Not sure why my mantis died

[uralowl]

I recently ordered 2 Asian Ant mantis nymphs off eBay. They arrived yesterday and appeared to be either L1 or L2 nymphs, very tiny. Both were just fine yesterday. I put them in separate jars, misted them and gave them fruit flies.

Today, I saw one of the mantids sitting rather strangely on the side of the glass: 2 legs on one side facing forward and the other 2 legs facing backward on the other side. I decided to open the jar and gently prod it, but it didn't move. It was still able to hook onto my finger, but it wasn't moving at all and looked dead. Unfortunately I dropped the body onto the substrate and can't find it again now. I've left it for the meantime in case it may still be alive, but quite frankly, it looked very much dead.

All of my mantids are just fine, including the other Asian Ant mantis. I really haven't got a clue why it died and in such a strange way as well. It was being kept in the exact same conditions as its sibling.

This is only the second mantis death I've had, my first one was when my giant Asian mantis had a very bad mismolt, but at least I knew how such died. No idea about this one. Has anyone got any ideas what might have happened and has something similar ever happened to anyone else?

 

[maybon]

Young nymphs often die for no reason. Probably nothing you did wrong, maybe you have too many flies in there and it stressed him out.

 

[dlemmings]

I have lost Nymphs for no apparent reason,

it may "seem" to be better to know the reason (if only to avoid looses in the future) it is frustrating to loose one for any reason, mismolt, cannibalism, ignorance or just nature.

sorry for your loss...

I just had an ooth hatch only 4-5 nymphs which I misted lightly in the morning and again after work (a little over 12 hours apart) and they were eating fruit flys...all were found dead in thier delicup right next to a perfectly fine delicup full of nymphs that were fine plus my other older nympghs in invividual delicups or other enclosures.

 

[Mantiskid]

Small mantids often die for no reason. I once had an acontista multicolor from brian and it died the morning after I got it. Personally, I think it is a temp/humidity/ventilation problem. Smnall nymphs seem to do better with a little less humidity, lower temperatures, and a lot better ventilation.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Ditto to the above, they just drop dead for no reason, except to make us feel guilty!

 

[Krissim Klaw]

If a mantis dies within a 24 hour period of arrivial I look at the stresses of shipping to be a potential cause. Some mantises handle trips better than others.

 

[uralowl]

Thanks for all the replies, it is somewhat reassuring to know other people have had nymphs die on them for no obvious reason as well, though I am sorry for all your losses.

I only had about 4 small fruit flies in his jar so I don't think it's that, I guess the stress from shipping may indeed have been the cause for the mantid's death. Or he could indeed have just dropped for seemingly no reason.

It's sad, but these things happen and I guess it's just something I'll have to get used to with such delicate insects.