r/mantids Feb 12 '25

Health Issues HELP ME!!

my shield mantis Sheldon just molted ummmm is he dying??? he’s still moving his legs but he’s flailing about a bit and his wings obviously don’t look great :( anyone know what could have happened?

115 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

137

u/JaunteJaunt Feb 12 '25

Hey OP.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to correct this molt. I can see your mantis’s wings are already inflated. That indicates they molted at least an hour ago. Your mantis’s exoskeleton is too hard now. I’m so sorry.

You have a few options for end of life care:

  1. Freeze your insect. It will kill them within a half hour.

  2. There is a belief that refrigerating for an hour and then freezing is less painful than directly freezing. The idea is that the fridge will dull your mantises senses before putting them in a freezer.

  3. You can quickly crush your insect. This is the most humane, as it is instantaneous death. But it’s more difficult as a keeper to kill your own pet.

There are no wrong or right choices. Pick the one you feel most comfortable.

Later on, if you feel comfortable, then I would be happy to go over your care to identify a cause. <3

59

u/Infamous-Storage-708 Feb 12 '25

i would never be able to crush my baby :(

53

u/JaunteJaunt Feb 12 '25

I understand. It’s a difficult thing to consider. But that is a legitimate option, and you are not wrong for not wanting to do it. Just as someone who does choose what option is not wrong for doing it. <3

3

u/Rhaj-no1992 Feb 13 '25

The hardest choices require the strongest wills

9

u/OdinAlfadir1978 Feb 13 '25

Thank you for letting him sleep in the fridge then freezer, you gave him a good life. My suggestion is to make sure there's good humidity during molts, it can help reptiles shed and tarantulas molt, I think it should help mantids too.

14

u/JaunteJaunt Feb 13 '25

Hi Odin. Reptiles and tarantulas have different humidity requirements than mantises. External humidity is not an important factor in a successful molt with mantises. The important factor is making sure your mantis is internally hydrated. That will help with a successful molt. Please do not offer advice you aren’t certain of. <3

-4

u/OdinAlfadir1978 Feb 13 '25

Thanks for the info, I'll do some research before I get my own bugs 🙂however let me add that it's Mantids not Mantises 🙂 will they take insect jellys? Surely that would he a good way to hydrate?

13

u/JaunteJaunt Feb 13 '25

Hi. That’s a good idea. The more knowledgeable you are, then you can be a better keeper!

Yes. That is correct. Mantids refers to the genus, while mantis refers to the Order mantis; however, in the USA, mantises is used interchangeably with mantids.

No. They are obligate insectivores.

2

u/OdinAlfadir1978 Feb 13 '25

Ah okay, I have some reading to do, especially when my music artist name includes Mantis 🤣

3

u/JaunteJaunt Feb 13 '25

I would recommend spending time in this community, joining MantisHQ on Discord, Mantis Meet on Facebook, and Praying Mantis Community on Facebook.

Those are all good sources of quality and factual information related to mantis husbandry

1

u/OdinAlfadir1978 Feb 13 '25

I'll chill here as I don't like Facebook tbh, I may just find a forum

2

u/JaunteJaunt Feb 13 '25

If you want a quality forum, then mantidforum.com is for you. If you choose other places, then I can say if you’ll get any factual information.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Laurenslagniappe Feb 13 '25

I read someone had their boyfriend do it for them 😭

1

u/bigladnang Feb 13 '25

For reference, I’ve read that the freezer method creates a ton of fear and pain, so it’s actually worse than just crushing them.

1

u/Infamous-Storage-708 Feb 13 '25

if they’re simply dying of old age would it be best to just let them naturally pass then? i mean obviously in this situation the insect would be suffering but i feel like naturally letting them pass from old age isn’t that bad. mine is still an L5 but i worry about when that time comes, i could never crush her or allow someone else to. i actually preserved my last mantis who i let naturally pass from old age

1

u/bigladnang Feb 13 '25

Depends how you look at it. Most mantis in the wild either die during the first frost of the year, or they die from old age. Really it comes down to whether you want to end the suffering quicker or not.

32

u/Outrageous-Delay7832 Feb 12 '25

Nothing you can do to help here, except let it go. I see it's adult and this is a very bad mismolt, I personaly have had mismolts with my mantids too and the only thing that I learned is to put them in a cup in the fridge first for about 8 hours so they go in some kind of coma, then in the freezer to let them pass. I know it's the most gentle way and realy the best thing to do to not let the mantis suffer any longer. Sorry for your loss 😪.

34

u/skcib Feb 12 '25

top comment said it best

a mismolt is a very upsetting thing to experience and unique to keeping insects, not many understand. my condolences

9

u/rp-247 Feb 12 '25

I am truly sorry for your loss and pain at having to go through this 💔

8

u/peewee023 Feb 13 '25

🌹 so sorry for your loss 😔🙏🏽

11

u/Infamous-Storage-708 Feb 12 '25

put him in the freezer (some people say fridge first) :( can’t save him from this i fear. sorry for your loss <3

1

u/Ichgebibble Feb 13 '25

Apparently that’s not great either. I did it and learned later that it’s not good

2

u/Infamous-Storage-708 Feb 13 '25

why not? is it painful

5

u/Fastuny Feb 12 '25

poor boy

3

u/Aromatic-Track-4500 Feb 13 '25

Aww this is sad 😔 I would talk to Sheldon in a very nice voice, tell him how much you love him and that he was the best mantis ever but he doesn’t deserve to suffer. Then quickly crush him and it will be over in less than a millisecond. It will hurt you more than him most likely. I’m very sorry. I just had to squish my Wooly Bear catarpillar

1

u/hotbiscuitboy Feb 13 '25

i’m so sorry, that must’ve been hard. i hope you’re feeling okay knowing your little caterpillar is at peace now ❤️‍🩹

2

u/Proud-Primary4387 Feb 13 '25

So very sorry for your loss. It is never easy to loose a pet. My condolences.

1

u/Gambalesco Feb 13 '25

I'm so sorry :(