# First time breeding!



## Connor (Sep 27, 2017)

My first ever time breeding! A really exciting but nervous experience lol! A wild caught female carolina and a male from @Sarah K(Thanks Sarah!!). 

Ive been wanting to breed for a while, so this is really amazing! I'm obviously very new at this so if you see anything wrong or off; please let me know. 

Wow... I'm still in shock haha.

I'm not wanting to count my chickens before the hatch but I'm trying to figure out what to do with the ooths.. I will probably keep 1-2 and the others... well just lmk if you'd be interested in them. But I don't want to jinx myself. 

To many fertile ooths!

Connor


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## River Dane (Sep 27, 2017)

@Connor

congratulations! Nice male   

good luck on your breeding endeavor!

and to many fertile ooths!


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## Connor (Sep 27, 2017)

Thanks @FluffyMantid! 

They are still going at it. 

Going to try and save the male... but we will see tomorrow morning lol


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## Serle (Sep 27, 2017)

hey connor , looks like a good cover to me , how long was the tie in ?   1.5 to 2 hrs. is very acceptable ............  S


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## River Dane (Sep 28, 2017)

@Connor

you're welcome!

Hopefully he'll live to breed another day, lol. 

Btw, how'd you get him to connect? I'm gonna try and breed my pair in a week or something.


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

Serle said:


> hey connor , looks like a good cover to me , how long was the tie in ?   1.5 to 2 hrs. is very acceptable ............  S


They are still at it. My female has started moving around the enclosure now making me think they are almost good. I'm glad everything looks good 



FluffyMantid said:


> @Connor
> 
> you're welcome!
> 
> ...


Honestly it didn't take much and was a very close call. First I waited for my female to catch and start eating a fly. Then I put my male in behind her so that she couldn't see him. He noticed her but didn't really make a move, and proceeded to go the opposite direction. I basically just turned him around by using some tweezers. The. I pushed him towards his lady friend. At this point the female noticed him and started eyeing him. I then decided he needed to make a move fast so I kinda gave him a bump. He then jumped right near her and she attacked him. Somehow out of the chaos he had made it onto her back and started to do his business. 

So yeah... it wasn't graceful or professional.


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## River Dane (Sep 28, 2017)

@Connor

oh, lol. Stilll helpful, though, thanks a million!


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

FluffyMantid said:


> @Connor
> 
> oh, lol. Stilll helpful, though, thanks a million!


No problem. 

Let us know how it goes

Good luck

Connor


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## River Dane (Sep 28, 2017)

@Connor

welp, I tried. Spent the last two hours watching and guiding the pair. He almost made it, but he hesitated climbing on, but that was all the time Biollante needed. Rookwood died... oh well, thanks for the tips, though. Saved him several, lol.


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

@FluffyMantid

oh wow. Sorry hear about that... I guess sometimes it just doesn't work out. How old was your female and male(after adult molt)?


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

If any breeder could answer these questions that would be greatly appreciated . 

Theyve been attached now for over 9 hours... is this too long for a carolina? 

And when will she start laying ooths? She is 2 weeks into adulthood. 

Thanks!


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## Velve (Sep 28, 2017)

Connor said:


> Theyve been attached now for over 9 hours... is this too long for a carolina?
> 
> And when will she start laying ooths? She is 2 weeks into adulthood.


That's normal. Bigger species can copulate for 12 hours or more sometimes.

The first ooth might take 1-2 weeks. 2 weeks after the final molt they usually just got ready to mate.


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

@Velve

thanks for the response. I figured since she's so young she would take a while for her first ooth. Will putting her in a enclosure with a bunch of sticks help her lay faster? Or can I just wait a week or so then put her in with the sticks?


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## Velve (Sep 28, 2017)

Connor said:


> @Velve
> 
> thanks for the response. I figured since she's so young she would take a while for her first ooth. Will putting her in a enclosure with a bunch of sticks help her lay faster? Or can I just wait a week or so then put her in with the sticks?


Sticks won't motivate her to lay faster. They often just attach ooths to the mesh on top of the tank. Nothing to do now but feeding her well and wait.


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

@Velve

Alright! Well I guess it's just a waiting game. I also got a brunners ooth about to hatch so I get excited every time I get back home to check on everyone lol. 

I really appreciate the tips. Thanks.

Connor


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## River Dane (Sep 28, 2017)

Connor said:


> @FluffyMantid
> 
> oh wow. Sorry hear about that... I guess sometimes it just doesn't work out. How old was your female and male(after adult molt)?


I don't know, actually, lol. She was an adult when I found her, but I didn't breed her until after two weeks. The male was also two weeks into adulthood. Is that too soon?


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

@FluffyMantid

they should have been fine to breed. I would've given the female something to chew on though before you tried to mate them. Sometimes it just comes down to luck. 

Who knows, maybe your girl has already mated in the wild.


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## River Dane (Sep 28, 2017)

@Connor

She did have a mealworms, but she eats fast, lol. She lives up to her name.

I didn't even think about that. Hopefully she did.

thanks for all the help.

How's your pair doing?


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

@FluffyMantid

haha I feel like all the females demolish food

No problem

They are doing fine. Last time I checked(a few hours ago) they were still at it


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## Mystymantis (Sep 28, 2017)

Connor said:


> If any breeder could answer these questions that would be greatly appreciated .
> 
> Theyve been attached now for over 9 hours... is this too long for a carolina?
> 
> ...


9 hours for Carolina's is perfectly normal. I have had males stay on for like 12 hours! and sometimes they just wouldn't get off, lol.

She will probably start laying eggs in another 2-4 weeks or so. It might even take longer but that I guess depends on how ready they are?

I am mating a Carolina pair right now, and the male has been at it for 4 hours!


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

@Mystymantis

thanks for responding! 

Haha yeah my male was connected for at least 18 hours and since disconnecting, has just been sitting on her back lol.

Good luck with your pair!


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## Connor (Sep 28, 2017)

Update:

I don't know what is going on... after 18 hours of mating, the male disconnected but stayed on her(just holding on). I tried to get him off but he held himself on tight. So I decided to leave him be until he got off himself. But now he has reconnected and they are mating again. Wth is going on?Is this bad news?


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## Connor (Sep 29, 2017)

Update #2: 

They are now fine and separated. Thanks for all the help guys and gals.


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## River Dane (Sep 29, 2017)

Connor said:


> Update #2:
> 
> They are now fine and separated. Thanks for all the help guys and gals.


Congratulations! Make sure to update us on the female in case she lays any ooths!


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## Mystymantis (Sep 29, 2017)

Connor said:


> Update:
> 
> I don't know what is going on... after 18 hours of mating, the male disconnected but stayed on her(just holding on). I tried to get him off but he held himself on tight. So I decided to leave him be until he got off himself. But now he has reconnected and they are mating again. Wth is going on?Is this bad news?


I have found male Carolinas to be very stubborn on dismounting. One trick you can do to encourage the male to dismount is to very gently grab him on the thorax with two fingers. And just hold him very lightly for a few moments, don't worry no harm comes to the male by doing this. But you just gently hold his thorax, don't lift up or anything just give slight pressure and he should begin dismounting. If he is still connected he should begin to disconnect his abdomen from the females.  After 8 hours the male should be done transferring sperm so if he is still connected you can do this trick. I have done it a few times to particularly stubborn males and it has worked.

And I don't think any harem would come if the male did reconnect like you said. Maybe he was confused. LOL.

Oh and congrats on your first mating and him finally dismounting!  My male dismounted after about 7 hours or so.


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## Connor (Sep 29, 2017)

@Mystymantis Thanks for the tips! Yeah my male must have been a little confused lol.

@FluffyMantid

I will for sure give updates


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## Connor (Oct 3, 2017)

Woke up this morning to see this. Wow she laid fast! So glad to see that she isn't egg bound. I'll get a better pic when I get home later today. Lmk if it is looking healthy!


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## Connor (Oct 4, 2017)

better pic of it


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## Connor (Oct 4, 2017)

better pic of it


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