Eggbound mantis

[sk8erkho]

Hey guys!!

It's been a long time miss you guys here at the forum! Been telling my friends about the forum and the support we find here as well as introducing others to the wonderful world of mantids!!!! Unfortunately, I have been out of town for a while and and took my babies with me while away I noticed my Limbata, eldest female, has been for lack of the correct terminology,"with eggs" for way over two weeks without laying a single "dud"ooth. Son, I had intended to attempt mating her and yesterday she just "dropped dead. " I had a feeling she was egg bound other than that she showed no signs of anything physical going on with her. Just found her dead on her side on the window sill. Weather conditions were favorable so she did not dehydrate, or freeze or anything I can think of. Would eggboundness kill her? If, so, my other females are now tree weeks into eggness and neither of them are laying anything either. It's been a while since I have cared for adult mantids but I seem to remember them always laying a series of "dud" oothecae before they mated or even if not mated. is there anything I can do to help promote their ability to lay such as temperature adjustments, humidity etc?? Any ideas...?

 

[hibiscusmile]

No, won't kill her, some live a long time like that, I have one orchid female, who is the last one living and she just keeps going, Even fed her crickets, she just keeps on goniniinnngggg

 

[sk8erkho]

Wow then i have no idea what killed her then.guess I'll never know. Thanks though!!

 

[Rick]

WHen you say three weeks with eggs do you mean she has been adult three weeks without laying an ooth? If so, that isn't too long. I would not call that egg bound. I also have no idea what you mean by laying some dud ooths before mating, never seen that in any mantis.

 

[guapoalto049]

Personally I've never had any difficulty in having native females lay oothecae (and by duds I'm assuming you mean unfertilized eggs). You could try varying surfaces for the mantid to place the ootheca, for instance lots of thin rough twigs, thicker smooth twigs, rough flat surfaces, etc. I don't believe your female died of eggboundness, however, there are dozens of other factors that could be involved. Try the multiple surfaces, its worked for me in the past.

 

[Mars1962]

I'm wondering if that's the problem my mantis is having. She's eating far less than usual, and I can see horizontal lines her belly that look like the outside is barely holding her "in" along those lines. I can see them moving in and out. She's alert and all, but I've read about females bursting from eating too much or being egg-bound. Not sure what to do, though I soaked some smaller branches to put in her cage tomorrow.

 

[PhilinYuma]

First, the good news. Insects., including mantids, do not burst from eating. That's just an old wives' tale.

It's possible that she's egg bound. Provide her with water droplets from th mister to drink and increase the ambient humidity.

 

[PhilinYuma]

First, the good news. Insects., including mantids, do not burst from eating. That's just an old wives' tale.

It's possible that she's egg bound. Provide her with water droplets from th mister to drink and increase the ambient humidity.