Should I cut off his leg? :'(

[PIaf94]

Little update on my idolo.

When I fist got him at L1 he had

Twisted up legs. All four walking ones.



He now molted into L2 and to my horror ended up

Stuck! (Tell the truth,.. was kinda expecting it)

His back two legs were stuck so I had to literally pry

Him out of his old exo skeleton. Now he has 3 functioning

Walking legs and one just dangling.

Looks like he can still catch pray but only time will tell



Question now is should I just cut it off? Looks like it will just be

Dead weight?

Thanks

 

[rickyveloz33]

I dont know if its tru but I think they bite ther leg off. But I dont think u shouldcut it if its not bothering him and maybe ull probably do more damage.

 

[Acro]

If he gets around, feeds normally, then leave it. If he is getting caught on things, falling over because of it, then pop it off.

Good Luck!

 

[PIaf94]

Thanks for the quick replies. I just needed a second opinion. I'll be watching carefully if the broken leg does become a problem for it. He just molted so I'll have to wait on the feeding. I know one of the main problems for this species is getting enough grip when molting so I'll just have to hope it can do so with three legs

 

[Toxic]

If you choose to cut it off you could be making things much worse and leaving the mantis open to infections... That's not to mention the stress it would be under while you cut its leg off.. This could also lead to death...

I say leave your mantis alone look at the improvement it's made in just 1 moult another 2-3 moults you probably wouldn't even notice....

Also if the leg gets in the way too much the mantids will chew it off itself in the correct place to minimise the chance of infection...

Also if it made it most of the way through a moult with 0 walking legs I think it'll do just fine with 3....

 

[LAME]

I agree.... If you choose to cut off the limb you'd be leaving your mantis to infections.

best bet is leave him alone. If he's still mobile and able to eat alone your good. He may or may not eat the leg. More than likely not...

as on of my Chinese (r.i.p tripod) had a terrible molt failure and left him a mess.. At the end of it he had one good leg and one good arm. Though he was able to move about and climb it did take him much longer in doing so. He couldn't catch prey so I would have to tweezer feed him his meals ( literally holding the food the entire feedings). He eventually became used to it and was able to hold his own meals, but id have to catch them and give them.

he didn't make it through his last molt... But like I said, he was in horrible shape. Well worse than yours.

best of luck.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

I wouldn't touch it unless absolutely necessary. I had one mantis with a leg completely flipped over his back completely heal it in his next molt. They can also even regain some usage after the failed molt. As they fill in their new skin the limb forming underneath can help push things in the right direction. The mantises often seem to instinctively stretch and rest the bad limbs in ways that naturally help them.