cloud jaguar
Well-known member
I have a beautiful pale s. limbata female that i really like. I had a pretty bad scare for her health lately. Last Wednesday I found a fat green caterpillar on an Azalea bush in the front yard. I eagerly plucked the tender morsel and flicked it into the net cage of the mantis. The next day (Thursday) the mantis was fat and there were many caterpillar poops in the enclosure but no sign of mr. caterpillar.
On Friday I noticed that the mantis was very ill and dangling from the fake roses and foliage in her net. She was hanging awkwardly only with her front raptorial arms and her body dangled helplessly. I was pretty bummed since I lost another awesome mantis recently. I tried to hold her and she could barely move from weakness. I gave her a bit of water and also some honey. On Saturday I was sure she was a goner. She pretty much just lay there with one of her rear legs twitching and feebly grasping at the foliage in her enclosure. I had an urge to just put her outside to die in the spring sun but somehow my covetous nature overcame this inclination and I just left her in the net.
On Sunday she was back dangling at the top of her net! She seemed alert and perky! I trapped a couple of flies (see my fly trap post) and flicked them into her net. She greedily ate them like candy corn. Today she nibbled on a cricket.
We use no pesticides in our front yard or rear yard. I can only surmise that the caterpillar or the Azalea perhaps had some toxin which affected her so. She was in a state of profound petrefaction for fully two days, then, as if touched by the hand of the great mantis goddess Herself*, hallowed be Her name, she was alive and well. Oh, what a long strange trip its been! but by and by, I do believe ms. mantis will survive!
*She to which Phil always refers in supplication
On Friday I noticed that the mantis was very ill and dangling from the fake roses and foliage in her net. She was hanging awkwardly only with her front raptorial arms and her body dangled helplessly. I was pretty bummed since I lost another awesome mantis recently. I tried to hold her and she could barely move from weakness. I gave her a bit of water and also some honey. On Saturday I was sure she was a goner. She pretty much just lay there with one of her rear legs twitching and feebly grasping at the foliage in her enclosure. I had an urge to just put her outside to die in the spring sun but somehow my covetous nature overcame this inclination and I just left her in the net.
On Sunday she was back dangling at the top of her net! She seemed alert and perky! I trapped a couple of flies (see my fly trap post) and flicked them into her net. She greedily ate them like candy corn. Today she nibbled on a cricket.
We use no pesticides in our front yard or rear yard. I can only surmise that the caterpillar or the Azalea perhaps had some toxin which affected her so. She was in a state of profound petrefaction for fully two days, then, as if touched by the hand of the great mantis goddess Herself*, hallowed be Her name, she was alive and well. Oh, what a long strange trip its been! but by and by, I do believe ms. mantis will survive!
*She to which Phil always refers in supplication
I hope she completely recovers!
