Paint fumes

toddw

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
29
My Ghost mantis just gave up the ghost! Not sure what is going on. It was not moving much or feeding the last several days (compared to when I first got it, when it was right into my hand and exploring all over the place). Now it is not moving, at the bottom of its cup. This is not another one of those "my mantis isn't moving" threads. I'm wondering if mantises are sensitive to paint fumes. We had a painter in the house and my 4 mantises were exposed to some moderate fumes. After I realized what was going on, I moved them all from the house, to outside, while the painter was painting. Still, they were exposed a little bit, for 20 minutes or so. Three are just fine, one gave up the ghost. Does any one know if they are hyper sensitive to solvent fumes and such? In all other ways, I think this little guy had everything correct in it's environment, 22-27 degrees centigrade, 50-70% humidity. I can't figure out why it died.
 

Malum Argenteum

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 16, 2020
Messages
284
Sorry for the newbie post, but I am now the proud owner of 4 mantids: 2 Chinese (L3/4), one African (SPHODROMANTIS BACETTI L4), and one Ghost mantis (L5/6 I think). The Chinese are thriving, eating, growing. Both molted once, and one molted again a couple of days later (is this weird?). The African mantis seems ok, I haven't seen him feed yet I don't think, but is active and interesting in flies, so I assume he/she has fed while I wasn't looking. The Ghost Mantis was extremely active when I first got him, so cute. After a day or two he got much less active. Haven't seen him feed yet. I'm keeping him a little warmer and higher humidity than the others. The Ghost Mantis spends a lot of time just hanging there moving his head around a bit, occasionally moving to a new perch. I could not coax him out to walk on my hand except when I first got him, when he seemed quite friendly. I though maybe he was getting ready to molt so I have prety much left 'em alone.
Which of these mantids died? When between the above description and the time of death does the painter appear?
 

toddw

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
29
Yes, I'm sure it is unlikely that somene has researched this in depth, but I thought maybe others might have had something similar happen.

The mantid that dies was the Ghost Mantis, the one I really liked the most.
 

Malum Argenteum

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 16, 2020
Messages
284
Since the mantis that died was the one that was doing poorly early on, from a suspect vendor (someone mentioned in the earlier post), and the other three are doing fine, I don't see any reason to suspect the paint (although avoiding exposure should be avoided, as you did). I don't keep any mantids, but from a troubleshooting POV, something apparently went wrong early on (possibly before you received it).

I'm sorry you lost your favorite. Starting again with the best vendor you can find might be a good course of action. :)
 

toddw

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
29
Thanks. Well, I will keep options open for vendor. I've seen some recommendations somewhere around here. Bugsincyberspace and Mantis Zoo look interesting.
 

toddw

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
29
Sorry to hear this... how old are your mantises ?
That one was L3 I believe. Pretty small. One of my Chinese mantises just grabbed a whole cricket (small) from my tweezers, and started munching! I was pretty pumped!. I think it was too big to be eating fruit flies and had gotten pretty hungry. I know there are some who will say you shouldn't give crickets to them, but it was the only thing I could get on short notice that was bigger than a fruit fly. Dang, those things can move fast. I have ordered some fly larvae and hoping that will come soon, so I can feed this Chinese mantis, who is starting to get pretty big (should be L5 at least now). Will they eat such things as waxworms at this stage I wonder?
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
1,007
That one was L3 I believe. Pretty small. One of my Chinese mantises just grabbed a whole cricket (small) from my tweezers, and started munching! I was pretty pumped!. I think it was too big to be eating fruit flies and had gotten pretty hungry. I know there are some who will say you shouldn't give crickets to them, but it was the only thing I could get on short notice that was bigger than a fruit fly. Dang, those things can move fast. I have ordered some fly larvae and hoping that will come soon, so I can feed this Chinese mantis, who is starting to get pretty big (should be L5 at least now). Will they eat such things as waxworms at this stage I wonder?
I don’t just say don’t give crickets to them, I say do not do it ever it can kill them. Get roaches or mealworms.
 

toddw

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
29
I don’t just say don’t give crickets to them, I say do not do it ever it can kill them. Get roaches or mealworms.
I'll try mealworms then. The only roaches I could find locally were much too large I think. Mealworms I think i can find. I should have gotten ahead of the game a little, didn't realize that they would outgrow the flies so quickly.
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
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Jun 26, 2019
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I'll try mealworms then. The only roaches I could find locally were much too large I think. Mealworms I think i can find. I should have gotten ahead of the game a little, didn't realize that they would outgrow the flies so quickly.
Are you feeding wild caught?
 

Reezelbeezelbug

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 24, 2020
Messages
101
I don’t just say don’t give crickets to them, I say do not do it ever it can kill them. Get roaches or mealworms.
Genuinely curious what about crickets kills a mantis? I raised a Chinese mantis nearly entirely on crickets and I didn't run into issues. Did I luck out?
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
1,007
Genuinely curious what about crickets kills a mantis? I raised a Chinese mantis nearly entirely on crickets and I didn't run into issues. Did I luck out?
Crickets harbor bacteria and mantids don’t have venom to break it down. Also something to do with the crickets digestive system pretty much turns carrots to acid and melts the mantis from the inside out. You likely lucked out.
 

Ferrachi

Arachnoprince
Joined
Feb 2, 2020
Messages
1,014
Crickets harbor bacteria and mantids don’t have venom to break it down. Also something to do with the crickets digestive system pretty much turns carrots to acid and melts the mantis from the inside out. You likely lucked out.
I've never heard this before... Good to know

I know that crickets will attack and eat when they catch scorpions / spiders / mantids molting
 

MrGhostMantis

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
1,007
I've never heard this before... Good to know

I know that crickets will attack and eat when they catch scorpions / spiders / mantids molting
Ah yeah, that too. Most feeders who are protein hungry will do that though.
 
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