G. Ternatensis Tank Build!

[Islandoftiki]

I see why Chuck has been kind of reclusive lately. His right raptorial appendage is messed up. The entire arm is a bit wonky. It doesn't fold up properly and the dactyl is missing. The other side works just fine. It was normal before the molt, so it obviously didn't come out right during the molt.

He is out of his den for the first time since he molted and he's eating just fine. I'll probably just feed him more frequently and see if it doesn't correct itself over the next couple of molts.

You can kinda make it out in this video of him cleaning out his den... Notice his right side raptorial appendage is sitting weird and doesn't fold up close to his body.

 

[Islandoftiki]

Chuck was out of his den for most of the day yesterday. He was being fairly interactive and appears to be largely unaffected by his deformed raptorial appendage. He was nice enough to let me take a few pictures...

Right side dactyl missing.

This is how his raptorial appendage sits most of the time. It won't fold up nicely.

Here's a good picture that shows how twisted up it is.

Regardless of the damage, he's eating really well and is back to his normal behavior. His left raptorial appendage functions just fine.

 

[Islandoftiki]

 

[Islandoftiki]

Here's a current full tank shot with all of the critters visible at the same time... Not an easy shot to get.

And a little video I put together the other day:



Chuck has been more interactive than usual which has been nice. I picked up some clams on the half shell the other day and he's been enjoying those. They provide a little more challenge to eat since the clam is still attached to the shell. He's still getting daily feedings to help speed up the next molt so he can get that damaged raptorial appendage back up to speed.

 

[smtank]

I enjoyed reviewing your thread and documentation on Chuck.

Easy to see why they are such attractive critters.

If I did not have a geriatric goby I might consider trying my hand at a Mantis.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Islandoftiki]

Let's see. Time for an update. Chuck hasn't been taking food as per his usual self lately. I suspect he's going to molt soon. I've tried feeding him the past 3 days and he's come out, threat postured at the feeding claw, but not hit it. Today, I dropped a piece of scallop directly at the front door of his den. I'm not sure if he took it or the clean up crew got it. Strangely, all three fish were hanging out near his den this evening and he was inside. It seems like molting will be happening soon. He's harder to tell with his molts than my O. Scyllarus since he never closes off his den during molts.

 

[Greg31]

Enjoyed the thread. Mantis Shrimp are truly awesome.

 

[Islandoftiki]

YAY!

This afternoon, Chuck is busy cleaning pieces of old shell out of his den, and he now has two perfect looking raptorial appendages!

He's still being a little shy, but I expect he'll get more interactive now that he's back in full effect.

 

[areucrazy]

Good to hear! Love a successful molt! Tell Chuck Googly says HI :wavehand:

 

[Islandoftiki]

It's been way too long since I've given a good picture update, so here it is!

He's actually eating a piece of krill but it's hidden behind his maxillipeds. You can also see his newly repaired dactyl. Notice that the spike curves around a little, but it's otherwise functional.

 

[Islandoftiki]

Nom nom nom...

 

[Islandoftiki]

Raaaaaaaaaawr!

 

[Islandoftiki]

How about a little more G. Ternatensis love for you all today?

Here's a little threat posturing for the camera.

 

[Islandoftiki]

Chuck has a new trick!

He can now recognize the baggie with Selcon soaked krill in it. He can see it from at least 6 feet or more.



He used to reject krill in favor of scallops, but as Dr. Caldwell mentioned, if you're persistent with them, they can suddenly switch their favorite food. It took about 2 weeks to get him excited about krill. He now prefers it, and as you can see from the video, he gets quite excited about it!

 

[Islandoftiki]

Does it get any more exciting than a battle between an African Grey parrot and a Mantis shrimp?

 

[Kharn]

I am about to setup a small snake enclosure for 'Mrs. Kharn'... I am keen to get a face to face pic of her snake and one of my large spearers/smashers just to see how both react.

 

[marqese]

That is hilarious!!!

 

[Islandoftiki]

Chuck has really changed a lot in interactivity in the past month or two. He's almost always hanging out at the front of the tank, watching the parrots across the room from him and seeing what we're up to every time we walk by.

When he's in full watching the world mode, he'll do some really good threat posturing. If you put your face up to the tank, he'll lunge at you. It's really cute.

 

[Islandoftiki]

I got a new little magnetic cleaner for getting into the corners of the tank. Chuck met the cleaner for the first time today. He wasn't sure what to do with it, so we played around for a while. He was really curious about it, but couldn't figure out if it was a threat or not. He was hesitant to whack it with most of his hits being very light taps. He also stole food from a frogspawn that I put in the tank a couple days ago, but I didn't catch that on video.

 

[Islandoftiki]

They'll never notice me in the red macro algae...