Not moving during molt

[Sphynx016]

ive seen my mantis in the same position for the last our already he is not moving his abdomen is out but his antenna and claws still arent i did some light supplementry mistings since hes a dry species but it isnt seeming to work should i turn off his infrared light ?PLEASE HELP

Thank you

 

[LAME]

Try bumping humidity! Its molt failing and going to get stuck in it's old skin.

 

[happy1892]

Sounds bad. I am guessing he will not be able to survive. Live for a while, but won't be able to molt next time. Pictures of your enclosure, and some more information on how you are caring for them please!

 

[Sphynx016]

hes not in very good shape,but theres still hope for him

 

[PlayingMantis]

Sorry to hear about that. What kind of mantis is it?

A few times before, I've had mantises that were unable to molt. They weren't even able to get any part of their body outside of the old skin. It was always extremely saddening -- they'd be stuck inside their old skin until they die. The only other way would be to manually remove the old skin, but this almost always leads to a disfigured mantis that can barely walk, grip, or eat. I don't mean to sound harsh, but when a mantis gets stuck in a molt, there's not much you can do. Again, sorry to hear about your mantis.

In the future, considering 1) provide adequate humidity, 2) providing the mantis with extra water to drink, and 3) make sure the mantis has had a plentiful, varied diet in the weeks leading up to the molt (occasionally a mantis would be too weak to molt properly).

 

[Sphynx016]

its popa spurca and i give it the same humidity as the others idk why thy molting failed i even gave it supplementle mists.right know its in nits enclosure witha bunch of paper towels and when i put the mealworm guts to is mouth he starts chewing but not if sure eating i successfully pulled the molt off the head and one antenna and his abdomen is also free but his claws are always closed and im not sure they molted and i pulled it off some legs he cant walk can mantids molt on reall soft ground?im doing the best i can for him life wise .plz help thanks

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[Ranitomeya]

If it initiated the process of molting and did not escape completely very quickly, there's absolutely nothing you can do. Even managing to remove exoskeleton that should have been molted off without accidentally injuring the mantis will not work, as you cannot remove the exoskeleton still lining the digestive system and respiratory system--that's something that requires a series of muscle contractions that should have taken place when the new exoskeleton was still extremely pliable. It will be incapable of properly absorbing nutrients and pooping and it will be struggling to perform gas exchange through doubly thick trachea while it remains alive.

 

[happy1892]

Yes, some mantids can molt from the ground, like maybe Acromantis. But most mantids can't I think.