/an/, why did my chinese mantis eat his own antennae? He just ate a bunch of crickets yesterday.
Because it's a stupid fucking bug.
C'mon faggots, why is my bug eating itself? He's got a nice terrarium, humidity is right, temp is right, etc, but now one of his little "hand" things is missing too. This is like extreme nailbiting.
That's how mantises masturbate.
malnourishment?Maybe he's missing something that crickets can't provide.Try something else to feed.
look at their heads and note how closely related they are to cockroaches, how regal NOW, DMT alien robot roach mantid ?
>>184070epic
>>184106Get out from thread, schoolboy.
GODDAMNIT /an/ HE'S EATING HIMSELF AGAIN. :( WHAT THE HELL.
Can a mantid regenerate from that?
>>184248I hope so, because he looks pretty lame without antennae.
Sounds like he's contracted a serious disease.Your mantis is not long for this world.
HE JUST ATE A FUCKING LEGWHY DOES HE DO THIS
He's committing suicide obviously
>>183728parasite from the crickets, most likely. Watch for a weird worm after it eats up the rest of its body and dies.
Maybe the parts are infected with a fungus and it aputates them to keep it from spreading over the entire body.
>>184290pics or it didn't happen.
>>184298OH, OH, I KNOW THIS. It's one of those worms that infects the central nervous system. Your mantis is under a case of mind worm control and it's pretty much making the mantis kill itself. The worm should shortly burrow out of the body, I don't know how the life cycle exactly functions tho'.
This is awesome. If only you could post pics.
next time choose a pet that isn't prone to suicide parasites.
Insect mind control ftw. Pic related.
poor op :<
Pics or you're lying.
Isn't the pic with the ant a fungus that makes them climb upwards and when it dies, the fungus sprouts and releases spores into the air?
Maybe he is a nihilist
>>184290YOU LIEHe has not eaten his leg, just his "hand" and antennae. They're both very small parts, so it's nothing too awesome to see.
>>184377Yes.
OP here. I think it's some kind of parasite. He keeps rubbing his arms over his face like he's scratching it and squirming around a lot. Maybe he got so itchy he started eating his body parts.So, new question. How the hell does one get rid of parasites on a bug?
>>184551Give him a bath, duh.
>>184551raid
>>184070When I got that, I shat bricks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematomorpha
Put the poor bastard out it's misery.
Picsalsoyou should kill it, sounds like it's suffering alot.Also if you're in CT, just let it go cause you can get a fine for killing it
>>184960Do insects have pain sensors?
>>184992Does a bug react when you pull on it?