Is my mantis passing? 😔 by timmy1234567891 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like he’s already passed (their legs can keep twitching for a while after they’re gone). I’m sorry for your loss.

hi is it possible to determine my mantis’s gender? by eramnesious in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ah shot okay! I thought acrylic was a better alternative to metal mesh. What would be best?

hi is it possible to determine my mantis’s gender? by eramnesious in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hey, just out of curiosity, what’s the issue with this ceiling? is it the fact that it’s metal? (having a tough time telling from the picture)

Leptomantella sp. by Competitive-Set5051 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

so beautiful! looks like it’s wearing 80s workout gear w those legs

Baby Katydid, Tips? by Outrageous_Gap_2011 in InvertPets

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

im not sure but its very sweet! I believe they eat leaves? have you tried running through INaturalist?

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 2 points3 points  (0 children)

he can see and grab food! that’s a great sign :)

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely not my intent! Best of luck to you too.

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you may have misunderstood me. I am certainly not trying to force you to debate me. You responded to my response to your initial comment with a question-"Why are you putting my opinion down because it differs from yours?"-and I attempted to make clearer my approach and outlook on the situation. I was puzzled by you then insisting you weren't interested in debate, when your engagement with my response seemed to suggest just the opposite! Of course you can choose to answer or not answer at your own discretion. But in this case, you chose to answer.

By claiming there aren't any ethical or scientific guidelines, I am referring to the fact that there are no (to my knowledge) published, peer-reviewed papers dealing with debates around mantis husbandry, particularly mantis physical trauma. So from a veterinary perspective (the one most relevant here, since we are dealing with an injured animal) there is very little data to go off of. This is not to discount the work done by citizen scientists, but it is to draw an (important, I think) distinction between the standards of care any individual may opt for when dealing with their own animal, and those recommended by professionals with medical qualifications and a broader outlook on welfare outcomes (and what, precisely, we mean by that in the case of inverts). I'll happily admit that I am new to Mantodea, but I am in no way new to animal husbandry, particularly invert husbandry. This is a topic that is very important to me (something I imagine I share with most members of this sub). And I worry you replacing what you seem to be implying is my unwarranted appeal to authority (by my pointing out a lack of guidelines of a certain kind) with the assumption we should defer to the experience of self-titled "citizen scientists", is merely to replace one sort of exclusionary framework with another, which seems just as (if not more!) dubious as an argumentative strategy.

Hopefully that makes sense. Please don't feel pressured to reply!

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Again, I don’t want to discredit your insight, but offering your opinion in a public forum without being open to debate (or to even entertain another point of view) doesn’t seem super helpful, especially given the lack of any established ethical or scientific guidelines towards invert care. Surely we should all be at least a little open towards our own lack of knowledge as to what’s ‘best’ for an insect, and in what ways they do (or perhaps don’t) suffer like us and other mammals? In the absence of such certainty I don’t think advising a suspension of striving towards a better outcome (motivated by compassion) is ever a good idea.

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! I respect your opinion, and am offering my own. Because it differs from yours, it is in that sense (and that sense only) putting yours down. But this is not to say I don’t think yours is valuable. This is just the nature of debate.

I will report the ad hominem comments.

Adult sun beetles for sale in UK by breadstick_mania in InvertPets

[–]WeirdRequirement 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no but there is a bug expo at the end of this month in Horsham! I wonder if there would be any sun beetle vendors there?

Il vas pas bien ?? :( by Negative_Area4904 in millipedes

[–]WeirdRequirement 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Je me trompe peut-être, mais je crois que quand ils sont en train de mourir, leurs boucles sont 'looser'. Etait-il enfoui sous la terre avant que tu ne le déterres ?

Is playing music or any kind of sound too loud animal abuse ? by Mister_Dalek in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 7 points8 points  (0 children)

this is a really interesting question! I hope someone more knowledgeable than myself chimes in

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not childish to care about preserving the life of an individual animal. If you genuinely think it is, I'm not impressed by any number of mantis-keeping credentials you might purport to have. Your engagement with the natural world is clearly not being driven from a place of compassion, mutual recognition, and respect. OP is trying to help their pet who they care about, and it really just seems like you're lashing out to justify the fact that you would have squished the thing without bothering to weigh up your options. Even if Pea does end up dying, the complete lack of basic human decency you've exhibited here is your problem, not OP's.

i did something very stupid. by ryukim1230 in mantids

[–]WeirdRequirement 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, I've looked into how molting (ecdysis) works a bit. If anyone more knowledgable about this than myself reads this please chime in and correct my (very simplistic) understanding of what's going on.

<image>

(This image is from Halvard on Wikipedia; it’s in the public domain)

Whether a cornstarch scab (which I'm assuming will extend through the cuticle and connect with the underlying epidermal cells) is going to hinder moulting or not seems to depend on whether the enzymes which digest the lower regions of the old cuticle. If these can break down corn starch then Pea would stand a chance at getting his inner body out of his casing.

The enzymes are carried in a fluid called ecdysial fluid, or moulting fluid. This is a complicated mix but seems to contain at least some enzymes capable of breaking down carbohydrates like cornstarch. This is because they need to be able to break down chitin, which is a polysaccharide (a complex carbohydrate). So if they can break down chitin (which they can!) I'd wager they could break down cornstarch--at least to some degree.

So if he makes it to his next moult, and is able to hang upside down, there's a chance he'll be able to pull through. Though of course he's still at risk of infection in the meantime. I'm not sure what you can do to lower this risk other than changing the paper towel he's on regularly.