wall' on her cage and her wings expanded almost flawlessly. Actually, I think this was a Shield mantis too from the previous generation)
She had one mealworm last night. I doubt that was the cause of it, since she's been eating mealworms for most of her life.
Her abdomen expanded like a balloon. Just last night her abdomen was normal sized, a little on the skinny side because she had just laid an ooth and I've been careful in feeding her. She's quite old for a mantis, over fourteen months old, so she is a little slow.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c47/JoeCapricorn/vexballoon2.jpg
Has anyone seen this symptom before? What could cause this?
I have two theories, since Vex doesn't feel heavier than last night. First, material to make an oothecae somehow expanded inside her. Second, a bacterial infection caused her abdomen to swell up like that. I gently felt the abdomen to see if it was squishy or firm, and it is firm - not too different from how the abdomen feels in a freshly molted adult mantis (once upon a time a long while ago I had to hold a mantis by her abdomen after she molted because she almost fell. Once her feet were strong enough I let her cling to the paper towel 'wall' on her cage and her wings expanded almost flawlessly. Actually, I think this was a Shield mantis too from the previous generation)
She had one mealworm last night. I doubt that was the cause of it, since she's been eating mealworms for most of her life.
