Slow to empty gut

[Chivalry]

I had noticed that I had to feed one of my H. majuscula males a LOT less than his siblings - his stool was a lot smaller, and his abdomen took a lot longer to flatten. Then last week I noticed that the lower end of his abdomen looked rottted. He only lasted a day after I noted that.

Anyone experience anything like this? Is there something I might have done differently? They have been on BBFs and crickets, all presub or subadult. Everyone else is hale and hearty and pursuing prey with an enthusiasm only equalled by my creos.

I doubt that it's related but he did have a bad molt, about three back, and ended up chewing off the malformed leg that got stuck in the exoskeleton. However, the leg regenerated and other than the slow to empty gut, he seemed to be doing fine. There was never any diarrhea.

 

[agent A]

what temp was he at??

 

[Chivalry]

About 72 F.

 

[Domanating]

The loss of appetite must be due to the disease. I lost 2 females that way last year.

The last segment of the abdomen of this one started to darken and her poo didn't seem like poo at all but more like thick black liquid. She died 2 days after this pick

This one i can say she was a fighter. She lived nearly a month after the infection started and it was the biggest i ever seen in a praying-mantis. Very nasty looking and when i examined it post-mortem it felt rock solid in comparison with the healthier tissue. When i opened her up to preserve her later, she had a lot of weird black blobs inside... No idea what it could be.

These were old though, and the immune system fails to work properly. If your mantid is getting old, then his time is arriving

 

[Termite48]

Try a warmer temperature as this will speed up the metabolic rate. I would try 82-84 daytime and 72 + at night. More humidity also would not hurt if it is on the dry side.

 

[PhilinYuma]

If only one individual had this problem, it must be the individual rather than the environment that was the problem. Your mantis probably had a stricture, necrosis or mechanical blockage in the gut; you did nothing wrong and its death was inevitable.

The Great Mantis Goddess (BbHN) is not mad at you -- this time.

 

[Chivalry]

Some sort of blockage was my thought too, with necrosis resulting from it. Thanks as always for the info everyone.

 

[Chivalry]

Wait... does the mantis goddess require sacrifices other than the ones I am already feeding her children?