Two P. wahlbergii mismolts

[JoeCapricorn]

Last night I noticed one of the P. wahlbergii was in the process of molting. Hours later, there seemed to be no change, as if its molting stopped right then and there. Its name would've been Satyr but will for now remain unnamed.

I upped the humidity in the other three wahlbergii containers, one of them (now named Capri) molted successfully to what I am assuming to be L3. Another has yet to molt but I will be keeping an eye on them (Ibex). A third molted sometime early this morning, but the same thing happened - he got stuck in the molting process (this ones name is Fawn) - Fawn was further along the molting process, but all of his legs and both of his raptorial claws are messed up, old exoskeleton still stuck on.

With Satyr I thought it was too little humidity, but with Fawn I am now not sure because I upped his humidity quite a bit. What exactly can I do to prevent this from happening in the future? Is this something to worry about later on in their lives?

Both Fawn and Satyr have working mouthparts. I can try hand feeding them both until their next molt. Satyr's actual name is blank, " ", but if he molts again and is still alive, his name becomes "L", - if he reaches adult he'll be named "Lucky", and in between a letter will be added each time he molts (so he'll be "L", then "Lu", then "Luc", then "Luck", etc).

All containers have good ventilation and I used a wad of paper towel to provide humidity - this paper towel is still moist in Fawn's enclosure, but Satyr's enclosure had been virtually dry.

 

[JoeCapricorn]

Is this just something that can happen sometimes?

I would really appreciate an answer before Ibex molts, so if there is something I can do to prevent this from happening again, I can act on it.

 

[ismart]

There is really not to much more you can do. Just make sure you keep the humidity high. Make sure the paper towel stays very moist. When you know one is ready to molt make sure all feeders are removed from the enclosure. Make sure there are plenty of perches for them to chose from. Aside from all this there is still a chance of miss molts. Sadly these thing happen from time to time no matter what you do. Good luck with rest of them.

 

[JoeCapricorn]

There is really not to much more you can do. Just make sure you keep the humidity high. Make sure the paper towel stays very moist. When you know one is ready to molt make sure all feeders are removed from the enclosure. Make sure there are plenty of perches for them to chose from. Aside from all this there is still a chance of miss molts. Sadly these thing happen from time to time no matter what you do. Good luck with rest of them.

I guess it was just an unfortunate coincidence that two of them mismolted the same day in the same way. I wonder what caused this, they basically just got stuck in their old skin, but Fawn was in a humid container as I sprayed him after I noticed Satyr's situation.

Both are still alive and able to eat, but it is difficult for them to eat. They have to lay on their side or backs

 

[sbugir]

IMHO flower mantids suck. They're easy, but in nymphal stages they suck and get stuck. It's good to buy as many as you can right at the start. Paul has got everything covered. Good luck.

 

[JoeCapricorn]

IMHO flower mantids suck. They're easy, but in nymphal stages they suck and get stuck. It's good to buy as many as you can right at the start. Paul has got everything covered. Good luck.

I am thinking about getting more, because they are still quite adorable bundles of joy. I'll wait and see how Satyr and Fawn do, if they survive past next molt, and if that next molt has them recover even a little bit. Of course, it will be quite a chore trying to figure out how to set them up so they molt okay, since neither can stand and Fawn can only grasp with one claw and that is it.

And I'll wait to see if I can tell what gender Ibex and Capri are, if they are a male+female pair, I'll try to mate them and start my own colony of wahlbergiis.

Or I might wait until next year, and just try my best to raise what I've got to adult. Besides, counting all of the mantises I have including the T. sinensis that recently hatched, I have 40 mantises. That's a lot of little carnivores to feed :3

 

[PhilinYuma]

There is really not to much more you can do. Just make sure you keep the humidity high. Make sure the paper towel stays very moist. When you know one is ready to molt make sure all feeders are removed from the enclosure. Make sure there are plenty of perches for them to chose from. Aside from all this there is still a chance of miss molts. Sadly these thing happen from time to time no matter what you do. Good luck with rest of them.

This, plus one more thing. Without a hygrometer, you really have no idea what your ambient humidity is or what it is in each of your pots. I most strongly suggest that you invest in a humidor hygrometer for under $20 at Amazon.com. It is small enough to fit in a 32oz pot. Please let us know when you get some readings.

Good luck

 

[JoeCapricorn]

Ibex mismolted as well. Fawn and Ibex both passed away today

It's now just Capri.

Could it be a lower than optimal temperature? My room is about 65 at night and 70 or 75 during the day (this past weekend was rather cool as well, so it should be warmer in coming days) Could it also be too little ventilation? Capri's container is much better ventilated compared to the containers Fawn, Satyr and Ibex were in.

 

[JoeCapricorn]

Just wanted to report on a quick update... Capri molted today with no trouble. Whatever I've been doing with him, I'm doing right.