mantis seems constipated.

mstng82 · Jun 13, 2014

Hello. It's me again with Marty. He is now 6 months old and still quite small (2.5 inches). For lack of a better word he looks constipated. I normally don't see him while he's taking a bathroom break. However, it seems to be taking a long time to pass this one. He is lethargic, but will still eat. I have read other owners cleaning this off. Should I and if so will a q - tip and water be ok?

Please respond ASAP so I can help him quickly. Thanks.

PlayingMantis · Jun 14, 2014

How long has he been adult? Male tenoderas only live 2-3 months as adults, so he could be nearly the end of his lifespan. If this is the case, it is normal to see the body starting to wind down.

What has he been eating? "Bad" food can lead to digestion problems (infection, hard to digest, etc).

You can take a q tip with some water to clean off his rear end. And let him drink some water and keep him in a well ventilated area. Good luck!

mstng82 · Jun 16, 2014

Marty may be 6 months old, but he has only molted 5 times. He does not have his wings. I feed him fruit flies that I raise just for him. I did clean him off with a q tip, but it was difficult. All these changes in him have occurred in the past 2 weeks. I was hoping to release him into my organic garden, but until he gets his wings that won't happen.

PlayingMantis · Jun 16, 2014

Okay I see! Has he pooped at all in the past few days? You said he takes a long time to pass waste. It sounds like the waste is stuck in a clump to his rear end, rather than coming out in individual round pellets? The best you could do is give him his daily "cleaning" and to give him water. Or maybe a crushed up fly if he can still eat.

What's the temperature and humidity like? Do you mist a lot? Does the enclosure have enough air flow? If the humidity's too high and/or you mist too much, the mantis could get internal infections. You can place him in front of a gently blowing fan.

Or sometimes, a mantis might just get sick for no apparent reason. Even if you're doing everything right.

Btw, is this the same Tenodera sinensis you mentioned a while ago?

mstng82 · Jun 17, 2014

Thanks for the info. He is the same mantis (Chinese) I mentioned before. This has been quite the experience. Maybe it is too humid now in his enclosure. I will open it up more often or cut another hole. In the winter, it was hard to keep the humidity (we actually put a humidifier in the bathroom at night for him). He has passed waste in the last several days, just takes longer than usual. He gets misted once a day and does drink water off the leaves in his enclosure. He is still eating when fed every other day. I really hope this passes soon. Thanks for all your advice.