# Inbreeding: 1st generation; can I do it, or no?



## Prayingmantisqueen (Oct 27, 2018)

So today I have a question about inbreeding, so say I took 2 Giant Asians from the same ooth and bred them is that a big No-No? What about ghosts? Chinese? 

I just want to know if it would be OK or if I am going to have to buy from 2 different breeders, pay shipping twice, etc... Etc... 

Thanks in advance!


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## ausar318 (Oct 27, 2018)

Can’t speak for the others, but it’s fine with chinese. I tested it the past three years, first gen. inbred is fine, second gen. has a few more die off, but is fine overall. Third generation, however, had a 100% mortality rate by L3. 

So to answer your question, it should be fine, but for no more than one generation


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Oct 27, 2018)

Okay thats perfect ? yeah I read your post about that so I was hoping it was ok.


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## MantisGirl13 (Oct 28, 2018)

Yeah, you are perfectly fine, @Prayingmantisqueen,

- MantisGirl13


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Oct 28, 2018)

Good! I am so glad!


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## Ziiggy's Insectarium (Oct 29, 2018)

I actually plan on doing a long term experiment on this once I get my business going on which species do better with inbreeding and offspring mortality rate, also include male and female characteristics and health to see what traits are produced from certain mantises


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Oct 29, 2018)

That will be interesting to find out how it all turns out!


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## Ziiggy's Insectarium (Oct 30, 2018)

Prayingmantisqueen said:


> That will be interesting to find out how it all turns out!


yah I plan on keeping all records even the parents length and weight and comparing that to the offspring numbers too


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Oct 30, 2018)

Wow. That will be a detailed experiment!


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## Ziiggy's Insectarium (Oct 30, 2018)

That's my plan any way and once the business gets going and I have a complex and everything ill definitely be hiring people will help with those details lol


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Oct 30, 2018)

Nice. That would be a fun job.... Insects...


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## Ziiggy's Insectarium (Oct 30, 2018)

well it would be a little more than that but I mean if people are interested in the subject then I don't see it being very boring, especially when the breeding gets into swing


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Nov 1, 2018)

Ziiggy's Insectarium said:


> well it would be a little more than that but I mean if people are interested in the subject then I don't see it being very boring, especially when the breeding gets into swing


Exactly. I would love a job like that but I won't be getting any job for several more years!


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## Ziiggy's Insectarium (Nov 1, 2018)

i mean its gonna take a couple years to start up XD


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Nov 1, 2018)

Yeah probably


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## MantisGirl13 (Nov 1, 2018)

Yeah, but you will have quite the learning experience along the way!

- MantisGirl13


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## Rick (Nov 5, 2018)

It's fine.


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## The Mantis Menagerie (Dec 2, 2018)

ausar318 said:


> Can’t speak for the others, but it’s fine with chinese. I tested it the past three years, first gen. inbred is fine, second gen. has a few more die off, but is fine overall. Third generation, however, had a 100% mortality rate by L3.
> 
> So to answer your question, it should be fine, but for no more than one generation


I had a colony of cabbage white butterflies that I started from one mating pair I captured. It is interesting how similar your description of the effects of inbreeding in mantids is to what happened in the cabbage white butterfly colony. First generation was fine. The second generation seemed fine, but the caterpillars lived inside the cabbage I gave them, so I could not tell if there was more die off. The third generation never hatched, and the eggs just sat there until the cabbage rotted. The similarity is interesting considering that mantids and lepidoptera are not that closely related.


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## Prayingmantisqueen (Dec 2, 2018)

Interesting


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