i woke up today to find cherry near death, i thought she was completely dead until i tried to move her and my poor baby used the rest of her strength to cling onto the brush i was using to gently get her out the corner of her enclosure, other than that she couldn’t move and her eyes stayed dark like it was night.
one thing that is well known about mantids is that their natural deaths are always painful and long.
knowing that, knowing that she was still alive, still in pain, i had to euthanise her.
apparently a mantis will die in the freezer by just slipping into a peaceful sleep.
i said ‘rest well my love’ and closed the freezer door, i really hope shes not in pain for much longer.
i dont know how anyone can think of the bugs they care for as less than family, cherry was my daughter, my sweet baby, i sung songs to her, i loved documenting the stuff she does, i have so many photos of her, i cheered her on everytime she ate a fly.
something so small bought so much joy into my life every day, im glad she showed so many signs of being cared for well throughout her short time with me
goodbye my little cherry baby. i miss you.