please help! How long is to long!

[geffhardy2]

I did not want to make this post but here it goes.
I have had a Pseudosquilla Ciliata for about 5 or 6 months now. Eveything was great their were only two things I was nervous about. My mantis hitting the glass. Which he has never even come close to doing. I got a spearer to lessen that problem. But molting was my other concern. He went though his first molt with no hitches. His first molt only lasted 3 to 4 days and he just basically locked himself in his pvc pipe (green and white) and came out a brand new color ( brown and white) something I found that Pseudosquilla Ciliata are known for. But he went into his 2nd molt about 3 to 4 weeks ago and I have seen no sign of him since. He is only about 3 inches long.
Is it time to go in the pvc pipe?

 

[JothamTheSlayer]

first off, its never too long

but to get to your mantis, ask yourself has it really been 3 weeks or does it just seem like its been 3 weeks? (honest question, ive been there myself only to realize its been only about a week and a half) sometimes molts take a long time. it is often compounded by certain mantis doing large amounts of prep work where you wont see them at all before they begin a molting process

i say give him another week, then maybe go looking
ive gotten impatient and pick up a rock only to find my mantis had litterally just finished molting

luckly my guy is tough and made it through, but it was a good lesson in learning to wait!

 

[lionbacker54]

+1 on waiting. the other day, i thought one of my fiddler crabs was dead. i didn't want it to spoil the rest of the tank. so i poked it to make sure. it started scrabbling around. later that day, i saw it stuck in a bad molt. then it really did die. i think it's best to just give it time.

 

[ladyonyx]

Waiting is the best way to go. Just make sure the WQ is extra good to lessen the stress of molting. If your mantis is having a bad molt, there's nothing you can do about it anyways, so it's best to just leave it alone for a while.

 

[geffhardy2]

OK . GUYS THANKS
I will give it some more time. i will let you guys know what happens

 

[sanchoy]

Yes.. if disturbed mid-molt => death..

however if its beyond a month also => death

 

[Gonodactylus]

Two points. First, P. ciliata seal up less long than gonodactylids. THree weeks is too long and I suspect that there is a problem.

Secondly, there seems to have developed the view that if you disturb a stomatopod while it is molting, it will be fatal. Ninety nine percent of the time it is not. The only time that there is severe risk is during the actual ecdysis and that lasts only a few minutes. Depending on the size and species, most stomatopods can be handled hours after a molt with no harm. We routinely measure animals the day after a molt with not problems. Animals such as G. chiragra that seal up their cavity for a couple of weeks after a molt are actually in good shape. It is just that the exoskeleton of the raptorial appendages has not reached maximum strength and they can't strike very well. That means you can't break snails or fend of intruders who want your cavity, so it is best to remain home with the door locked. But if someone does knock down the door, they can certainly run. They are not going to roll over dead.

The reason I have advised people not to open sealed cavities is because there usually is no need to and/or there is always that tiny chanced that the animal could be in the actual molt.

Give these guys some credit. They are tough and they have been molting for at least 450 million years.

ROy

 

[geffhardy2]

Great info! thanks