Unusable front claws after mismolt

[Misako]

Hello! After some trouble molting to L5, it turns out my Violin Mantis cannot use her front claws. They are deformed, but I think another molt could fix it. Or atleast could fix one of the claws.

But right now she can't grab any food. She is healthy otherwise, I see her try to grab the flies, but she just can't get them.

Now today she let me hand feed her some honey on a toothpick. Is it possible to keep feeding a mantis like this, possibly with some mashed fly gut, to the next molt? Or would I do better ending her misery?

I think it's worth a try, but I was wondering if someone else had any experience with this.

Thank you!

 

[agent A]

It's worth a try but I'm not sure how well she can molt with deformed claws

 

[mmmantis]

Defo worth a try , take the head off whatever you are feeding it and gently place it towards its mouth. It might be a bit hesitant at first but once it gets a taste it will know what you are doing

Good luck

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Rebecca had a little cutie who lost her claws. Here is the thread on her and some of her feeding methods she devised. http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=20392

 

[Misako]

Agent A, I'm actually wondering about that too, if they'd get in the way when she does. One of the claws just came out of the skin bend so she can't close it, but it functions and I'm sure another molt would correct it. But the other arm never got out of the skin properly when I finally had to free her, would it be an idea to cut this one off? It's not the whole claw, just the end. But she can't close it at all, not even slightly. I'm somehow afraid because the old skin never let go, that it'd be very hard for her to get it loose when she molts again.

Other than that; what a struggle it has been to get her to eat! Krissim Klaw, thanks for the topic, it's somewhat cute and suprising to see But my mantis wouldn't have much use for a table I think or, well, I wouldn't know how to teach her that. She mostly hangs from the ceiling like her brothers and sisters, doesn't come down to walk.

But beheaded insects finally did the trick. She first got scared and didn't want to have anything to do with me and my tweezers, but when I did finally get it to her mouth she started eating. And now she gets what me and my tweezers mean, although she is stubborn. We'll see how the molt goes but atleast she's eating!

 

[Rick]

You can feed it. Just crush or remove part of a feeder insect and hold it up to the mantids mouth. It should start to eat. You will probably have to sit there and hold it until it finishes though. I would use a pair of tweezers or something. It may or may not be able to molt but is worth a try. The feeding will be tedious.

 

[Psychobunny]

It is tedious indeed.

I use smashed cricket guts on a wooden chop stick.

At first they may cringe away from it in fear, you have to literaly shove it into their

mouth before they know it's food, and you may have to try several times.

Then you have to hold it still while they eat it!! It's not something you want to do every day

long term!!

 

[Misako]

Thanks for all the advice! I went to stubbornly hand feed the mantis, who didn't want anything of it at first. But in the end he gave in, and has been hand fed his entire time as an L5. A few days ago he had a very good molt to L6, and can now use one claw perfectly fine again! Have already seen him nom the bluebottles happily.

It was a rewarding process! Even if my arm got stiff from keeping the food up with a pair of tweezers until he had finished.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Congrats, I'm glad your hard work paid off and he regained the ability to hunt.