weird hand (claw?) eye coordination problem

[clacker]

I found a fairly large Chinese female the other day that seems to have some pretty strange problems for a mantid. For one, she sucks at catching things. She'll still hunt like a healthy mantid, but she usually miss. Also, the right foreleg's position and where she thinks it is seems to be different, frequently her right leg would get in the way while she's eating, and she'll nibble at her own leg (not hard enough to pentrate the exoskeleton) for a while before figuring out she's not biting the prey. I even saw her "catching" her own right foreleg with her left one, which left her in a rather hilarious pose. It is even more funny when she tries to strech her neck out to eat the prey in that position.

Anyone seen anything like this before?

EDIT: She ALWAYS overshoot to the left when hunting. Even when she's got the prey in her left forleg, she'll turn around in circles apparently trying to get grip it with her right foreleg.

 

[Rick]

This time in PA I would suspect they are nearing the end of their natural lives. Probably just old age.

 

[Sk8erkho7]

I found a fairly large Chinese female the other day that seems to have some pretty strange problems for a mantid. For one, she sucks at catching things. She'll still hunt like a healthy mantid, but she usually miss. Also, the right foreleg's position and where she thinks it is seems to be different, frequently her right leg would get in the way while she's eating, and she'll nibble at her own leg (not hard enough to pentrate the exoskeleton) for a while before figuring out she's not biting the prey. I even saw her "catching" her own right foreleg with her left one, which left her in a rather hilarious pose. It is even more funny when she tries to strech her neck out to eat the prey in that position.Anyone seen anything like this before?

EDIT: She ALWAYS overshoot to the left when hunting. Even when she's got the prey in her left forleg, she'll turn around in circles apparently trying to get grip it with her right foreleg.

Yep!!! Just as Rick stated that one is nearing the end of days same thing happened to some of the Chinese and other mantids I have reared inthe past. It happens, unfortunately, it gets worse!! Either hang in there with her or freezer time> I usually reserve freezer for the last possible resort.

 

[cloud jaguar]

The freezer is the best way to euthanize old mantids?

 

[The_Asa]

It's either sticking them in there or smashing them with a hammer...but I don't want to start a discussion

 

[clacker]

Awww that's too bad. I raised several mantids before but never had one go senile before. I just hope it'll lay an ooth before it bites the dust.

 

[Rick]

I found one last year in the parking lot. It was way past the time they should have all been dead. It was in the 30's that day and I think I recall light snow. Once inside she was almost normal but still died a couple days later.

 

[kamakiri]

Anyone seen anything like this before?EDIT: She ALWAYS overshoot to the left when hunting. Even when she's got the prey in her left forleg, she'll turn around in circles apparently trying to get grip it with her right foreleg.

I've seen something like this after a bad molt where both forelegs curved to one side. She would always miss the target and required hand feeding. Luckily, it was the molt to sub-adult so she could strike just fine after molting to adult.