Urination?

[Dirtmonkey]

First off, don't google Mantis urination, unless you want to learn all about what ooths are used for in chinese medicine :-/

My question is, is it normal for them to squirt out clear liquid? The female religiosa here just did, while eating a grasshopper. It looked intentional, she moved her abdomen away from her wings, did some odd things with the end of it, and shot out a couple drops that hit the side of the tank a couple inches away. She never paused chomping the hopper.

She had crickets for the first time yesterday- healthy ones kept on clean greens for a while- I wonder if it's just because they are so much juicier than the wild things and flies she was getting before.

It was kinda startling actually.

 

[Dirtmonkey]

Oh, and her droppings look normal, at least up to the last one maybe a half hour ago.

 

[PhilinYuma]

I think that your guess is as good as any. Insects don't have a urinary tract and fluid is usually recycled by being reabsorbed by the lower gut. It seems, though as if the cricket produced more fluid than could be absorbed, and it was excreted. Good observation, and your mantis seems to be doing fine.

 

[Dirtmonkey]

Found it. Sorry, I just hadn't tried enough word variations. It's covered in the post "Do mantids urinate?" In the health section in 2008.

Sorry again, but I don't have a way to copy/paste a link on this phone.

-edit- thank you Phil, and here's an attempt at pasting a link to the thread. Damn smart phone is smarter than I.

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11259&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

 

[LauraMG]

I had the same experience with one of my Chinese females. She squirted me. So does my orchid female. He entire enclosure smells like cat pee after 2 days! She's such a princess because I clean it all the time.

 

[PeterF]

I have had female europeans squirt. Given that they did it toward me while I was looking at them I thought it was a defensive thing. Luckily there was glass wall in the way. Really don't want whatever it is in my face.

 

[lancaster1313]

My females squirt when they are fat and full. I have a few Chinese and a Carolina female. It doesn't stink or anything, but you never know what can be the target. I think that it is normal, but I aim their butts away from me when they are out of their containers. :lol:

 

[mantisboy]

My females squirt when they are fat and full. I have a few Chinese and a Carolina female. It doesn't stink or anything, but you never know what can be the target. I think that it is normal, but I aim their butts away from me when they are out of their containers. :lol:

My Religiosas do it after a big meal....doesn't smell though.

 

[LauraMG]

Man, maybe my female orchid is a stinky freak! :lol: She's really the only one that smells bad!

 

[Dirtmonkey]

No smelly stuff, and she's done it a couple more times. No aiming at anything either. I'm sure it's just normal now. I've been feeding her extra since the crickets got cleaned out, fattening her up, hoping to get eggs if she did get mated in the wild.

I think she can pee farther than I can lol!

 

[lancaster1313]

They definitely can squirt quite a distance, and with force! :lol: The first time it happened to me it hit me on the bicep from like 4 feet away, and I thought it was beginning to rain because we were outside. I actually saw her ###### her abdomen up quickly, but it took me a minute to figure out what happened. :blink: Edit: I swear I didn't cuss! :blush: I only typed c-o-c-k. But not in a bad way.