moulted, then gone soft... :(

[superfreak]

this happened a while ago to an archimantis of mine... then she died... and now it has happened to my sub-adult goliath stick insect! i want to know what it is that makes this happen (moulting then going all soft and weak) so i can stop it from happening again! and the goliath is still alive for now...for anyone whos had this happen before - have you ever been able to heal them?

i am tres uncheerful!

thanks for any suggestions guys

 

[Rick]

Little confused about what you mean. After a molt they are very soft and fragile for a couple days. This is normal. Don't disturb them for a couple hours after molting so that they can dry.

 

[The_Asa]

Agreed. All mantis are soft after a molt. The problem is most likely arising from overhandling of the creature before it is ready.

 

[superfreak]

Sorry if i wasnt clear!

I know they are fragile after moulting. This is something else that arises about two days after the moult. They become weak and are unsteady and sometimes unable to support themselves. I figured out what the problem was with the goliath - the leaves were too thick for him to chew through with jaws that were stilll soft after a moult - he had become starved. fully recovered after a few days of handfeeding fresh shoots. still unsure of why it occurs with my mantids though...

 

[The_Asa]

Ah, I see. The problem with your mantids then are most likely underfeeding before molting. They consume a large amount of energy while molting, and afterwards are soft so are unable to eat for a period. In this period they can grow weak and die. It's always a good policy to make sure the mantids are well fed at all times.

 

[superfreak]

Ok thanks!

its a bit hard to force them to eat, haha! ill keep it in mind though.

on another note, is it possible to overfeed them? ive heard rumors but am not entirely sure... ive got a female who is nearing the end of her life and has laid many an ooth (and thus been quite fat and demanding at times!) but ive never seen her eat as much as she has in the past few days. if there is food provided, she will actively chase it own around her enclosure and eat it, even though shes become so engorged she has difficulty walking! shes even attacked the wings of flies she threw away earlier and eaten them! ive even seen her fall over while eating and then CONTINUE EATING ON HER BACK!!! haha!! is she getting ready for one last massive ooth or has age turned her into a glutton??

 

[The_Asa]

Never had a mantis that crazy for food :lol:

There have been incidents of overfeeding mantids, but they are few and far between. It's highly unlikely that "exploding" will occur. Most of the problems with "exploding" mantids happen when the mantids are fat already and then fall down because of lack of proper footholds.

 

[superfreak]

thats good. yeah, i was worried about her falling and causing herself damage so most of her branches are very low now. when they get old and die...do you just come in one day and find them dead? i havnt had one die from old age yet

 

[The_Asa]

thats good. yeah, i was worried about her falling and causing herself damage so most of her branches are very low now. when they get old and die...do you just come in one day and find them dead? i havnt had one die from old age yet

They grow older gradually, when you see them falling often, lethargic, males drinking a lot of water, and not eating as much food, you'll know it's the beginning of the end.

 

[superfreak]

aw apart from her voracious appetite, thats her in a nutshell. my boyfriends started calling her 'granny'.