Two mantis mishaps in two days!?! Advice needed...

[Uriel]

Ok, after having to help my platysoma free himself, now one of my peacocks is having a problem. I fed him a crab, which he killed, and is currently eating. the crab, however, got in a lucky claw: Mantis hit crab, crab's arm came off...still attached to the mantis' leg. Now I have a mantis running around with a crab claw attached to his leg. He doesn't seem that concerned, as he is eating the crab's torso (He prefers white meat). Should I be concerned?

Will the meat inside the claw (I assume that it is a muscular contraction that closes the claw, thus rotting of said muscle will release the grip?) rot, thus freeing the grip?

I don't relish attempet removel surgery from a peacock's leg, but I will try, if I have to. I could grab the claw with pliers and squeeze, cracking the claw.I'm gonna need a bigger set of pliers...and an armored glove.

I know this is a funny story to some (OK, I laughed a bit myself), but any similar experiences/advice would help.


-Ron

 

[JmLee]

just curious how big is your O.Scyllarus tank again?. i see 2x12g... does that mean 24 gallons?.

 

[mickey85]

I'd assume that it'd be kinda like rigor mortis in a dead person - eventually, it'd loosen up. I'd give it a day or 2. Heck, the mantis might even take it off himself.

 

[JmLee]

i dont think crustaceans get rigamortis?.

 

[Thurge]

He has two peacock mantis shrimp, each in its own 12 gal.

 

[JmLee]

oooo i c, thanks for clearing that up thurge. hey Uriel, just out of curiousity are your peacocks active and interactive in there 12 gallons?. i just ordered a 29 gallon for a peacock and i just wanted to know. The crab deal i wouldnt worry about BTW, just leave it and it should come off.

 

[Uriel]

Just got off of work (Nightclub job...).
Firstly, the claw came off, either on it's own, or from the mantis finding a way to get it off of him.

Yes, each O. scyllarus is in a 12 gallon, though I think I am going to get them into bigger tanks soon. I have one 30 ready (Once I transfer the fish and corals into an 80, that is just starting to cycle, so it will be a few weeks). I also have another 30 for the other one. I briefly thought about putting them in a divided 75 that I have, and I still might do it, come to think of it. I could just leave the 30 as a Dwarf Lion tank (I have a dwarf fuzzy as one of the fish in there now...).

Active? Yes, actually, they are both very active and interactive, both with me, as well as my cats. One sits low, raised about a foot off of the ground. so he is at cat level. The other is up about 4 feet, so he isn't really interacting with the cats. My room (My bedroom consists of a bed, a computer, and lots of aquariums) has a lot of traffic from visiting friends, etc...so the mantis all get a lot of chances for interacting. Perhaps that is why my platysoma is an outgoing mutant.

 

[JmLee]

wow thats awsome to hear, ive read that if you keep O. Scyllarus in a small tank that they wont be as active or interactive. So i was a bit worried about the 29 gallon i ordered not being big enough. But hey thanks for trhe info.

 

[Uriel]

I am by no means advocating smaller tanks for them. A 29/30 should be fine, however. Most of my mantis aquisitions were the 'Ack, I have to have it!' instant purchase situations. I would buy an Eclipse (Or the LFS would give me one, as I 'take care' of the employees when they come to my club to unwind). I would buy sand, some rock, a heater, set it up, whle floating the mantis in one of my other tanks as the new one cycled. I ended up with a lot of small tanks (As it sits right now, my wall is a shelving unit full of Eclipse tanks). Had I known that this was coming, I would have just set up divided tanks long ago, Ha@me.





-Ron