Schmock Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Dear forum members! I have a problem with my Therea olegrandjeani. Some days ago one nymph died supposedly by not finishing its molt. This is my second nymph that has died that way. You can see a crack in their dorsal exoskeleton, where they normally exit through while molting (see photo). Unfortunately it seems they needed too much time, so their new skin became unflexible too soon. So they where literally trapped in their own skin. I don't know, if I am in any way responsible for that phenomenon, but my colony is quite small (now 8 nymphs), so every loss is one loss too much. I keep them in dry coconut humus with broken dry leaves on top and very very rarely spray some water on top. Their moist food is either apple or banana, sometimes they eat a bit Gammarus. Can I do anything to avoid molting problems in the future? Maybe change the substrate, increase humidity (although the breeder I got them from told me to keep them very dry)? I'd appreciate any recommendations! Greetings from Germany, Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Increase the humidity pronto! Give the a gradient of humidity; Really dry on one side ( misted once a week lightly) and moist on the other (misted heavily once a week) I keep mine like this and have no problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmock Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hello Zephyr, thanks for your advice! I did as you suggested. When I see the first adult in my box, we'll know it has worked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Hello Zephyr, thanks for your advice! I did as you suggested. When I see the first adult in my box, we'll know it has worked I keep one end of my colony moist (20% of the bin), and the rest of it dry but moist occasionally, and I have more than I can count with no molting problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmock Posted June 29, 2010 Author Share Posted June 29, 2010 Hey guys! just wanted to give some feedback to your method. I got up half an hour ago and found an adult Therea nibbling on a banana slice! Woohoo, I'm so proud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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