Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got a #9 flower mantis and discoverd she was missing the part of her back leg with the pads or grippers. she is sub adult. i was wondering if the leg will come back next time she molts or will this be a problem she has to deal with for the rest of her life? also when i got her she ate really well. when i got her tank set up she will perch on a twig or flower looking down at crickets but wont come down to get them, so i have been puting her in a tupper ware with crickets. she eats just fine useing this method. should i continue to feed her like this or just let her learn she has to come down from her twig to snatch a cricket?. any help would be great

I have 10 wahlbergiis at the moment, and one of them has a gripper missing as well. It is no big concern however, it might come back with the next molt to a certain degree. But, even if it doesnt, it has no long-term affects on the mantis. It will live its normal life just fine. As far as the eating goes, #9 mantids rarely ever go after their food, especiall when its on the ground. I've had mine go down after their food before, but that's only when they are young. Once around the L4 to subadult stage, I simply feed them one at a time by dangling a cricket infront of them with tweezers. Just jiggle the cricket a bit and they will almost always attack and eat it. If they dont, it's possible that it is going to molt in the next day or so. The #9's almost sticktly eat flying insects, which is why the dangling is neccesary to get them to eat. I hope this helps you.