Violin Mismolt

[Ricardo]

One of my violin nymphs molted today , and is now L2 or L3. when I went to check on him , I thought he was dead. Just this very pale , unmoving mantis on his side looking terrible. After further examination I saw it's head turn to look at me.

I was shocked at it being alive.

Basically two of it's left legs are completely missing ( Except for the the thighs which are moving around very nicely ) and one of his right legs is bent in odd ways. Everything from the neck up is wonderful, and the poor little guy was struggling to stand. However even standing is a challenge for it, as it's greatly un balanced. I gave him some honey and he loved it, and I positioned him in a small paper towel fold. He's been looking around enthusiastically and is very active, however he just can't get around.

Any chance his legs will grow back? He's still so small and fragile, I fear this may be his end. With careful hand feeding do you think he'll be okay, or is this a lost cause?

 

[hibiscusmile]

Poor little fella, unless u can help him hold on when he molts, it is hard to say, but I would try it if I were you, and u know I would!

 

[GreenOasis]

Reminds me of not long ago when I had a Chinese that had a very bad mismolt to subadult. His legs were all messed up & he couldn't stand. His raptors were also badly bent out of shape so he couldn't even catch his own food. I was ready to just feed him to the bullfrog, since I don't have time to care for the BADLY sick ones. Hubby, being the kind of person he is, volunteered to handfeed him till he could molt again and hopefully, right himself in adulthood. So, he got some screen material & glued it all around an 80 oz deli cup so that the handicapped Chinese could at least drag himself around a bit. (We called it, "The Hospital") He fed him a newly-molted roaches (white & juicy), carefully immobilized by the use of a clamping hemostat to keep it from running away from the mantis. He'd give him water on the end of a Q-tip & honey on the end of a toothpick. For two weeks, he did this, and when it came time for the Chinese to molt, as indicated by the swollen wing buds, we had to figure out how to anchor his messed up legs, since he could only attach two at a time (usually the middle ones)...we came up with the idea of scotch-taping his feet to the lid. Had to do this a couple of times because he kept pulling them out, but we like to think that he finally realized that this was for his own good, as he gave up in the end and finally molted without pulling his feet out of the tape. He became a beautiful, if still slightly handicapped, adult and can now catch his own food. His legs are still a LITTLE messed up, but he can roam around just fine and even cling to the deli cup lid alright.

So, if your question is: Should I bother to keep & take care of this guy? Well, that's up to you. It's work, it's a commitment & it's a learning experience, but if you do, I'm sure you will be rewarded for it...either when he rights himself in the next molt, or in the solace that you at least gave him a fighting chance. If you don't try...well, no one here will fault you either! (Except maybe Rebecca...but I doubt it!)

 

[Ricardo]

I'd never leave him to die, but I just don't want to get my hopes up and see him dead in the morning :/ I'll try my hardest!!!

He's young so maybe his next few molts will help him out

 

[Rick]

I don't think he will just up and die from a bad molt. You may need to hand feed depending on if he can catch food. The next molt will be very challenging.

 

[psyconiko]

Violin mantis need 2 molts for their legs to grow back,so it may survive provided you hang it with tape(the clear one not the brown or the Gaffa tape!) and you handfeed it.

It has to calm down otherwise it will die...

Bad molts are rare among violin mantis,remember they need minimum space and tranquility to molt perfecly.

Good luck and hang on!!!!

 

[Marianna]

There are so many specifics it seems for each different type of mantid, but I just want to put in my 2 cents in.... my chinese mantid was unable to catch anything, was so crippled he would take a step, fall, take a step, fall.... it was almost too painful to watch. After a few molts, most of his legs grew his little feet back, and now though once scared of live food (cause I hand fed him like newborn), is a little terror in his home. If you have the time to "walk" him thru, it was definitely worth it to me. Hope all goes well!

 

[Ricardo]

He died I checked on him this morning. I fed him some honey the night before and he seemed okay, but his corpse was un mistakable. but as I type this my last Violin has JUST molted beautifully ! Hope lives on . . .

 

[jandl2204]

I don't think he will just up and die from a bad molt. You may need to hand feed depending on if he can catch food. The next molt will be very challenging.

Frankly Rick is quite right, if anything should the specimen is unlikely to make it to the next moult. Significantly damaged G. gongylodes tend to readily die in my experience.

I do hope you all the best however.

Lee