something not right with my african

[kevinr]

This morning when i got up, I noticed my mantid was going off on one. Her normal place is attached to the roof of the enclosure, but today she was trying to walk around...very unsucessfully. She couldn't balance, kept falling over, and if she flipped over, she couldn't get back on her feet.

Wheni got back from college this afternoon, I noticed her right eye is completley brown in colour, she can barely stand now,and is onall 6 with her head resting against the glass, and she can no longer hold her abdomen up.

She moulted into an adult around 4 weeks ago, so could this be a case of old age? or could there be another possibility? Either way, I'm starting to think it would be the right time to euphanase as I don't want to see her struggle anymore.

Any advice at this stage would be very much appreciated

 

[yen_saw]

Your mantis is probably very ill from infection, she is definately not old at 4-week old as adult. It didn't sound good sorry

 

[Jwonni]

my african female was an adult for around 6 months maybe more so its not old age

Mine i beleive was old age she over the course of a few days got lower and lower on her climbing wall until her bum was resting on the floor she had no energy to hold herself up and i couldn't watch it an longer so she went in the freezer

sounds like the same sorta symptoms (except for the eye) but a different cause

 

[kevinr]

oh..that's not good :shock:

what kind of things could have caused this? I clean her tank regular, to remove any carcasses, or uneaten food. COuld it be casued by any of the insects I feed her?

 

[Rick]

Sometimes it just happens regardless of how good you care of them.

 

[kevinr]

hmmm...really sucks

Thanks for the help guys, I thnk this lay now has a date with the freezer, as she is now on her back again kicking her legs feebely.