Urgent!! I found my praying mantis upside down and mostly unresponsive in its enclosure today!

[thatoneguyyouknow]

I believe my praying mantis is L3 or 4, and it molted about a wee ago. I've been feeding it a bunch of flies every other day or two, and it seemed to be pretty healthy. A few days ago, it started to stay in one spot for the most part, and rarely moved anywhere. Its abdomen doesn't look as if it was starving, and I also did spray the enclosure every once in a while as well. It injured its back legs in its last molt, but was still able to hang around and eat as well as catch the flies I feed it(I maybe let out 2-10 flies every time I open the fly jar inside its enclosure). I carefully took the mantis out to see if I could get it to eat or do anything, and it seems to be moving very slowly and doesn't react to anything at all. I just noticed it tried to clean its antennas, but its arm got stuck on its face, and its back legs just aren't moving at all. What do I do?? Please try to help as soon as you can, I really don't want to lose this mantis!

 

[thatoneguyyouknow]

Update: It just started moving again for a second once I transitioned it on my hand, but suddenly and abruptly, it fell with its legs spreading apart slowly as it was upside down on my desk. I think it just died... Any help in case it isn't dead would be appreciated..

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Potential overfeeding. What species is it. Every to every other day can be way to much for some species.

 

[thatoneguyyouknow]

I don't know the species for sure, but it is brown and has a white stripe on its head. I can provide a picture, but I believe it is a Chinese praying mantis. Also, I was feeding it every other day to every 2 days, not every day. Could it have been a parasite or something like that?

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Every other day to every day is too much. Feed only when thin. Unlikely it was a parasite. Any pictures?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I feed mine every day and have done so for 15 years. The one thing I don't do is water them much. Doesn't matter what

species but after 2nd molt I don't give much water. Mine live a long life and seem to be healthy. So food is not the problem. 

I suspect it was going into another molt, as  they sometimes do when at that age and it did not have a good foothold. 

 

[thatoneguyyouknow]

So it probably died due to falling while molting? Is it possible it was just playing dead, or does the part where it had that one last rush of energy cement the fact that it really died?

 

[hibiscusmile]

Thats what I would say, did you get a picture so we can id the species?

 

[thatoneguyyouknow]

Sure, here it is(hopefully):