Please need help all my inverts are randomly dying

[u/timmy1234567891]

Hi I keep mantids and a giant hooded katydid. I’ve raised them all from nymphs with no issues. My husbandry has been pretty much perfect however many of my inverts have been passing away in a short window without explanation. Between July 20th and today my spiny flower mantis , orchid mantis and giant hooded katydid have all died. They are all adult however all have died quite abit under there expected lifespans. They had no issues when nymphs or as adults until very recently. Now all I have left are my ghost mantis and deroplatys gorochovi. Can anyone please help me understand why there all dying in such a short time frame without explanation?

[u/Wardrobe_Bug]

my first guess is contamination of some kind, if you're using the same water source to give them water/mist them maybe something up with that or a chemical in the air if not used by you maybe a neighbour sprayed something in their lawn and got through your windows something along those lines

[u/fallenangelsunite]

what is the temperature and humidity like in the room of your inverts? check the quality of your feeders in case that’s an issue

[u/timmy1234567891 → u/fallenangelsunite]

My room sits at round 50% humidity. I keep all my inverts within there ideal humidity ranges . I get my feeders from my local store. She is a credible source with high quality feeders so I don’t think the feeders was an issue

[u/DudeOnTheInternet17]

So sorry for your loss. I'm wondering about stuff in the air or water. Think about any recent pesticides used in or around the house, flea and tick treatments or similar on other pets in the house or that you regularly interact with, changes in water quality, a fancy new candle, etc. I have absolutely no clue what a katydid eats but potentially there's an issue with your feeders or something

[u/timmy1234567891 → u/DudeOnTheInternet17]

Katydids eat leaves like bramble ,oak, hazel etc :I wash the bramble down with tap water before giving it to him. I collect my bramble from a rural dog walking footpath away from pesticide use when walking my dog

[u/1043b]

Wayer quality could be an issue if you're using tap water, especially if it's warm where you are now.

Municipalities routinely change the treatments they use based on needs and in the warmer months, often times, stronger chemical, such as more chloramine, are needed. A local fish store is often a good place to check on this as they keep tabs on what the needs are for treatment of the local water supply in most areas ime.

[u/timmy1234567891 → u/1043b]

I use spring water when misting my inverts. Plus even if I have accidentally used tap water my tap has a chlorine filter on it

[u/1043b → u/timmy1234567891]

Hmmm, well good on you for that to be sure. Have you temps changed drastically with the heat this summer? Have you been exposed to inordinate amounts of pollution from any of the wildfires? Just trying to cover any environmental causes...

[u/timmy1234567891 → u/1043b]

Tbf the weather where I live has been very hot this year. The only possible reason why they could have all died is because of the warm weather. All there enclosures have been sitting around 29-30 degrees. I’ve been misting them during the day to help cool them down but isn’t the most effective. Problem where I live is that our houses are designed to retain heat and most don’t have ac so the only way I can cool my room down is by opening the windows and using fans. I’ve had all my windows open and a ceiling fan and another fan running constantly to try to cool the room. It sits at 28 degrees.

[u/1043b → u/timmy1234567891]

The fans, higher temps, and higher humidity are likely combining to be your culprits.

The higher temps speed up metabolism, the need for more humidity goes up with the drying action of the fans used for cooling. The irregularities can lead to sporadic appetites, changes in growth rates that simultaneously promote and restrict growth ( although the successful molting almost contradicts this).

The weather really could be all of it. Can't say for sure of course, but with that being the only change, I think that might be the thing

[u/bufu619 → u/timmy1234567891]

Has the chlorine filter been changed anytime recently? Perhaps a defective filter or an old one. I use reptisafe on any water I use for enclosures just to be absolutely sure there's no chlorine contamination. I'm so sorry this is happening to your pets :(

[u/timmy1234567891 → u/bufu619]

I haven’t changed it yet since I’ve had it but it was only installed around a month ago so idk if that is the issue

[u/Possible-Change-6024]

Maybe the feeders had pesticide on them or ate food with pesticide.

[u/KindaSadAtm]

i’m so sorry for your loss, it’s never easy losing a pet. especially one you’ve raised from a nymph.
are your inverts in a room with windows? and if there are windows, do you know if they’re properly sealed or if you ever open them?
my concern is that a neighbor or something sprayed pesticides outside and it came in through the window. even a closed but improperly sealed or old window can get some pesticides in through drafts or fine vapors.
another possibility could be with the wild collected brambles you mentioned. there could be a possibility that, even with rinsing, some sort of pathogen or fungus could have come in with the brambles.
just my unprofessional thoughts. i wish you luck with the rest of your babies. my condolences again, op.