Step-By-Step: The Molting Proccess

[lectricblueyes]

Howdy folks. I've read here and there about the molting process. I know it is a time when a mantis is at risk of injury or death. But I have questions because I've never witnessed the "molt". I've only found dry gutless versions of my mantids hanging on the lid. Here are my questions:

1. Can anyone explain in simple terms, with a basic time line exactly what the "process" is?

2. When is it dangerous for the Mantid? When he's stepping away and de-attaching himself from his old skin or is he vulnerable immediately after that?

3. How long does this all take?

4. What are the "signs" of molting so I can keep crickets OUT of the enclosures?

5. What steps can I take to best support this process? Humidity? Better to be dry? Can I use tweezers to help remove the skin?

My questions come after a semi-disastrous week. I lost an Acromantis from a bad molt this week. He was a lump of twitching confusion at the bottom of his container. I've had 3 Giant Shield's become injured or die from this molting in the past week. One of them has a ruined foot and 2 of them have raptor arms that are locked stiff or are unusable.

My containers are not big, and I plan on just... going with 32oz containers. I liked the smaller ones because I could fit more in a smaller area. I even removed the sponge from the bottom of the containers and the nymphs have x2 their body length (or more) in free space between the lids and the bottom. Why play with space when I can get 32oz's and have tons of space. I get it. I'm going to fix that but I have a hard time believing that my "smaller" yet sufficient cups are the cause of 4 mis-molts in 1 week. I'll add a photograph tonight, to this thread which will shows my standard enclosure for my nymphs. Thanks ahead of time you guys!

 

[lectricblueyes]

 

[Nymphe]

[No message]

 

[Rick]

The mantis in your pic can do one molt safety it appears. You need taller containers like I mentioned before. The 32 oz will work perfectly. Many small species can spend their entire lives in them. Molting is pretty fast except for the last one when it involves wings. Do not introduce food for 24 hours after molting at a minimum. The lid style it appears you have is fine, same ones I use. I never had any issues with crickets eating on a mantis unless the mantis fell since I never have any sticks or anything that would allow a cricket to get at the mantis. If the mantis falls during molting it's a goner anyways. Wouldn't hurt to add a damp paper towel or some spahgnum moss. You don't need to do anything special when molting is near. If you're doing everything right things will go smoothly. Mismolts happen to everybody from time to time so don't get discouraged.

 

[lectricblueyes]

Check out

WOW! THANK YOU Nymphe for the details. I now have complete understanding of the molting proccess. Mysteries solved! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PhilinYuma]

Nymphe:

That is as good a description of the molting process as I have seen. Great video, too! Thank you!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Better than I could of done, make a sticky out of it!

 

[Katnapper]

All previous comments... +!. Great write up, Nymphe!

Rick, so you've never had any problems with them hanging on well to the cloth vented lids for the 32 oz. containers? I'm just curious, as I've never used those containers for mantids. But the lids just don't look like they would give much traction to me. I was thinking maybe that's the reason Lectric's mantids were having trouble this week (looks like he uses the same type of lids, just different oz. size cup). But yours molt fine from them all the time?

 

[PhilinYuma]

All previous comments... +!. Great write up, Nymphe!Rick, so you've never had any problems with them hanging on well to the cloth vented lids for the 32 oz. containers? I'm just curious, as I've never used those containers for mantids. But the lids just don't look like they would give much traction to me. I was thinking maybe that's the reason Lectric's mantids were having trouble this week (looks like he uses the same type of lids, just different oz. size cup). But yours molt fine from them all the time?

I've never had any trouble with the cloth lids, Katt. I start off new nymphs with them, to keep the ffs in, and don't see much reason to change 'em. Also they hold the humidity a little longer in arid Yuma than do the metal ones. The surface of the cloth is quite rough to the touch and gives good purchase, probably better I would think, than some of the leaves under which they molt in their natural habitat.

 

[whamslam3]

All previous comments... +!. Great write up, Nymphe!Rick, so you've never had any problems with them hanging on well to the cloth vented lids for the 32 oz. containers? I'm just curious, as I've never used those containers for mantids. But the lids just don't look like they would give much traction to me. I was thinking maybe that's the reason Lectric's mantids were having trouble this week (looks like he uses the same type of lids, just different oz. size cup). But yours molt fine from them all the time?

my lids are just the 32oz container lids and i manually poked holes in it. do u think they can stick to that well when they molt cuz they hang from there all the time. or should i do somethin now? i aslo have sticks in there they could hang from.

 

[Katnapper]

I've never had any trouble with the cloth lids, Katt. I start off new nymphs with them, to keep the ffs in, and don't see much reason to change 'em. Also they hold the humidity a little longer in arid Yuma than do the metal ones. The surface of the cloth is quite rough to the touch and gives good purchase, probably better I would think, than some of the leaves under which they molt in their natural habitat.

Hmmm.... thanks for the info, Phil. As I said, I've never used them for mantids, so I really didn't know.

 

[Rick]

All previous comments... +!. Great write up, Nymphe!Rick, so you've never had any problems with them hanging on well to the cloth vented lids for the 32 oz. containers? I'm just curious, as I've never used those containers for mantids. But the lids just don't look like they would give much traction to me. I was thinking maybe that's the reason Lectric's mantids were having trouble this week (looks like he uses the same type of lids, just different oz. size cup). But yours molt fine from them all the time?

Never had an issue with it. They work just fine. I have a few lids that have metal screen but those came from a friend and I have never seen them for sale.

 

[Katnapper]

Never had an issue with it. They work just fine. I have a few lids that have metal screen but those came from a friend and I have never seen them for sale.

Thanks, Rick. Yes, I have a couple of the metal screen lids too, but haven't used them in general for mantids either. I did put Quasimoda (she turned out to be a "she" after I'd named her) in a medium size cup with the metal mesh after her first bad molt. And she did good in it. But if you and Phil say the cloth vented lids work well... then I'm a believer.

 

[revmdn]

I like the cloth and wire lined lids. Better safe than sorry. Rebecca sells them.

 

[whamslam3]

I like the cloth and wire lined lids. Better safe than sorry. Rebecca sells them.

do i need to get a screen lid or cloth lid for the molt? cuz i dont have 1. all i have is a plastic lid that i poked a ###### load of holes in with a needle, will my lid be safe for them to molt from? they hang from it all the time but im not sure for molting. i also have like 2 sticks in there but they never go on them.

 

[revmdn]

I'm sure it's ok as long as the lid has some texture for them to grip.

 

[macro junkie]

Never had an issue with it. They work just fine. I have a few lids that have metal screen but those came from a friend and I have never seen them for sale.

i use them all the time and never have any mantids slip during shedding

 

[PhilinYuma]

Never had an issue with it. They work just fine. I have a few lids that have metal screen but those came from a friend and I have never seen them for sale.

I don't know whether or not this is the kind of metal mesh lid you are thinking of, Rick, but the ones on the right are good: http://www.mantisplace.com/images/675lids.jpg

 

[sk8erkho]

It's been a while since I had molting problems until this last go with my wide arms. they are all from the same ooth I suspect and this time it's only the wings. Once I realized the problem with the males I changed the specifics of the female for her final molt. Normally, my mantids just molt at regular room particulars and hanging from a branch in a flower pot near the window sill. I have even had a mantid molt correctly while on it's "out" time hanging from the child protection bars across the window. So, it was not until I started going by the care pages suggestions and some of the 32.oz cups that I seemed to run into problems with some mantids...go figure!!! I have had mantids fall and or get trapped in their exo and lightly spritzed it and slwoly and carfully helped it out of the old skin to become a perfect molt or just saved a life with a minimal deformation which was corrected down the line with another molt!! So, there are different things that dicctate diffirent results and such!! In the end my opinion is nothing is cast in stone as when they are in the wild nautre provides the variables...while in captivity it's a kind of artificial make shift environment provide for our little dudes and dudettes!! with that said it's a ###### shoot!