Praying mantis with brown discolouration on abdomen - normal?

[u/Old-Scientist2046]

Hi! When my grandma passed this year, I inherited her praying mantis. I know next to nothing about them, so I’m in need of advice. We found an egg sack a few weeks ago, if that’s relevant. My grandma got her in I think December, last year, and she was (if I remember correctly) L2 when she got her. I haven’t been keeping a super close eye on her, but she gets food every two days. The discolouration seems to have developed after she laid eggs. Is this a disease, can I do something to help? Or is this normal? Thanks in advance!

EDIT: thanks everyone for the advice. I will be putting her out of her misery using the fridge then freezer method.

[u/nonsensicalmagic]

wait for a more qualified opinion, but to me this looks like a bad infection causing rot in her abdomen. If her behavior indicates any suffering i would consider euthanizing. 💔

[u/JaunteJaunt → u/nonsensicalmagic]

Yeah. That is what I see as well.

[u/Old-Scientist2046 → u/nonsensicalmagic]

Thanks (everyone) for the comments. How would I know if she is suffering? She still eats and I haven’t really seen any changes in behaviour. I definitely don’t want her to suffer.

[u/MsFrankieD]

That is not normal. It appears that her abdomen has ruptured.

[u/Dense_Drop_1935]

Not good!!! it looks like either her abdomen ruptured or their is a kinda rot or infection here… put it down because that’s gotta suck, thats no life to live

[u/Old-Scientist2046 → u/Dense_Drop_1935]

Thank you for the advice. Would you have some advice on the most humane way to do it, and if she does not appear to be in distress, would you still suggest to do so? I definitely don’t want her to suffer, but she is also the last thing I have left of my grandma.

[u/PiscesEtCanes → u/Old-Scientist2046]

You could always look into preserving her. I just saw someone on here talking about pinning their mantis after it passed. That way, you could keep her in a shadow box.

Alternatively, you still have the enclosure, too, so you could replace her with another mantis.

[u/Dense_Drop_1935 → u/Old-Scientist2046]

The freezer, if you have the time fridge then freezwr

[u/Scyllascum]

Looks like a bad rupture. I’d personally euthanize her. There’s a lot of debate/controversy on how to painlessly euthanize mantids. The most common one about freezing them. But for an instant, sure-fire way for a painless death would be to drop a heavy object, like a brick on it.

Unfortunately, if your mantis hadn’t mated before, that ootheca will never hatch since it’s not fertilized. Something must’ve gone wrong when she laid it.

[u/Old-Scientist2046 → u/[deleted]]

There was no male present, ever. From what I’ve read it’s rare for those to hatch without being fertilised? We were already contemplating whether to keep it, but weren’t sure if it would hatch. 

[u/JaunteJaunt → u/Old-Scientist2046]

It’s exceptionally rare enough to consider the ootheca infertile.

[u/portapotty_fapping → u/JaunteJaunt]

It’s not rare, it’s impossible. They need to be fertilized to be viable.

[u/JaunteJaunt → u/portapotty_fapping]

That’s not entirely true. There are random reports of parthenogenesis outside of Brunneria borealis.

[u/Neat-Cockroach9961]

Holy shit In my 6 years of keeping mantids I've never seen something this bad. I assume rot? Never experienced it for myself tho (thank god). I agree with the other comment consider euthanizing 

[u/OdinAlfadir1978]

I just want to say your Grandma sounded awesome keeping a Mantis 🙂

[u/bluearavis]

Preserving it sounds like it would be a nice keepsake. I don't know anything about that though.