Mantis awkward after molting yesterday, is this normal?

[nasty bugger]

I am new to this, and hatched out some ootheca's earlier this month, and had one of my mantis' just molt into either the 3rd or 4th instar, not sure, but I think it's the third instar.

I left for a couple days out of town to see family for Christmas, and came back and this mantis was just shedding, first actual shed of the skin I'd seen on these. It's molted skin was attached to the t shirt that I use for screen over the jar.

This mantis is lime, or as I like to call it, homer simpson nuclear green, right now. It's foot was stuck in the molted skin when I got here, but after a struggle it got free. Seems to be sluggish, which may or may not be normal, since I've not witnessed the actual molt before I don't know.

I made sure to mist the jar, quart mason jar covered with t shirt as screen, to help moisten things up, as It didn't get misted for the few days I was gone.

I read that if sufficient humidity isn't present that feet can be injured, and this one doesn't seem to climb the jar as well as they usually do, and I'm wondering if this is normal after a molt, or if there may be a problem. I missed misting them for about 4 days, so I'm wondering if this may be an issue. It just seems awkward in the jar now. It just shed last night, so...

 

[sk8erkho]

If the leg or foot is sort of elongated and this is impairing it's ability to walk it can correct itself on next molt. heck, I have even seen a few of mine go through this and just sort of hold the impaired limb up in the air as it walked around on the other legs that were normal. Wait and see. theres really nothing you can do but wait it out,anyway. Good luck. As long as it still eats and drinks and can get around in a basic sort of way i would not worry too much!! right guys???!!

 

[Rick]

Most mantids are pretty sluggish and spend most of their time being still sitting in one place.

 

[nasty bugger]

What I meant by sluggish is more awkward. It seems to stumble around, whereas most of the others hop and crawl around pretty fluidly, compared to this guy.

He's improved some. I think he was still just 'soft'.

I've since put him in a different jar to himself.

 

[shorty]

I think it will be okay. I'm not so lucky, however. I had my first mis-molt today. I just got an order in of three different species, which included budwings. I fed the budwings flies last night. I should've removed the fly when he wasn't eating it. Now, his legs are really messed up and he can't hold himself up. It really sucks, never had this happen before and now I'm kicking myself for not removing the fly. I don't get sad over insects, but I hate the thought of having cut short it's life because of my carelessness. Not to mention I just bought it...

 

[revmdn]

Just wondering, how did the fly injure it, or cause the miss-molt? How young was the mantid? I'm very sorry to hear about this.

 

[shorty]

Well, I put a blue bottle fly into it's enclosure, and as it molted from L3 to L4, the fly must have knocked it off it's perch. Either that, or it just fell. I just got it a few days prior to that, and the others were eating flies so I did not know how close to molting it was. It's actually still alive, I want to see if it will eat some D. Hydei when they arrive tomorrow. If it can't even eat a fruit fly, I will feed it to another mantis, but if I can keep alive until the next molt, I think it will make it.

 

[revmdn]

Ok, that sucks. One of my giant asians had a bad molt recently. I also think he fell, but I didn't have any food in with him. I think he perched too low. I since changed his enclosure around. One of his rear legs is is a little weird, and his front legs (food catching legs), are off center. He strikes at food. Although, his aim is off because his legs are a little off. He is still eating very well, but I have to glue a stunned cricket to a stick with honey. He then is able to grab it. He is still very active, and I know this sounds weird, but I think he's in good spirits. I'm just trying to feed him well and hoping all works out during his next molt, but I think he only has one left. I not, he may be food for his brother. <_<

 

[shorty]

Update: My budwing with the bad molt wasn't able to eat after many attempts to feed him with all sizes of food. He was going to starve, so I fed him to one of my S. lineola nymphs. Poor little bugger. I'd rather him be another's food rather than just freezing him or letting him starve to death.