Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii fungal infection?

[Andyfrog321]

My L7 Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii arrived today and is eating very well!

But it's front feet are small stumps and it seems to have a fungal infection on the top of its head.

The 'fungus' is right in-between the spikes on it's head and looks like black soil.

I'm trying to keep the humidity about 30-40% to 'kill off' the fungus.

Anything else I can do?

 

[Termite48]

If you are very careful with a cotton swab, you can touch the area with a dab of bleach on the end of the swab. I would do this as a last resort because of the caustic nature of bleach. To be more careful, you can dilute the bleach 1:1 with pure water. You can use your water sprayer as a fire extinguisher to dilute the area if there is no other way. That means that diluted bleach will be spreading all over. I have used this method before in fish, not with mantids, so please know I make this suggestion based on general knowledge not experience with this exact application.

 

[Andyfrog321]

The fungus doesn't look very 'well stuck', it just looks like a strange muddy mixture with bits falling off.

I was thinking, would it be a good idea to blast it with air to try to blow it off?

 

[agent A]

can we see a pic to be sure it's not natural coloration?

 

[Andyfrog321]

I'm just finishing uploading a YouTube video of it. I'll put on here when it's up.

 

[Andyfrog321]

Here it is:

 

[agent A]

yikes!

looks like it wuz attacked by another mantis

 

[Andyfrog321]

Why do you say that?

 

[agent A]

looks like another mantis bit it in the front of the head

 

[Andyfrog321]

but the spines are all still there. If it was a bite mark, surely the other mantis would have bit the spines before the head underneath. :blink:

 

[gripen]

Oh whoops yeah it looks like fungus.

 

[Andyfrog321]

Has anyone else has a fungus problem?

How can I get rid of it?

 

[twolfe]

Are you in the US?

Did you check with the breeder? After it poops, does it stain the substrate purple? It's easier to tell if you are using a paper towel for substrate. Or is it vomiting?

Fortunately I haven't had much experience with infections. I'm not an expert, but I have been raising p wahlbergii for nine months, and I have never seen that on a nymph. I fed a waxworm to an adult last month, and she stopped eating and developed a black spot on her head like your nymph. She eventually died. She molted to an adult 6 months earlier. So, she was older.

It's a good sign that yours has an appetite and is eating. I'm not sure what else you can do other than keeping it dry for a few days and providing a clean, well ventilated enclosure and perhaps a little sunshine? Be careful about putting plastic enclosures in the sun...

Keep us posted, and good luck.

 

[CoolMantid]

If he/she continues to eat it will be fine, hopefully. My orchid has a small bacterial infection on her leg. She knawed off part of it but she still eats so its fine.

 

[mkayum]

Hope she's okay! I never seen anything like that. Maybe it was not properly cared by the breeder.

Interesting video..

 

[Andyfrog321]

It's still eating and the fungus hasn't got any bigger.

But It has vomited.

I've had some of my other mantids vomit before and they were fine so I'm not sure if it's serious.

If it moults to adult do you think it would lose the fungus on it's head?

 

[agent A]

a few of mine vomit all the time

perhaps it isnt a good idea to load L5s up with hfs

 

[Andyfrog321]

hfs?

 

[agent A]

hfs?

houseflies