he's gone to mantis heaven

ISFRAEL · 05/16/2001, 06:09 PM

i have stayed at my girlfriends for the last 2 night and on my return home my girlfreind yelled out "quick come and see your mantis" so i rush upstairs like an idiot thinking he has done something cool like crushing a hermit or something but to my surprise i find its the other way around.
to my horror i find my mantis is being eaten by the medium sized hermit he was living with.
i think in his weakened state ( molting ) the hermit has either killed him or he died when molting and the hermit started snacking?
hopefully he was dead before he started?
the hermit will be punished of course just as soon as a get myself a very large smasher that can do the job.
the hermit will be smashed!
it was his 1st and only molt.
well i would like to know any other mantis owners experience with keeping a mantis during a molt.
what not to do? what not to keep with them? eg. hermits. how to prevent molting death or help them out during a molt etc.

any feedback would be appreciated as i dont want to get a new mantis every molt cos they are hard to get.

cheers.
isfrael

moviegeek · 05/17/2001, 07:32 PM

Sounds exactly like how Q-ball lost his mantis Butch:

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin...threadid=22123

Q-ball · 05/18/2001, 07:44 AM

Yup, everything you mentioned sounds exactly like what happened with Butch. Now, he did survive 5-6 molts during the time I had him, so I don't know why he had trouble during this particular molt? From everything I've read, deaths during molts account for a very high percentage of mantis deaths. If this is true, how come so many people are able to keep them for so long in their reefs when they don't want them there?

Q!!!

LgIslandreefers · 05/18/2001, 01:17 PM

Poor hermit crab must have started eating it dead. He was just trying to clean-up a little.

poor little guy...

05/18/2001, 07:44 AM	#3
Q-ball Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Posts: 8,780	Yup, everything you mentioned sounds exactly like what happened with Butch. Now, he did survive 5-6 molts during the time I had him, so I don't know why he had trouble during this particular molt? From everything I've read, deaths during molts account for a very high percentage of mantis deaths. If this is true, how come so many people are able to keep them for so long in their reefs when they don't want them there? Q!!! __________________ Chris ------ "Daddy, tomorrow when I get older & bigger, I'm goin huntin with you and shoot a big buck. Then I'm gonna cut it's legs off and throw it on the grill!" My 4yo son -------He met this goal at 8...and we did throw the backstraps on the grill the following night

05/16/2001, 06:09 PM	#1
ISFRAEL Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: australia Posts: 262	i have stayed at my girlfriends for the last 2 night and on my return home my girlfreind yelled out "quick come and see your mantis" so i rush upstairs like an idiot thinking he has done something cool like crushing a hermit or something but to my surprise i find its the other way around. to my horror i find my mantis is being eaten by the medium sized hermit he was living with. i think in his weakened state ( molting ) the hermit has either killed him or he died when molting and the hermit started snacking? hopefully he was dead before he started? the hermit will be punished of course just as soon as a get myself a very large smasher that can do the job. the hermit will be smashed! it was his 1st and only molt. well i would like to know any other mantis owners experience with keeping a mantis during a molt. what not to do? what not to keep with them? eg. hermits. how to prevent molting death or help them out during a molt etc. any feedback would be appreciated as i dont want to get a new mantis every molt cos they are hard to get. cheers. isfrael

05/17/2001, 07:32 PM	#2
moviegeek Premium Member Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Chico, CA (Nor Cal) Posts: 826	Sounds exactly like how Q-ball lost his mantis Butch: http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin...threadid=22123

05/18/2001, 01:17 PM	#4
LgIslandreefers Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 246	Poor hermit crab must have started eating it dead. He was just trying to clean-up a little. poor little guy...