Hand feeding a deformed mantis

[MantidMom19]

Hey all. My L5 Chinese mantis molted last night and it doesn't appear to have gone well. He seems to have a claw that bends the wrong way making it a challenge to grab anything or hold on and a dysfunctional leg, as well. Maybe 2. . He is pretty lethargic and can barely drag himself around. I'm not sure yet if he will be able to maneuver himself upside down or not.

I fed him some honey water tonight and he happily ate it. Now I'm ready to embark on handfeeding. Anybody have any additional foods to try besides mealworm bits, fruit flies, and cricket pieces? I read someone used raw ground beef. Anyone ever try wet dog foods or cooked chicken? Looking for lots of options to try to make it as easy as possible to hopefully get him to a successful next molt.

 

[Doodlebird]

I can't help you here, but this looks like something @MrGhostMantis would be able to help with.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

Hey all. My L5 Chinese mantis molted last night and it doesn't appear to have gone well. He seems to have a claw that bends the wrong way making it a challenge to grab anything or hold on and a dysfunctional leg, as well. Maybe 2. . He is pretty lethargic and can barely drag himself around. I'm not sure yet if he will be able to maneuver himself upside down or not.

I fed him some honey water tonight and he happily ate it. Now I'm ready to embark on handfeeding. Anybody have any additional foods to try besides mealworm bits, fruit flies, and cricket pieces? I read someone used raw ground beef. Anyone ever try wet dog foods or cooked chicken? Looking for lots of options to try to make it as easy as possible to hopefully get him to a successful next molt.

Nothing I can say without pictures. Can the mantis hang? Enclosure pictures are needed too.

 

[MantidMom19]

Nothing I can say without pictures. Can the mantis hang? Enclosure pictures are needed too.

When I found him after he molted, he was hanging upside down from a branch, but one claw arm was dangling at a strange angle and he was occasionally windmilling it.

His color seems way off. He is really brown and yellow, when before he was a pale green with a brown stripe down his body. I have another L5 from the same oothetca that molted a day before him (they have been pretty much in sync) who is more brown than before, too, but seems plumper and still a little green.

Enclosure is one of those small critter carriers. It's 7" H x 6" W. There are branches attached to the lid that he usually hang from and the one branch he is hanging on now that runs the diagonal of the container. The bottom is the coconut fiber mulch.

I managed to get him to eat 2 D. Hydei fruit flies from tweezers tonight and drink water from a syringe. And he is hanging this evening, though I'm not sure if that is the position he needs to be in for a molt.

Anyhow, that's the update. He still struggles to walk. It looks like all legs are able to grip, but one back one drags and one claw is bent at a strange angle. He was able to hold the flies in the other claw, though, to finish eating them.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

When I found him after he molted, he was hanging upside down from a branch, but one claw arm was dangling at a strange angle and he was occasionally windmilling it.

His color seems way off. He is really brown and yellow, when before he was a pale green with a brown stripe down his body. I have another L5 from the same oothetca that molted a day before him (they have been pretty much in sync) who is more brown than before, too, but seems plumper and still a little green.

Enclosure is one of those small critter carriers. It's 7" H x 6" W. There are branches attached to the lid that he usually hang from and the one branch he is hanging on now that runs the diagonal of the container. The bottom is the coconut fiber mulch.

I managed to get him to eat 2 D. Hydei fruit flies from tweezers tonight and drink water from a syringe. And he is hanging this evening, though I'm not sure if that is the position he needs to be in for a molt.

Anyhow, that's the update. He still struggles to walk. It looks like all legs are able to grip, but one back one drags and one claw is bent at a strange angle. He was able to hold the flies in the other claw, though, to finish eating them.

If one raptor still works and he can hang he will make it to the next molt. Coloration is fine, it can vary from molts.

 

[jrh3]

Worst case you can make a bug slurry and dip a toothpick in it and hand feed.

 

[MantidMom19]

He is actually handling the hand feeding of flies really well. I've been feeding him 5 hydei fruit flies a day since the day after his molt and he has been grabbing them from the tweezers with one claw just fine. I think it also gave him some needed energy and hydration because he has gotten more active in his habitat. I've found him hanging upside down from the lid the past two mornings.

So, fingers crossed that the next molt he can hang on and make it successful!