One big question

[Mantis Lady]

I had 8 mantids of 3 different species before  I went on vacation. I mean 8 in the week before  we left.  In that week I lost 6 of the 7 mantids to something what I call the "sickness" The day before they seemed fine and the next day they getting restless  (stress?) and they end all with their limbs cramped. I replaced feeders, cleaned their homes. but in  short I had to let the 6 go with pain in my heart. and the 2 survivers  were doing fine.

we had all 2 good weeks with no problems.

we came home and normal life started till this morning: Hunter seemed spooked of something. I saw later a fly. Maybe the fly spooked her. She was doing threat pose and looked very stressed. I decided to cover her home in the hope to calm her down and gave her honey-water  But i was worried if it could be the sickness. I sepparated her home from the others. After my afternoon nap I saw her getting worse. Like the 6 were a few weeks ago.

I found her like this this afternoon:

I gave her some honey-water. She drank it.

Here you can see how the is pose of her legs . Not good.What is going on? I fear I will loose her too. But just gave her honey water and hope she will recover,....

I saved this girl 2x her life, but fear this time I can't save her...

 

[Synapze]

Oh no. ? How old is Hunter?

 

[Mantis Lady]

Think she is 2 months old as adult now. not Old.

I found her in the same position like in pic 2. I am really worried... has someone seen this before with the symtomes I have described?

 

[Mantis Lady]

It is affecting feeders too: found a few crickets behaving like Hunter and the old ones. I made a video of to so you can see the symptones:



The grasshoppers seem unaffected. Sad thing is, I see Ashoka behaving differently too. Think I should remove the crickets, maybe the others are infected too but not visible yet.

I don't get it.... I hate this. had to let hunter go, honey gave no improvement...

Feeling bad right now.

 

[Mantis Lady]

I will add this vid again: Flash was the first who got it. At first they stop eating. Think that is first. Then they acting spooked. and in the end they cramps....



I do'n't know what it is, still the big qestion. But I will leave here as much information as i can...

 

[Synapze]

Is it possible that some type of toxin has entered your home?

If you have the option it would probably be best to dispose of all crickets. They are obviouly sick and/or poisoned.

 

[Mantis Lady]

If you have the option it would probably be best to dispose of all crickets.

I have put the crickets in the freezer. Ashoka is gone too. She was barely alive when I found her This afternoon she was standing on her legs but spooked. and now she in in freezer too.

I fear for the 3 little ones If I new the "sickness" was still in my home, i would't have bought the new ones.

Is it possible that some type of toxin has entered your home? 

Like what? Do you have an idea? I have no clue. Thinking about a virus that came into my home that effects insects. (grasshoppers seems all fine and they were bought on the same day as the crickets.) Hubby has no clue either.

I won't buy any mantids till I know the "sickness" is out of my home. it is terrible to loose your pets to this. Dying of old age is ok, but not this.

 

[Synapze]

Have any pest control products (or disinfectant sprays, room deodorizers, aerosol sprays) been used in or near your home recently? Any neighbors having pest control performed or lawns sprayed? I ask because where I live a county truck drives through the neighborhood on a routine basis spraying a cloud of pesticide to control the mosquito population... unfortunately it kills much more than just the mosquitoes and I get worried every time I hear the truck. Have you used any types of real plants in the enclosures recently? Especially chrysanthemums as they can be deadly to invertebrates. Have you started using any new cleaning products recently? Perhaps the crickets were exposed to some type of chemical toxin? I've seen what toxic exposure does to the central nervous system of invertebrates and it looks very similar. As far as viral possibilities, I have no knowledge.

It's sooo easy to tell from your posts that you take good care of your mantids, so there has to be another factor involved. In my opinion, those crickets look very suspect. It seems I read a cricket horror story every week, but I can't speak from experience on that because I'm too paranoid to bring them in my house.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. ? 

Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will pop in soon and respond with something helpful.

 

[kwright]

Did you clean their cages with something different? What kind of water or food are they getting? If it's tap water is there a boil water warning in your area?

 

[Mantis Lady]

Have any pest control products (or disinfectant sprays, room deodorizers, aerosol sprays) been used in or near your home recently?

Nope I never used that stuff in my home.

In my opinion, those crickets look very suspect.

that is why I took them out. what i don't trust i don't give my pets.

Have you used any types of real plants in the enclosures recently?

Nope. I have used always fake plants. Easier to clean

Did you clean their cages with something different?

I use plain tap water to clean their cages. (I heard cleaning materials are not safe) and paper cloths to dry them. and  it is drink water I use.

What kind of water or food are they getting?

The feeder  dubias grasshoppers, crickets) insects are getting cricket food and water gel that I clean every day. If i have salad leaves they get some too.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. ? 

I am really sick of this. Those 8 mantids brought me happiness. I am thinking of something to make in their remenberence. I will not forget them.

 

[Mantis Lady]

Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will pop in soon and respond with something helpful.

I hope it too. I want to enjoy mantids around me in my own home. I am so careful with the 3 nymphs, and I want to see them grow up and getting wings and not die of the sickness..

 

[Synapze]

Those 8 mantids brought me happiness. I am thinking of something to make in their remenberence. I will not forget them.

I understand what you mean. ? 

Google has a service where you can upload your favorite photos and they will create a book of photos for $9.99. I've been saving up my favorite shots to have one made. I think it would be great to have a nice memory book for the coffee table. 

 

[Mantis Lady]

Yeah. I was think doing that too: to creating a photobook. I have tons of pics of them

 

[River Dane]

The video of Flash kind of reminds me of this old YouTube video of an ant that got sprayed with Raid. Of course, the ant was sprayed directly, and so died in a matter of minutes. No idea if pesticides played a role, as most aren’t very harmful to mantids, but it’s possible.

 

[Mantis Lady]

I think indeed the "sickness" is infecting the nervouss stystem. But with me it is way slower. In my home we don't use pesticides because no need for it. I don't know if a virus excists that killes insects by messing up their nervous systems.

 

[MantisGirl13]

I am so sorry that you are having trouble with your mantids again. It is so sad! I hope that we can get to the bottom of this!

- MantisGirl13

 

[Mantis Lady]

I am so sorry that you are having trouble with your mantids again. It is so sad! I hope that we can get to the bottom of this! 

yeah, I hope it too.. I have still no clue what is going on here.

Saw a grasshopper making strange movements too. Removed them i dont wanna take risk, Bah. Only the dubias seem not affected by this.. ( have them a long time) I fed the little ones yesterday dubia goo. Those flies are too slow with coming out of their cocons. But the L4s are hard to handfeed. Everything looks so big in their eyes. Cleopatra enjoyed a piece of a dubia.

The dubia female I wanted to give Chochise for distraction during mating is still alive and healthy.

I thinking what to buy, would it be safe to buy some fruitflies so the little ones can eat that, or staying with dubia goo? the flies ares low. I have even a box with fly pupea standing on my comp to fasten the transformation  with heat that comes from comp and they will come so I can feed them to the nymphs.

It is so hard to think what is safe for them to eat.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Fruit flies can be good food for nymphs like that. I have my budwings trained, so if I hold a piece of dubia goo, or moth about an inch in front of their faces, they will come up and take it from me right away, without even tasting it first!

- MantisGirl13

 

[kwright]

I heard somewhere that water gel may have chemicals in it that, given too frequently could be bad for the feeder bugs. I wonder also if maybe there is mold in your water gel? Or in the feeder food?