Mantis health, injuries and other problems
Our pet mantises have easy lives compared to their wild relatives, with their food handed to them and not a predator, storm, or drought in sight. Still, accidents and mistakes can happen even with our best intentions, and we at Mantis Meet want to be here to help.
The methods of care and treatment in this guide have worked well for us. The field of at-home insect medical care is (unsurprisingly) very limited, though, and even with ideal treatment, we must warn you that some animals may not recover.
The methods of care and treatment in this guide have worked well for us. The field of at-home insect medical care is (unsurprisingly) very limited, though, and even with ideal treatment, we must warn you that some animals may not recover.
Physical Injuries
Missing Limbs
Cause: Many possible causes. A leg or antenna becomes stuck in a molt and pulled off, bitten off by another insect, or could be damaged and then amputated by the mantis itself.
Prevention: Ease molting by providing drinking water, well-hydrated prey, and an environment that is not excessively dry. Don’t allow the mantis to get in situations where its legs could be pinched, bitten, or attached to sticky surfaces.
Treatment: Usually, none required. Legs will regrow with molts, antennae may not. If a foreleg is missing, the mantis may need smaller prey or to be hand-fed until it grows back.
If three or more legs are missing, or if both back legs are missing, the difficulty of getting around and molting makes the survival rate very low.
Cause: Many possible causes. A leg or antenna becomes stuck in a molt and pulled off, bitten off by another insect, or could be damaged and then amputated by the mantis itself.
Prevention: Ease molting by providing drinking water, well-hydrated prey, and an environment that is not excessively dry. Don’t allow the mantis to get in situations where its legs could be pinched, bitten, or attached to sticky surfaces.
Treatment: Usually, none required. Legs will regrow with molts, antennae may not. If a foreleg is missing, the mantis may need smaller prey or to be hand-fed until it grows back.
If three or more legs are missing, or if both back legs are missing, the difficulty of getting around and molting makes the survival rate very low.
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Cuts, Bites, and other Wounds
Cause: Another invertebrate bites the mantis hard enough to break its exoskeleton, or a sharp object causes bleeding. Prevention: Avoid exposing your mantis to prey with dangerous bites, such as spiders, centipedes, wasps, carnivorous insects, etc. Treatment: Minor injuries will clot, producing a scab of black, hard hemolymph. Don’t interfere with this process. Put the mantis in a safe container without other insects and a light misting of drinking water. Don’t feed or handle until the scab has fully covered the wound and the mantis is moving normally. |
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Eye Rub
Diagnosis: Dark, round marks on the eyes which do not move or quickly grow. May have thin pale margins. Cause: The mantis has been rubbing its face against a surface, usually glass. Prevention: If your mantis is in glass or clear hard plastic, it is likely to develop some amount of eye rub. This is less likely in large enclosures with many perches at the interior to keep the mantis from spending all its time on the glass. Keep other animals out of view of the mantis. Putting opaque tape or paper over the sides of the enclosure where the mantis will be able to see other insects is usually effective. Treatment: Once it appears, eye rub cannot be removed except by the mantis when it molts. Use the prevention methods to keep it from growing. Severe eye rub produces blind spots that may impair a mantis’s movement and hunting. |
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Hemolymph Bubble in a Wing
Diagnosis: A freshly-molted adult mantis has a fluid-filled bubble in its wing(s). Cause: Unknown Prevention: Unknown Treatment: The bubble will sometimes drain and resolve itself naturally. A tiny bubble will not affect the mantis’s life much and should be left as is, but a large one that weighs the wing down will bother the animal and could become infected later. Wait at least 3 days after the molt before intervening. The bubble can be popped with a sterile needle, or the wing can be amputated with clean scissors proximal (closer to the body) to the bubble. Do not amputate at the joint, but leave at the least a few millimeters of veined wing. Whether the bubble is popped or the wing is cut, let the mantis rest in a clean enclosure for a day or two with a light misting for drinking water. |
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Molting Problems
Falling or Stuck While Molting
Diagnosis: This can happen in several ways. A molt is going wrong if:
-The molting mantis falls or is going to reach the bottom of the enclosure.
-The forelegs are still in the shed exoskeleton by the time it is trying to free its walking legs.
-The pronotum is bent where it should be straight.
-Any greenish or yellowish fluid (hemolymph) or air-filled bubbles appear.
Cause: Most cases are from dehydration. A mantis which has not drank enough or gotten enough water from its prey is unable to slide out of the exoskeleton. This is very common with tiny nymphs kept in net cages or in a humidity consistently lower than 60%.
Falling while molting may be due to inadequate perching.
Prevention: Ease molting by providing drinking water, well-hydrated prey, and an environment that is not excessively dry. Keep young nymphs with restricted ventilation – if they are in a net cage, mist multiple times a day. Putting the cage in a plastic tent can also help retain moisture.
Treatment: If the mantis has fallen or is molting too low so it hits the ground, carefully move it and re-anchor it to a safe place using the claws of the shed exoskeleton, or some tape. Ensure never to tape any living part of the mantis, including legs still inside the shed.
A mantis can be safely eased out of a molt only if its legs are almost out, past the “knee” (femur/tibia joint.) Gently wet the shed by misting or using a damp brush. Hold the empty abdomen of the shed and use fingers or tweezers to slide the empty exoskeleton off each leg, beginning with the walking legs and moving to the forelegs. For care afterward, see the next section “deformed body after molt.”
*IMPORTANT*
The Mantis will not survive if:
-Its face is stuck in the molt.
-Its neck is constricted.
-Its body is bent almost 90 degrees, or it cannot pass waste after hardening and feeding
-It bleeds significantly or ruptures and reveals an air bubble while molting.
-It is unable to stand and climb after it has dried.
Diagnosis: This can happen in several ways. A molt is going wrong if:
-The molting mantis falls or is going to reach the bottom of the enclosure.
-The forelegs are still in the shed exoskeleton by the time it is trying to free its walking legs.
-The pronotum is bent where it should be straight.
-Any greenish or yellowish fluid (hemolymph) or air-filled bubbles appear.
Cause: Most cases are from dehydration. A mantis which has not drank enough or gotten enough water from its prey is unable to slide out of the exoskeleton. This is very common with tiny nymphs kept in net cages or in a humidity consistently lower than 60%.
Falling while molting may be due to inadequate perching.
Prevention: Ease molting by providing drinking water, well-hydrated prey, and an environment that is not excessively dry. Keep young nymphs with restricted ventilation – if they are in a net cage, mist multiple times a day. Putting the cage in a plastic tent can also help retain moisture.
Treatment: If the mantis has fallen or is molting too low so it hits the ground, carefully move it and re-anchor it to a safe place using the claws of the shed exoskeleton, or some tape. Ensure never to tape any living part of the mantis, including legs still inside the shed.
A mantis can be safely eased out of a molt only if its legs are almost out, past the “knee” (femur/tibia joint.) Gently wet the shed by misting or using a damp brush. Hold the empty abdomen of the shed and use fingers or tweezers to slide the empty exoskeleton off each leg, beginning with the walking legs and moving to the forelegs. For care afterward, see the next section “deformed body after molt.”
*IMPORTANT*
The Mantis will not survive if:
-Its face is stuck in the molt.
-Its neck is constricted.
-Its body is bent almost 90 degrees, or it cannot pass waste after hardening and feeding
-It bleeds significantly or ruptures and reveals an air bubble while molting.
-It is unable to stand and climb after it has dried.
Deformed Body after Molt
Cause: The mantis fell or became stuck while molting, but survived and made it out.
Prevention: Ease molting by providing drinking water, well-hydrated prey, and an environment that is not excessively dry. Keep young nymphs with restricted ventilation – if they are in a net cage, mist multiple times a day. Putting the cage in a plastic tent can also help retain moisture.
Treatment: If the mantis can hang upside-down, walk, and eat, it has a chance to survive and potentially heal itself with its next molt. Prepare yourself to take care of it for weeks and possibly still lose it, though. Hand-feed with appropriate prey for its size, more frequent feedings will hasten the next molt. You may need to hold the prey to the mantis’s mouth for the entire duration of feeding. Ensure that it is always well-hydrated. Keep it in a bare enclosure with species-appropriate perches – usually soft mesh or shelf liner attached to the ceiling and walls. Textured thin sticks may be glued to the walls and ceiling.
When the molt approaches, the mantis’s survival rate increases if you are there to help if it falls. Once the molt begins (once the exoskeleton splits down the back and the mantis begins to extract itself) you may carefully tape the mantis to the perch by the very ends of its feet. Only tape if necessary to prevent the mantis from falling.
Cause: The mantis fell or became stuck while molting, but survived and made it out.
Prevention: Ease molting by providing drinking water, well-hydrated prey, and an environment that is not excessively dry. Keep young nymphs with restricted ventilation – if they are in a net cage, mist multiple times a day. Putting the cage in a plastic tent can also help retain moisture.
Treatment: If the mantis can hang upside-down, walk, and eat, it has a chance to survive and potentially heal itself with its next molt. Prepare yourself to take care of it for weeks and possibly still lose it, though. Hand-feed with appropriate prey for its size, more frequent feedings will hasten the next molt. You may need to hold the prey to the mantis’s mouth for the entire duration of feeding. Ensure that it is always well-hydrated. Keep it in a bare enclosure with species-appropriate perches – usually soft mesh or shelf liner attached to the ceiling and walls. Textured thin sticks may be glued to the walls and ceiling.
When the molt approaches, the mantis’s survival rate increases if you are there to help if it falls. Once the molt begins (once the exoskeleton splits down the back and the mantis begins to extract itself) you may carefully tape the mantis to the perch by the very ends of its feet. Only tape if necessary to prevent the mantis from falling.
Inability to Molt/Prolonged Pre-Molt
Diagnosis: A mantis has been in pre-molt (see our guide on molting for more information) for many days and is weakening or falling.
Cause: Unknown; possibly dehydration or lack of suitable molting perches.
Prevention: Address causes during routine care and housing.
Treatment: Mist lightly to allow the mantis to drink, then move it to a perch where it is able to hang upside-down. Live plants such as Pothosor textured branches are often good for this. Leave it in a quiet place where it will not be disturbed, and check on it each morning and evening. If it is able to hang and molt successfully, resume care as normal.
If it cannot hang upside-down or fails to break the exoskeleton down the back, it will not survive.
Diagnosis: A mantis has been in pre-molt (see our guide on molting for more information) for many days and is weakening or falling.
Cause: Unknown; possibly dehydration or lack of suitable molting perches.
Prevention: Address causes during routine care and housing.
Treatment: Mist lightly to allow the mantis to drink, then move it to a perch where it is able to hang upside-down. Live plants such as Pothosor textured branches are often good for this. Leave it in a quiet place where it will not be disturbed, and check on it each morning and evening. If it is able to hang and molt successfully, resume care as normal.
If it cannot hang upside-down or fails to break the exoskeleton down the back, it will not survive.
Diseases and Parasites
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Gut Infection
Diagnosis: The mantis vomits black or dark-brown, foul-smelling fluid. This fluid may be visible through translucent sections of the body, such as the neck or mesothorax. Some cases occur slowly and may last over a week. Acute cases may appear and become fatal in less than a day. In these cases, the mantis’s abdomen swells and the tip darkens as undigested material builds up in the hindgut, causing the rest of the abdomen to inflate with gas. Cause: Partially unknown. The mantis has eaten something which rots or contains an infectious agent. There are a few primary causes: -A mantis has eaten something with a heavy bacterial load. Mass-reared crickets are commonly associated with gut infections. -Highly fatty foods, such as waxworms and superworms, are also associated with dark vomiting illness. -Consuming more than one of these insects at a time increases the risk. -Cold decreases a mantis’s rate of digestion, causing food to sit in the gut and decay. Prevention: Feed a species-appropriate diet, and maintain your species’ temperature range. Avoid feeding mass-reared crickets, especially to Hymenopodids and other flying-food specialists. Avoid feeding prey with exceptionally high fat content (visible as pale yellow, blobby or stringy material inside the insect,) especially as the primary diet. Treatment: Encourage the mantis to drink as much as it can in one sitting, several times a day if possible. Honey or honey-water may be used to increase the volume of water it is willing to drink. Safely increase its temperature 5 – 10 degrees F (2.7 – 5.4 degrees C) from where it had been. Clean up new vomit and do not feed again until the mantis has gone more than 2 days without vomiting. Some mantises will recover, some will not. In an acute case where the abdomen inflates with gas, the mantis cannot survive. After dark vomit or case of infection, sterilize the affected mantis’s enclosure and the area around it. |
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Mites
Diagnosis: Tiny, round, shiny, white-pink-reddish brown animals are visible on the mantis, often clustered on the face or thorax. They may not move when undisturbed, but move if brushed or dislodged.
Cause: Parasitic mites attached to the mantis from its prey or from its environment.
Prevention: Difficult to prevent 100%, many people who keep insects long-term will end up with a mite-infested animal eventually. Carefully monitor feeder insects, both captive and wild-caught, for mites.
Treatment: Use a fine paintbrush to remove the mites, then move the mantis to a clean, bare temporary enclosure. Check it each day to remove mites which were hiding and become newly visible.
Thoroughly disinfect the enclosure chemically, with boiling water, or by freezing for three or more days. Inspect feeder insects and take necessary measures to prevent them from spreading in feeder colonies.
Diagnosis: Tiny, round, shiny, white-pink-reddish brown animals are visible on the mantis, often clustered on the face or thorax. They may not move when undisturbed, but move if brushed or dislodged.
Cause: Parasitic mites attached to the mantis from its prey or from its environment.
Prevention: Difficult to prevent 100%, many people who keep insects long-term will end up with a mite-infested animal eventually. Carefully monitor feeder insects, both captive and wild-caught, for mites.
Treatment: Use a fine paintbrush to remove the mites, then move the mantis to a clean, bare temporary enclosure. Check it each day to remove mites which were hiding and become newly visible.
Thoroughly disinfect the enclosure chemically, with boiling water, or by freezing for three or more days. Inspect feeder insects and take necessary measures to prevent them from spreading in feeder colonies.
Harmful Chemical Exposure
Diagnosis: Rapid limb twitching, sudden uncoordinated movements, head (mouthparts, antennae) unresponsive to other stimuli. Sometimes accompanied by repetitive opening and closing of the mouth.
Cause: The mantis ingested or contacted a toxin, such as an insecticide, herbicide, or cleaning chemical.
Prevention: Avoid using chemical sprays or other aerosol products directly around your mantis. Do not feed wild-caught insects from places where insecticides have been recently applied (for example, outside a building where many other dead or dying insects are observed.) Wash your hands before handling your mantis if you may have contacted any toxic chemicals.
Treatment: Often, none. Remove the mantis immediately from the area if a chemical source is discovered. If the toxin was ingested, you may immerse its head in water or run its mouth under a light flow of tap water. In most cases, the mantis either has been exposed to a lethal dose and will die, or has not and will recover in the next day or two, regardless of treatment by the keeper.
Diagnosis: Rapid limb twitching, sudden uncoordinated movements, head (mouthparts, antennae) unresponsive to other stimuli. Sometimes accompanied by repetitive opening and closing of the mouth.
Cause: The mantis ingested or contacted a toxin, such as an insecticide, herbicide, or cleaning chemical.
Prevention: Avoid using chemical sprays or other aerosol products directly around your mantis. Do not feed wild-caught insects from places where insecticides have been recently applied (for example, outside a building where many other dead or dying insects are observed.) Wash your hands before handling your mantis if you may have contacted any toxic chemicals.
Treatment: Often, none. Remove the mantis immediately from the area if a chemical source is discovered. If the toxin was ingested, you may immerse its head in water or run its mouth under a light flow of tap water. In most cases, the mantis either has been exposed to a lethal dose and will die, or has not and will recover in the next day or two, regardless of treatment by the keeper.
Horsehair Worms
Diagnosis: this is a very rare occurrence. A wild-caught adult mantis progressively weakens. Its abdomen may droop and/or change in color. It may be abnormally attracted to bodies of water. Eventually, one or more long, thin, dark worms will emerge from the end of the abdomen.
Cause: The mantis ate an aquatic-developing insect which contained horsehair worm larvae.
Prevention: Avoid using feeders that develop in water, like dragonflies, mayflies, caddisflies, or stoneflies.
Treatment: None.
Diagnosis: this is a very rare occurrence. A wild-caught adult mantis progressively weakens. Its abdomen may droop and/or change in color. It may be abnormally attracted to bodies of water. Eventually, one or more long, thin, dark worms will emerge from the end of the abdomen.
Cause: The mantis ate an aquatic-developing insect which contained horsehair worm larvae.
Prevention: Avoid using feeders that develop in water, like dragonflies, mayflies, caddisflies, or stoneflies.
Treatment: None.
Parasitic Flies
Diagnosis: A wild-caught Stagmomantis shows a small black scab on the side of its abdomen, which may be deformed. If it is a nymph, it will still be a nymph late into the season, after other individuals have matured or even died. If it is an adult, the abdomen will appear greasy and heavy. Eventually, one or more large fly maggots will emerge from the side.
Cause: A tachinid fly (in the US, of the genus Masiphya) laid its eggs in the mantis earlier in its life. This only occurs in the wild, and possibly only to Stagmomantis species.
Prevention: Have a captive-bred mantis!
Treatment: None.
Diagnosis: A wild-caught Stagmomantis shows a small black scab on the side of its abdomen, which may be deformed. If it is a nymph, it will still be a nymph late into the season, after other individuals have matured or even died. If it is an adult, the abdomen will appear greasy and heavy. Eventually, one or more large fly maggots will emerge from the side.
Cause: A tachinid fly (in the US, of the genus Masiphya) laid its eggs in the mantis earlier in its life. This only occurs in the wild, and possibly only to Stagmomantis species.
Prevention: Have a captive-bred mantis!
Treatment: None.
Breeding Issues
Eggbinding
Diagnosis: An adult female who has not laid eggs has a perpetually swollen abdomen. Symptoms progress from dragging the abdomen, to it feeling hard or like it has a solid core, to the back legs becoming unusable.
Cause: Unknown. Anecdotal evidence suggests eggbinding occurs more often in females who are never mated, or who are constantly kept very full. It may also occur in mantises with specific egg-laying requirements which are not being met.
Prevention: Know what surfaces your species prefers to lay oothecae on, and provide that environment. Feed unmated adult females relatively infrequently, allowing their abdomens to shrink between feedings so that the connective membranes along the sides are not always visible.
Treatment: None. Once the abdomen is hard, it is impossible for the mantis to lay. Euthanasia recommended.
Diagnosis: An adult female who has not laid eggs has a perpetually swollen abdomen. Symptoms progress from dragging the abdomen, to it feeling hard or like it has a solid core, to the back legs becoming unusable.
Cause: Unknown. Anecdotal evidence suggests eggbinding occurs more often in females who are never mated, or who are constantly kept very full. It may also occur in mantises with specific egg-laying requirements which are not being met.
Prevention: Know what surfaces your species prefers to lay oothecae on, and provide that environment. Feed unmated adult females relatively infrequently, allowing their abdomens to shrink between feedings so that the connective membranes along the sides are not always visible.
Treatment: None. Once the abdomen is hard, it is impossible for the mantis to lay. Euthanasia recommended.
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Injury by a Mate
Cause: Another mantis (usually a female attacking a male) clamps its forelegs on its body, bites it, impales it with tibial spines, or throws it. Prevention: Supervise pairings with highly aggressive/defensive females, and remove the male from the situation if he ends up in front of her or she reaches over her back at him before he is connected. Feeding a female thoroughly before and during pairing can help reduce attacks on the male. Treatment: If the male has already connected, it’s best for breeding to allow her to eat him. If he has not connected, get him out of her grip as gently as possible. An experienced keeper can pry her forelegs open with fingers without hurting either mantis. The quicker he is removed, the better. If the male is of a very small and delicate species, or has visible injuries, put him in an enclosure where he won’t be disturbed, with a light spray of drinking water. Leave him alone until the next day – tiny males may die seemingly from the stress of being grabbed and thrown. If he is alert, active, and able to move smoothly the next day, he can be fed and potentially paired again. |
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