G. gongylodes - bad moult?

Jakub

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
Messages
25
My maile g. gongylodes stopped eating for a few days, so I thought he is about to molt, but now he cant even hold on the insect net in his enclosure and keeps falling down, also he can't hold his abdomen up like mantis nymphs do. I suppose I can give him his last rites?
 

basin79

ArachnoGod
Active Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
5,893
My maile g. gongylodes stopped eating for a few days, so I thought he is about to molt, but now he cant even hold on the insect net in his enclosure and keeps falling down, also he can't hold his abdomen up like mantis nymphs do. I suppose I can give him his last rites?
I just had an orchid mantis that did this. She slipped off her vine and then just got steadily weaker. She died a few days later. It's bloody awful.
 

Czech prime

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Messages
255
Not mantifs but something similar happened to my entire Extatosoma tiaratum stock. They just became limp and would keep falling off branches and the top of the enclosure
 

Jakub

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
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25
He is dead, so no good news here. Still dont know why though.
 

Ranitomeya

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
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255
I've had a few mantises die that way. It's as though they were unable to completely tan their exoskeleton, stayed somewhat soft, and their bodies just couldn't carry the weight anymore. There's nothing you could have done to avoid it and it seems to have nothing to do with diet or rearing conditions since it just affects just one every once in a while. A possibility is that a hormonal imbalance could signal a mantis to molt before it's developed a sufficiently thick new exoskeleton underneath the old.
 

Jakub

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
Messages
25
Thats it, he was very soft when I later checked the corpse. As if he moulted but he didnt. The diet and other conditions was I believe ideal for this species. He didnt eat for several days but that was only because he refused to. Anyway, thanks for a possible explanation, though its sad you cant prevent it ?(
 
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