u/GoatsWithWigs

Well, they axolotl trees

Well, they axolotl trees

I (24M) remember a time. For most guys it's normal, you look at a very attractive girl and suddenly you just magically feel attracted to her, and your heart flutters, you imagine kissing her and stuff

Well, that doesn't happen for me anymore. It's all gone now, maybe depression or something

I've forgotten how to crush. Woe is me, or whatever

I'm not looking for help or advice, this is unapologetically and explicitly a vent post. All I want is to know I'm not alone

I'm just saying. What if we just keep mutating butterflies until each of their wings looks like a portrait of Walter White?

Or how about a beetle that looks exactly like a stormtrooper?

I for one could see the appeal of a sea cucumber that looks like a dalek

So, this is my little brother's Chinese mantis hatchling

I have tried springtails, midges, and gnats

The springtails did not work because they were too small and the mantis kept missing every time. Sometimes when it missed it, its front legs seemed to collapse onto the floor sluggishly, which is a very worrying sign I think

I've even tried taking a small chunk of midge, and gently nudging it towards the head on the tip of a toothpick. Again. Nothing.

I have never seen such a terrible eater, and its abdomen is paper thin

I'm starting to worry if maybe it's stress, if I should just leave it alone

I ordered some melanogaster flightless fruit flies, to see if those will be better, and they will arrive in 2 days. I just need to know if the mantis can wait that long, because I am running out of ideas

Update: my little brother took it out of its enclosure again, tried to feed midge guts to the mantis, but the midge guts dried up and its antenna got stuck to the paper surface. I had to gently dab it with water to rehydrate the dried guts and unstick the mantis. Its antenna is now bent as a result, and being stuck has probably caused it a lot of stress

This is by far the most problematic, most difficult to feed mantis I have ever had to take care of, so PLEASE, tell me what to do next

I JUST need to know if it can go for a couple more days without eating, so that the wingless fruit flies can arrive, which will hopefully be the perfect size, neither big enough to scare it or small enough for it to miss. I am driven absolutely crazy and need EVERYONE with some knowledge to help me