mantis that wont molt

[nursemelody]

I had three Chinese Mantis ooths hatch, and released a whole bunch into my gardens. I kept like 12 to raise, and plan to release all but 4 to breed.... They have probably molted 5 or so times and are considerably big... yet I have one that NEVER molted and is just as small as when s/he hatched.... yet seems to be doing fine and eating... What is wrong? Are their mantis dwarfs?

 

[massaman]

I think it prob needs to be fed more or given more heat or humidity or something!

 

[nursemelody]

It has been treated the same as all of the other 12 I have kept... same temp, heat, frequency of feeding, and misting????

 

[Mr.Mantid]

It probably has MAIDS Mantis Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

 

[PragmaticHominid]

I've got a budwing nymph with a similar problem. It's two or three molts behind its siblings, though they've all had the same care and conditions.

 

[MantidLord]

Wow, I had the exact same thing happen with the exact same species. I raised them in captivity and its siblings had reached L5 while one nymph was still at the first instar. I fed it fruit flies and it was constantly full. It ended up dying for unknown reasons. Perhaps it's not external conditions that cause this. This could be one of the reasons why so many nymphs of these species die. I mean, T. sinensis and budwings both hatch a lot of nymphs from one ooth.

 

[Ricardo]

Same thing happened to my violin. She died to . . .

 

[Ghozt]

change what you are feeding the mantis. more heat/humidity

 

[nursemelody]

Well all the others that I had kept are doing fine on the heat and humidity and food they were getting....I kept 12 from an ooth and now have 7. The one that wasn't molting eventually died like everyone else with the same problem said. Of the others I had 1 escapee, and 3 bad molts..

 

[MantidLord]

Maybe there's something genetic going on. That's the only reason I would see so many nymphs dying out when faced with no predator and given optimal conditions to live in.

 

[patrickfraser]

Maybe there's something genetic going on. That's the only reason I would see so many nymphs dying out when faced with no predator and given optimal conditions to live in.

Not being racist or anything, but they are after all, chinese.