Tenodera sinensis dying

[MantidBro]

My female Tenodera sinensis, Keek, reached adulthood on the 5th of January. Yesterday morning, she was showing symptoms that she's dying. Slow/weak. Can't walk without falling over. By the evening she ended up getting better, was crawling all around on me and everything. But today she's worse than she was yesterday morning, and now her antennae and mouth aren't moving.

It isn't black death, though. She hasn't been puking, doesn't smell the way my other mantids did when they had black death, and isn't drinking excessively as though she's dehydrated. She's just weak and now can hardly hold herself up.

The last time I saw her, she was healthy and lively, catching and eating a cricket. I wonder if the cricket was diseased and gave her some illness other than black death. She doesn't have the symptoms of black death, which three of my mantids have died from. She isn't puking, isn't drinking excessively, and doesn't give off any odor.

Does anyone know what this is?

 

[MandellaMandy123]

That sounds like a different kind of infection to me, unfortunately it was most likely from the cricket.

 

[Digger]

Sorry to read this Bro. Crix can bring pathogens for sure. I've fed Nikki crix almost exclusively and been very lucky. All PetSmart bought. Before she gets any, I make damn sure the crix are gut loaded with whole oats, top quality fish flakes and Flukers. I keep them in limited supply, quiet and happy. If I could feed them caviar, I would. I believe this process (gut load for 2 days) has helped Nikki remain healthy through her long life.

 

[MantidBro]

That sounds like a different kind of infection to me, unfortunately it was most likely from the cricket.

I'm thinking it was the cricket too seeing how right after she ate it she went downhill, plus it was a brand new batch of crickets too.

 

[MantidBro]

Sorry to read this Bro. Crix can bring pathogens for sure. I've fed Nikki crix almost exclusively and been very lucky. All PetSmart bought. Before she gets any, I make damn sure the crix are gut loaded with whole oats, top quality fish flakes and Flukers. I keep them in limited supply, quiet and happy. If I could feed them caviar, I would. I believe this process (gut load for 2 days) has helped Nikki remain healthy through her long life.

Thanks. I've been lucky up until that batch, also get mine from PetSmart. I wondered if caring for the crickets for a while would make them healthier, makes sense.

 

[RocknessMonster]

It always seems to be the crickets. I never had problems with any other bug when it was feeding time. Petsmart is usually good about getting rid of 'sick' batches. Can't win them all sadly, but it's a swing in a miss sometimes.

 

[Digger]

MantidBro, Did your Chinese survive? I fed Nikki Mantis a new mealie yesterday and she became sick soon after. She's been listless and vomiting ever since. Can't even keep down water. Mealies were from Pet Smart (Timberline Pet Foods) and not gut loaded.

 

[MantidBro]

It always seems to be the crickets. I never had problems with any other bug when it was feeding time. Petsmart is usually good about getting rid of 'sick' batches. Can't win them all sadly, but it's a swing in a miss sometimes.

Yeah I didn't either up until that point, it's unfortunate

 

[MantidBro]

MantidBro, Did your Chinese survive? I fed Nikki Mantis a new mealie yesterday and she became sick soon after. She's been listless and vomiting ever since. Can't even keep down water. Mealies were from Pet Smart (Timberline Pet Foods) and not gut loaded.

No, unfortunately she ended up dying.

A meal worm did that to Nikki? That's really too bad.

Maybe it's another situation where the worms are USUALLY okay, but this one rare time, they weren't... or at least the one Nikki ate wasn't.

Oye, what to feed them? I'm starting to think I might just get blue bottle flies online, they're the only food source I've never heard anyone complain about their mantid dying after eating...