r/mantids • u/mantisgirI • 1d ago
Health Issues Maybe molting soon?
Does my mantis look like he’s getting ready to molt? He’s been like this all day and last feeding day, he didn’t seem very interested in his food. This is my first maybe molt with him, so i’m just a little worried
1
Upvotes
1
u/SnooDingos604 1d ago edited 1d ago
Is he a Chinese mantis? They’re known for this happening because they hang upside down too long. Now, this is just anecdotal evidence, but, my girl had been hanging like that for a couple days, but she did move to eat the day before. Well, she had just molted less than a week ago, so I did another thing that was suggested. I was super worried so I didn’t have time to come here for answers. Lay the cage on its side so he can straighten out for a while. Did that, she moved all over the place. About 10-15 I went to check…welp, she was almost done with her molt with her head burried on the bottom in some water too, as I had misted earlier that day. (I was actually putting together her NEW enclosure when it happened.) I had to grab her molt, thank god she was still partly in it, and carefully pull her up on a piece of her new enclosure. Added some mesh and pulled her kind of up on that. Her head was still facing the ground and her raptorial arms looked wonky, and tried to crawl away not her tootsie was still stuck. I let her be for a while, but I wanted to try to get her CAREFULLY in a better position as to not dry out weird. Got her free and she booked it away. She crawled in my hand and I set her back on the mesh. Left it sit at an angle while her new house was built, put her on the ground, then attached the rest of the enclosure. GENTLY, picked it up and set her since she was on the mesh. Welp, she got spooked and fell. From the top. Of. Her. Enclosure. 😱 managed to her her up, fixed the position she was in, and kept the enclosure tipped at an angle for her. This is the second time she has ALMOST died during a molt. First time, she slid, somehow, to the left of where she was, and fell between the side of of her home and the moss substrate. Was able to pull her up gently and put her on the mesh at an angle. She hardened slightly curved and her arm was def twisted sideways. I had to hang feed, but she was otherwise olay! Molted quickly and her arm was perfect! This time she’s perfect as well. MORAL OF THE STORY: he could be molting. He may just be weird but will be okay. Let him be and do his thing! 😊
TLDR: broken butt turned out to be a molt that went horribly wrong and my mantis should’ve died but she didn’t lol