# First Ooth!!!!!!!!!!!!



## Sparky (Jul 4, 2007)

I just got my first ooth from the garden center. It says it comes with 2 egg cases, but i only got one. It also came with this wierd long dried grass thing.

How should I keep my ooth? right now its in a small Kritter Keeper with a wet paper towel on the bottom and im going to mist in a few minutes.

And what should I do when they hatch? I can't keep all of them; will I get in trouble by the law for releasing some?

Its tannish and really small and it has a very very small whole close to the bottom and it weighs about nothin. Did it already hatch?


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## Sparky (Jul 4, 2007)

are all ooths bought from garden centers fertile? Did they get it from the wild or do they keep mantids in a lab and mate them?












I sound paranoid :lol: :roll:


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## Rick (Jul 4, 2007)

Probably gathered it from the wild. You have it upside down by the way.


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## Sparky (Jul 4, 2007)

oops so did it hatch already?

oh and it says it came with 2 egg cases but i only got 1. lol?


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## Rick (Jul 4, 2007)

It's just upside down. It does look like it may of hatched too. The "vents" look open. Wait about four weeks and see if it hatches.


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## Sparky (Jul 4, 2007)

oh gosh, it looks even worse right side up. It looks like it has some sort of hole at the bottom  well its not a hole but it looks like its pushed open.


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## hibiscusmile (Jul 4, 2007)

what does the grassy thing look like Sparky?


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## Sparky (Jul 4, 2007)

I think its called Raffa grass

You can kinda see it in the first pic

http://www.mantisplace.com/nymphsupplies.html#Raffa

also I would appreciate it if someone poested a picture of a hatched Chinese Ooth. I would like to compare them.


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## Rick (Jul 5, 2007)

> I think its called Raffa grassYou can kinda see it in the first pic
> 
> http://www.mantisplace.com/nymphsupplies.html#Raffa
> 
> also I would appreciate it if someone poested a picture of a hatched Chinese Ooth. I would like to compare them.


There is not a certain way a hatched one looks so that would be pointless. The vents on that one are open a bit and not smooth so it is possible it may of hatched. Just wait and see.


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## robo mantis (Jul 5, 2007)

i see somthing hanging out like it hatched.


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## Asa (Jul 5, 2007)

I think you got ripped off, buddy. Sorry  

You can get one from a trusted source right here

www.mantisplace.com

Nick won't let you down.


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## Sparky (Jul 5, 2007)

I still have hope. Theres one more thing I want to do if all else fails.

I heard that you can slice the top just a bit, enough to see gooey stuff.

How would i do this? Carefully. Any pictures, illustrations?


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## Asa (Jul 5, 2007)

Cut off the very very top layer. Carefully of course. If you see yellow 'life' it means there are some in there.


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## Sparky (Jul 5, 2007)

Well not the best pics but here it is....

signs of no life....

Brown...

and a few unhatched juicy pale nymphs...


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## Rob Byatt (Jul 5, 2007)

Okay, wht do people keep advising begineers to cut open ootheca, especially when they've only had the for a few days ? :?

We all know that ootheca generally take longer than 5 weeks to hatch, so you should WAIT for that period of time to elapse before interfering with it.

It makes absolutely no sense at all to cut open a potentially fertile and developing ootheca, risking killing nymphs directly or by the ingress of infection.

Just be patient folks :wink:


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## Asa (Jul 5, 2007)

Sorry, Rob, but he got this one from a garden store. Those generally have already had them for a few weeks. When I get mine, they nearly always hatch within a day or two. Plus, cutting a eensy bit off the top won't hurt anything. Considering it looks like part of it already got cut open anyway :roll: .

But Rob is right. The rule is to wait, wait, wait.


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## Sparky (Jul 5, 2007)

well they said they had it for 3 weeks already :roll: Plus theres nothing inside anyway but 4 nymphs that didnt make it out with the others.

I got ripped off too. 2 in one package. I got 1 :evil:

EDIT: Ok i opened the rest...it was super dry and crispy so there was for sure nothing left. I'm going to buy from you guys instead.


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## Asa (Jul 5, 2007)

It's easier :wink:


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## OGIGA (Jul 6, 2007)

If it's a reputable gardening store, maybe you can get your money back. All you really have to do is ask them what you can do after telling them you didn't get what you paid for. Good luck with that though.


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