Oh!

[agent A]

Okay I am tired of this! Mr. Nervous just died, but the pattern was so farmiliar. 3 L5 males of mine did this:

1. He becomes L5

2. He becomes listless and stops eating

3. He seems sick, but it doesn't seem too bad

4. He dies soon after, in a position that looks like he's just standing there.

This is the pattern, what's the problem? I hate this. But Mellisa is molting now!

 

[PhilinYuma]

Okay I am tired of this! Mr. Nervous just died, but the pattern was so farmiliar. 3 L5 males of mine did this:1. He becomes L5

2. He becomes listless and stops eating

3. He seems sick, but it doesn't seem too bad

4. He dies soon after, in a position that looks like he's just standing there.

This is the pattern, what's the problem? I hate this. But Mellisa is molting now!

Good description Alex, but tell us a couple more things.

What is the species, again?

How long after the molt does this happen? In other words do they ever fully recover from the molt?

Exactly what do you mean by "seems sick, but it doesn't seem too bad" (aparently it is!)? Do they still eat?

Exactly how much humidity are they getting, i.e., size of pot, type of substrate if any, kind of lid and number of squirts from the bottle each time, and how often you mist?

What are you feeding them?

I ask all this because, unlike an isolated death, this does seem to be a pattern. I hope that you are doing something wrong, so that the problem can be corrected. If you aren't doing anything wrong, then it is the will of the Great Mantis Goddess, and you are out of luck.

Finally, how many males and females do you have left (if Melissa is your last, it's a bit late to be solving the problem)?

 

[revmdn]

Could be the roach spray.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Could be the roach spray.

It really could!

 

[agent A]

well Mr. Nervous came back to life, the other 2 species were a budwing and european.

 

[PhilinYuma]

well Mr. Nervous came back to life, the other 2 species were a budwing and european.

Well, good for Mr Nervous! I had the idea that you had had a string of the same species dying after they moulted. Did theses deathgs occur far apatrt, days, weeks months? It some of their siblings survive?

 

[hibiscusmile]

Hows the ventalation?

 

[Rick]

Don't bypass the word filters.

 

[agent A]

Hows the ventalation?

uhm, well fresh air gets in when I open the cage, which I do at least once daily.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Do u have any vents in there? if not that is the problem, they need to be vented containers. Otherwise the containers will be little hot houses, and moisture cannot escape and mold will develope, it may not be where u can see it, but be there it will, show me picture.

 

[agent A]

Do u have any vents in there? if not that is the problem, they need to be vented containers. Otherwise the containers will be little hot houses, and moisture cannot escape and mold will develope, it may not be where u can see it, but be there it will, show me picture.

the picture of some caging is on my website. just go to the "Mantids in Captivity" part.

 

[beckyl92]

the net cages are fine but seriously, id put some netting over the top of the first cage. this is why they're dying! they can't breathe.

 

[agent A]

but it doesn't affect females!

 

[beckyl92]

lol.. all mantids need to breathe

 

[agent A]

yes but I open the cages everyday to feed them and stuff.

 

[bassist]

yes but I open the cages everyday to feed them and stuff.

Not enough.

 

[ismart]

but it doesn't affect females!

ventalation affects both genders. Your insects need to breathe!

 

[beckyl92]

i really wanna know where he gets this info from :lol:

 

[agent A]

well I have only a hanful of net cages, so I try to use recycled containers for smaller mantids, maybe some lid ventilation would help.