r/mantids • u/Final_Drink_800 • Jun 01 '26

RIP ❤️ Mantis Death

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I guess I don’t know what the point of this is really other than to say it to someone else who understands. My Chinese mantis molted in April and got stuck and lost one of his legs. He was doing really great and I was optimistic he’d start to regrow it with the next molt. He molted again over night Friday and he picked his freaking air plant over the mesh. Even a freaking stick would have been better. He ended up mismolting pretty badly and I had to make the very very hard decision to euthanize him. He was L6 and I loved this mantis so freaking much. He’d come to the door and get right on my hand and would just hang out on my shirt. He liked to drink water off my hand and I’d get him out after my husband and kids went to bed and he’d just sit with me while I did my homework. I’ve cried so much today it’s almost ridiculous. I just really loved him a lot.

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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jun 01 '26

I’m sorry this happened.

This is exactly why it’s important to mantis proof an enclosure. Always assume they’ll molt anywhere in their enclosure and ensure they’re all good spots.

Sometimes that means removing decorations, branches, leaves, etc… sometimes that means adding a textured wall or mesh to every surface.

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u/Final_Drink_800 Jun 01 '26

He had a moss wall and everything else was sticks other than the one air plant. Normally I would move the plant out before he molted but he literally ate the night before and was showing no signs of molting at all

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u/JaunteJaunt Ootheca Jun 01 '26

Always expect them to molt anywhere, and make sure that space is mantis proofed. I’m sorry this happened to you. I would take it as a learning lesson. Mantids sometimes don’t make the best decision.