Something wrong with him?

[OGIGA]

My orchid male doesn't look quite right. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. He doesn't like using his hind right leg. In fact, the "pedal" on that leg looks like it's not quite right. I don't think he had so much brown right after he molted either. Any advice will be good.

 

[OGIGA]

By the way, I fed him honey on Tuesday or Wednesday. Does that have anything to do with this?

 

[robo mantis]

Honey has bacteria but good bacteria i think your fine there. Also it looks like it may be hurt it may have fallen and landed on the leg or a cricket could have bit him.

 

[OGIGA]

Maybe I closed a lid on his leg, but it couldn't have been that far up. I don't have any crickets to attack him so maybe he fell when I wasn't looking. :?

 

[Rob Byatt]

The brown is completely normal. My first thought was you trapped the tarsus in the lid, then you suggested you may have done that ! It does look that way to be honest.

The lobe is only slightly deformed, don't worry about it.

Rob.

 

[Jwonni]

Fed him honey?

was this off your finger or a bit in his home and he went to it?

is this good for them as a species maybe good for all mantids?

 

[yen_saw]

It is good to feed your orchid honey loaded flies. Honey is a good bacteria/mold resistance substance. My orchid mantis seldom vomit after being fed honey gut-load flies. Another thing is the ootheca of orchid (especially the foam) contain certain amount of sugar according to an entomology here, which explain why orchid mantis fed on purely cricket produce deformed ootheca lack of foam whereas orchid mantis from the wild fed on nectar loaded flying insects don't have this problem.

 

[Rick]

He will be fine. Don't worry about it as it won't affect him.

 

[OGIGA]

I fed honey directly to him from a toothpick. I didn't give him a whole lot, but he was very happy to take it. All my other mantises had a little honey too and I haven't seen any hints of vomiting. I did notice that their feces is stickier.