Mantis Shrimp is sick....need help!

[y0bailey]

I haven't heard from my mantis shrimp in about a month. He is around 3-4 inches, and is a smasher. I assumed he was doing a molt, and I was correct. However the molt went terribly wrong!

He is missing both of his smashing appendages (one completely, half of the other), and looks lighter in coloration than normal. I think I know the cause of the problem (I haven't been feeding him hermits due to the cost, just purchased frozen shrimp because it is cheap/easy), but I don't know how to fix it!

I assume he is missing his smashers due to an essential substance not supplied by the frozen shrimp (which he has been fine with for a year). I don't know what this substance is, but I assume it is in the hermits exoskeleton.

Anyways I want to nurse him back to health, so the logical thing is a diet change back to hermits....but how does one kill/eat hermits without smashers!

I am at a complete loss as to what to do from here....so please experts give me some ideas (supplements?).




ps - I also have a fiesty damsel in there....I don't think he would be able to eat off his smashers without some kind of damage so I kinda ruled him out as the cause....could a large damsel 3-4 inch damsel do this to a 3-4 inch mantis?

 

[Pea-brain]

What probably hapened is your mantis didn't get enough exercise. It is best to provide hard foods a few times a month in order for the matis to get exercise. You'll have to wait for it to grow them back. It will probly tear off that half smasher. It should increase its molt time. Expect 3-4 molts before it is back to normal. and 2-3 molts before it can strike, but it will be weak. Keep feeding frozen but you must provide live foods every once in a while after he can take them.

 

[DanInSD]

Make sure you supply a variety of foods, as well. No single food is going to be nutritionally complete. Think about it for yourself -- can you think of any single food that would keep you healthy? Do a rotation -- silversides, squid, shrimp, scallop, krill...

Color change is not necessarily a bad thing. What species are we talking about here? A 3-4" smasher could be anywhere from a large adult to a young teenager depending on the species. Some smasher species are notorious for changing colors depending on lighting and environment.

Oh, and also, I agree, throw in a few snails/hermits as playthings occasionally.

Dan