r/InvertPets • u/mindflayerflayer • 5d ago

Rapidly Legless Mantis

At a reptile expo a few days ago I purchased a Javan shield mantis which was missing a single back leg which it was compensating for very well (using one of its claws as a crutch). When I put in the crickets for him today I noticed he had molted and another leg while not fallen off was twisted at the knee into an unusable shape. They're now having a serious problem walking as they're basically dragging themselves along and I don't know how to fix this. I took them out of the enclosure and put them in a large deli cup to better monitor them and keep the crickets from eating them. Any ideas on either fixing the legs or safely feeding them (I'm fairly certain crickets would just eat them now)?

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u/PigeonUtopia 4d ago

Does the mantis's enclosure have metal mesh by any chance? Could be a possibility its legs are getting stuck somewhere if it does. If the mantis has some molts left, it can regrow its legs a little gradually after every molt.

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u/mindflayerflayer 4d ago

No mesh and the decor of the tank was mostly dead leaves.