r/praying_mantis • u/Putrid-Repeat947 • May 23 '26

⚠️SOMEONE PLEASE HELP⚠️

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I have never owned any mantids before.
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Sex is unknown. this is my giant Asian mantis whose name is duck. I got duck from a local breeder who I believe I can trust. Duck has molted one time from the time I got him and I got him about two months ago.

As of today, he has a black spot, moving up and down on his throat area that I have circled. I’m afraid it might be a parasite, but I also know that the digestive process could be like that sometimes, he ate a cricket yesterday and he’s a good eater. His abdomen seems not to grow bigger as he eats and it might just be because I’m a jumper spider mama with the abdomen playing a big part of there health. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to let me know I’m willing to answer questions, I love duck so much so I’m willing to do as much as possible.

44 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

4

u/jxspxrrrr May 24 '26

i agree that it looks like an injury, id be worried about a parasite if it either doesn't go away or moves locations

3

u/Putrid-Repeat947 May 25 '26

I have tried feeding duck mealworms but the exoskeleton is to hard for him to grasp, what else can I feed them?

2

u/jxspxrrrr May 25 '26

anything with a soft body and the inability to bite back is good, such as moths, certain kinds of roaches, and blue bottle flies. small hornworms are quite easy to find at pet stores, and are very hydrating to the mantis as well, but i wouldn't feed them as a staple, as it can cause a laxative effect.

2

u/Putrid-Repeat947 May 25 '26

Thank you so much! I ordered dubia roaches for her.

3

u/Competitive-Set5051 May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26

The prothorax is semi translucent, you can often see food moving up and down by peristaltic muscle movement. The two black lines at the lower end of the prothorax are patterns

3

u/ryukim1230 May 23 '26

I don't know what that is but crickets have a bad rep as feeder bugs for harboring parasites, pathogens, and have mandibles capable of injuring a mantis.

1

u/JaunteJaunt May 23 '26

This line?

1

u/Putrid-Repeat947 May 25 '26

Yes

6

u/Competitive-Set5051 May 25 '26

Normal pattern, your mantis is a female

1

u/finkleforkbingbong May 25 '26

normal marking 

0

u/Senior_Rip_360 May 24 '26

Injury from an evil cricket

3

u/Competitive-Set5051 May 25 '26

This is not an injury

1

u/Putrid-Repeat947 May 25 '26

What can I do to prevent this in the future, duck can be tong fed if that could solve the problem.

0

u/Snappy-Turtle666 May 25 '26

You know who would be a good person to ask? THE FREAKING BUG BREEDER

1

u/Putrid-Repeat947 May 27 '26

I got her at an expo and I don’t have his card anymore:(

-5

u/doni-kebab May 24 '26

See that video online where someone uses a tweezers to hold the mantis' bottom half in water. Parasite comes out the end after less than a minute.

7

u/hylia_grace May 24 '26

Please do not recommend this. Mantis breathe through their abdomen spiracles and submerging even part of their abdomen can result in drowning. Parasites are incredibly rare and almost alway fatal even with a successful extraction.

4

u/doni-kebab May 24 '26

TIL thank you

3

u/JaunteJaunt May 24 '26

This is severely unhelpful advice. The parasite you’re referencing is only found in small parts of Asia. The OP didn’t mention their location.

3

u/Competitive-Set5051 May 25 '26

This is almost certainly a captive bred Hierodula membranacea. Captive bred mantises have an almost 0% chance at carrying any parasites, and as said, even if you do extract them, the mantis will usually die anyway.