# Mantis people help please



## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

I think my adult female Congo is dying (not the special needs one, the other one)

She's been getting very fat and I was expecting her to lay her first ooth soon. But the last couple of days she's got super-aggressive, threat posing all the time and constantly striking at nothing. She hasn't eaten for a few days either. I just went to look at her and she keeps falling off her branch onto her back, and when I picked her up, she could hardly hold onto my hand. There's no sign of any ooth yet.

I just wondered if they can get egg-bound or anything like that? And is there anything I can do to help if that is the case? I don't want her suffering


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> I think my adult female Congo is dying (not the special needs one, the other one)
> 
> She's been getting very fat and I was expecting her to lay her first ooth soon. But the last couple of days she's got super-aggressive, threat posing all the time and constantly striking at nothing. She hasn't eaten for a few days either. I just went to look at her and she keeps falling off her branch onto her back, and when I picked her up, she could hardly hold onto my hand. There's no sign of any ooth yet.
> 
> I just wondered if they can get egg-bound or anything like that? And is there anything I can do to help if that is the case? I don't want her suffering


I've never heard of them being eggbound but it's probably a possibility , if she's only set to lay her first it definetly won't be old age.
Only thing I can think of that isn't much help is that she's extremely close to laying, and might be a little stressed , looking for a suitable place to lay, maybe dim the place down a bit and let her settle.
I never noticed anything different when my congo was laying (I had no idea she was about to) except that she was getting slightly fatter each day without me feeding her so I think your guess on being eggbound could be the case

sorry I can't help more :lol2:


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## Rabymar (Feb 19, 2009)

Eggbound by the sounds of it, try changing her enc round to encurage laying....it is a killer if she cant/ wont lay. Sorry


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

I didn't realise it was that bad Lisa, I thought she was just being grumpy, lol.

The best thing you can do is change her enclosure around, put a few new sticks in, this can encourage them to lay sometimes. Give her a light mist and leave her to it!

I have had them act really odd before and they are all fine now. Sometimes they just go crazy for a bit, lol.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Paul, I thought she was just grumpy too. The falling off the branch thing is just today. She seems really weak. I'll put a couple more sticks in and see if that encourages her to get on and lay that ooth. I'm sure she'd feel much better if she got it out!


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> Paul, I thought she was just grumpy too. The falling off the branch thing is just today. She seems really weak. I'll put a couple more sticks in and see if that encourages her to get on and lay that ooth. I'm sure she'd feel much better if she got it out!


Pauls right , a bit of rearrangement would do her good, dim the room down a bit and she'll pop it out.

worst comes to the worst..

gutload some bluebottles with laxative :whistling2:


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

I was watching my adult female last night and she threw up a nice big puddle of fly juice, then proceeded to do a threat pose to a stick.

I think Congo's are just crazy, lol.


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> I was watching my adult female last night and she threw up a nice big puddle of fly juice, then proceeded to do a threat pose to a stick.
> 
> I think Congo's are just crazy, lol.


 agreed , mine spends all day calling , then as soon as I put a male enclosure next to hers shes smacking the glass and getting as close to him as possible.


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

utterbeastage said:


> agreed , mine spends all day calling , then as soon as I put a male enclosure next to hers shes smacking the glass and getting as close to him as possible.


You don't actually need to have them seeing each other for them to get in the mood, it's the pheromones that the female releases that get the male worked up, lol.

As soon as you put the male behind the female he will focus on her immediately! Although it may be some time before he actually climbs onto her. Congo males are stupidly shy, lol.


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> You don't actually need to have them seeing each other for them to get in the mood, it's the pheromones that the female releases that get the male worked up, lol.
> 
> As soon as you put the male behind the female he will focus on her immediately! Although it may be some time before he actually climbs onto her. Congo males are stupidly shy, lol.


That's boosted my confidence :whistling2: haha
I'd rather return this male to it's owner after he's done the deed , and not in little pieces:lol2:


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

utterbeastage said:


> That's boosted my confidence :whistling2: haha
> I'd rather return this male to it's owner after he's done the deed , and not in little pieces:lol2:


Lol, as long as you supervise until he is on her back they should be fine.

Are you doing it tonight? Put a load of flies in with her for the day and she will fill herself up!

I find it helps to have a stick to hand so that if she starts turning around to face him you can steer her the other way, lol.


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> Lol, as long as you supervise until he is on her back they should be fine.
> 
> Are you doing it tonight? Put a load of flies in with her for the day and she will fill herself up!
> 
> I find it helps to have a stick to hand so that if she starts turning around to face him you can steer her the other way, lol.


Ill leave it one more day , Ive got those big yellow speckled locusts she takes ages to eat, Ill be supervising through the whoel thing , I just dont want to chance it


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

utterbeastage said:


> Ill leave it one more day , Ive got those big yellow speckled locusts she takes ages to eat, Ill be supervising through the whoel thing , I just dont want to chance it


Haha, that's what I thought, then after 30 mins of watching them sit there motionless I realised I could be doing other stuff! Seeing as they were connected for about 18 hours it's a good job I didn't sit and watch the whole thing!

We appear to have hi-jacked this thread, sorry Lisa!


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> We appear to have hi-jacked this thread, sorry Lisa!


it's OK


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

She's a goner. i just went to look and she's lying on her back with her legs curled under her. I tried putting her on her feet but her legs won't support her weight and she can't walk. I don't reckon she'll last much longer, so I'm going to euthanise her now.


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

That doesn't sound good. Once they are on their backs that tends to be it, I had to euthanise one of my orchids the other day as it was laying on its back and it was convulsing. 

It's not a nice thing to have to do but usually it is for the best. I will send you some replacements if I manage to hatch any out :2thumb:


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks Paul - I probably will get some more. I might try another species such as H. mem. I like the big feisty ones :lol2:


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> Thanks Paul - I probably will get some more. I might try another species such as H. mem. I like the big feisty ones :lol2:


Ill send you some nymphs too if I can hatch them :2thumb:


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

garlicpickle said:


> Thanks Paul - I probably will get some more. I might try another species such as H. mem. I like the big feisty ones :lol2:


I've got 6 of those coming this week :2thumb: 50p each!


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## Nismo75 (Mar 23, 2009)

As cool as mantids are they just seem to die for whatever reason. I've now had 3 die in the last couple of months. my flower mantis had just matured as well, doing fine and then a couple of hurs later he was lying on the bottom of his jar.... dead, i was gutted!!!!!! Planned to breed him with a female someone else had as well!!!!


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> I've got 6 of those coming this week :2thumb: 50p each!


They from andie? I might drop a PM in that direction


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

garlicpickle said:


> They from andie? I might drop a PM in that direction


Certainly are :2thumb: Tell him I sent you, lol!


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> Certainly are :2thumb: Tell him I sent you, lol!


will do - these Congos came from him.


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> She's a goner. i just went to look and she's lying on her back with her legs curled under her. I tried putting her on her feet but her legs won't support her weight and she can't walk. I don't reckon she'll last much longer, so I'm going to euthanise her now.


 I lost one of mine two weeks ago exactly the same happaned .

How would you personally euthanise them?


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

ex0tics said:


> How would you personally euthanise them?


I put her in a cricket tub in the freezer. I guess dropping a brick on her would've been quickest, but I couldn't bring myself to.


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

I use the freezer method. Mantids can live for ages without a head, so if you choose to crush them there is always a chance they will still be alive, unless you completely annihilate them!

I'm not sure the freezer method is entirely humane either, but I can't think of a better one.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> I use the freezer method. Mantids can live for ages without a head, so if you choose to crush them there is always a chance they will still be alive, unless you completely annihilate them!
> 
> I'm not sure the freezer method is entirely humane either, but I can't think of a better one.


I imagine for inverts that freezing is reasonably humane. They go torpid at low temperatures, so I guess for them it would be like going into a lowered state of alertness as they normally would in cold conditions - but just not coming round from it.


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> I put her in a cricket tub in the freezer. I guess dropping a brick on her would've been quickest, but I couldn't bring myself to.


 Same, I just didn't say first incase I had done something terribly wrong.


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