# Ooth gestation periods



## Schloaty (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi Guys,

I'm waiting anxiously to see if my ghost ooths will hatch right now....and I wonder if anyone knows the typical gestation period of these ooths?

Then, as I was thinking about it....does anyone know a reference to a chart that lists the gestaion period of ooths of mantids in general? A nice to chart to which one can refer and say, "Hey, one of my ghost ooths is 4 weeks old, so any day now...and my other ghost ooth is 4 months old so it must trash....but my 4 month old brunners ooth is still good."

It's killing me right now to know if my breeding attempt with my ghosts was successful...and if/when I try to breed other species, it would be nice to be able to check the chart and see if I need to be patient, or I can start to worry....


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## massaman (Apr 28, 2011)

nope no charts or anything exist and ooths hatch just whenever if its fertile of course and no one can predict when a ooth is going to hatch though I have had ooths laid at a interval its harder to figure out when a ooth is to hatch but if it has not hatched in like 2-3 months then odds are the majority of the ooths wont hatch at all but other factors include the temperature and humidity as well will also factor in to the hatching equation!


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## warpdrive (Apr 28, 2011)

there is no chart that I know of.

but how about YOU make one. there is plenty of info out there on many websites for the care and breeding of many mantids, and many of them even tell you how long it takes for the ooth to hatch.

a good place to start is the UK mantid forum. just goto the care sheets and start making such a list.

then post your results here in this forum and maybe the mods might make it a sticky for this forum.

Harry

edit: as for your ghost ooths, about 6 to 8 weeks is the norm.


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## patrickfraser (Apr 28, 2011)

Phylocrania paradoxia breeding

Start here and submerge yourself in information of all sorts for most species, including lots of photos. On the top right, if needed, you can change to Fahrenheit and inches from Celsius and cm. Good luck and enjoy. Don't burn a hole in the ooth with that stare.


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## Schloaty (Apr 28, 2011)

Thanks guys. I have another two weeks before I should start expecting anything, and four before I get anxious.

Warp, I just might do that....in between the kids, the wife, the house, the job...well...don't hold your breath. But who knows? Maybe by next Christmas. I didn't want to duplicate efforts, though, if something already existed.

I will make Ghosts my first entry in the spreadsheet.....

Edit:

Interesting. The link to mantis online quotes 4 weeks, and Warp seems to think 6-8. I guess this one will go down as 4-8 weeks for now!


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 28, 2011)

patrickfraser said:


> Phylocrania paradoxia breeding
> 
> Start here and submerge yourself in information of all sorts for most species, including lots of photos. On the top right, if needed, you can change to Fahrenheit and inches from Celsius and cm. Good luck and enjoy. Don't burn a hole in the ooth with that stare.


Sensible advice, Patrick, but Schloaty has been a member since 2007 and he and I were talking ghosts a cuppla years ago. I don't have any figures on ooth hatching, but I do remember sending two to Taiwan that were 5 weeks old (not a good idea!) One hatched in transit and I got the box back, months later, in a plastic bag. :angry:


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## patrickfraser (Apr 28, 2011)

Just thought I would put it out there. I just thought that if the information hadn't been accessed or was unknown, I would make it available. I, by no means, "swear" to it's "perfection". I just believe that it contains comprehensive information on the most species I have found available in one place on line. I go to it often when "thinking" about a new mantid. Some things aren't there, but that's where the forum comes in and the personal experiences of forum members.

I was just trying to be helpful, even if the member has been "aboard" since 2007. So, any questions, I should forward to Schloaty, as he is all knowing?


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 28, 2011)

There you go!


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## sporeworld (Apr 28, 2011)

I think it's safe to say at LEAST 5 weeks. I didn't track mine scientifically, or track temps or humdities, but that seems about right. I know I had up to 3 weeks between ooths laid almost exactly the same time.

Also, I don't remember reading this anywhere, but the ooth that took a crazy-long time was WAY over humidified, and (cooincidentally?) didn't hatch until 2 days after I dried it out.

BTW, I've recently been writing the lay-date on the container of the ooth. IF I get around to it, I put the expected due date next to it.

Good luck!


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## patrickfraser (Apr 28, 2011)

Imagine that..Dating your ooths???

Who woulda thunk


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## sporeworld (Apr 28, 2011)

Very Funny.  

I'm telling you, when I had colonies of Ghosts and Gongy's, I'd get in there about once a week (when the flies were light) and harvest ooths like a farmer. It was like picking fruit! Proper record keeping simply wasn't a viable option.


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## kamakiri (Apr 28, 2011)

Some of my old incubation data here and pasted below:

2009-2010 ghost breeding record for kamakiri

Liana:

Mated 9/20

Ooth 1 9/25: &lt;b&gt;Hatched 11/06 - 15 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 2 9/30: &lt;b&gt;Hatched 11/12 - 34 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 3 10/6: Sold. shipped 11/9. Arrived 11/11. &lt;b&gt;Hatched&lt;/b&gt; count - 15 estimated.

Ooth 4 10/13: &lt;b&gt;Hatched 11/24-11/25 - 43 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 5 10/19:&lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/3 - 13 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Re-mated 10/20

Ooth 6 10/26: &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/11 - 26 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 7 11/04: &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/19 - 15 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 8 11/11: &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/28 - 26 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 9 11/19: on lid - &lt;b&gt;Hatched 1/1/10 - 20 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 10 11/27: on chopstick &lt;b&gt;started Hatching 1/6/10&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 11 12/4: on chopstick &lt;b&gt;Hatching 1/14/10&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 12 12/11: on side of 12/4 ooth &lt;b&gt;Hatching 1/26/10 - 16 so far&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 13 12/23: on chopstick &lt;b&gt;Hatched 2/11/10 - 13 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 14 1/4/10: on stick

Ooth 15 1/13/10: small, on lid &lt;b&gt;Sold&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 16 1/23/10: small on same lid as ooth 15 - &lt;b&gt;Sold with #15 above&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 17 2/8/10: small, on grid

Ooth 18 2/20/10: on grid next to ooth 17

Ooth 19 2/28: on grid next to ooths 17 and 18.

Ooth 20 3/11/10: on grid

BatGirl (RIP 11/20):

Mated 10/3

Ooth 1 10/8: - failed to hatch

Ooth 2 10/16: 3 to 5 exterior chambers are damaged by crix - &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/2 - 13 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Trina (RIP 1/11/10):

Mated 10/19

Ooth 1 11/1: - laid in 2 parts on same stick. &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/16 - 11 nymphs&lt;/b&gt; both parts hatched.

Ooth 2 11/9: laid near bottom of stick - &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/24 - 16 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 3 11/17: laid on plastic grid. 12/16 taken off grid - &lt;b&gt;Hatched 12/27 - 26 nymphs&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 4 11/24: laid on lid - small &lt;b&gt;Hatching 1/7/10&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 5 12/7: laid on 11/17 ooth. - 12/16, taken off grid - &lt;b&gt;SOLD - hatching 1/27 buyer reports 15&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 6 12/21: Laid on grid small. - &lt;b&gt;SOLD&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 7 1/4/10: Laid on (new) lid small

Quinn: (RIP 2/10/10)

Mated 10/28 -seems to have failed, will have re-mated soon.

Re-mated 11/9.

Partial ooth 11/10: on lid- &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 1 11/11: marked '1.5' &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 2 11/20: laid on plastic grid &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 3 11/27: on lid &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 4 12/4: laid on plastic grid &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 5 12/16: laid on 11/20 or 12/4 ooth &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 6 12/25: laid on lid same as 11/27 ooth. &lt;b&gt;?-failed to hatch&lt;/b&gt;

Ooth 7 1/2/10: laid on lid same as 11/27 ooth.

Re-mated 1/10/10

Ooth 8 1/22/10: laid on lid same as 11/27 ooth.

Ooth 9 2/4/10: laid on same lid.


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## kamakiri (Apr 28, 2011)

Oh, and I forgot to say, that I have one last adult female that hatched from one of the above listed ooths! She must be at least 14 months old! :lol:


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## PhilinYuma (Apr 29, 2011)

Grant, I'd forgotten what a great record keeper you are; all of the ooths that I got from you were neatly labelled. So yr six weeks is about the same as mine, though G-d knows what it is is Schloaty's part of the Frozen North!


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## Schloaty (Apr 29, 2011)

> but Schloaty has been a member since 2007 and he and I were talking ghosts a cuppla years ago


Hey Phil, indeed we did - and I think I STILL owe you an ooth in return. Here's to hopeing that this isn't yet another breeding frustration, so I can actually repay a debt!



> So, any questions, I should forward to Schloaty, as he is all knowing?


You're a funny one, aren't you?  All knowing indeed. More like all-bungling.  

Good Gravy, Kam! Now THAT is record keeping! I do have to say, though, that I have my four ooths that were laid so far all dated (accept the first one, which is estimated at 03/25).

I intend to keep them dated so I can tell which are available to ship (assuming any hatch) and which are to close to the breaking point to risk it.


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## Schloaty (Apr 29, 2011)

> Good Gravy, Kam! Now THAT is record keeping! I do have to say, though, that I have my four ooths that were laid so far all dated (accept the first one, which is estimated at 03/25).


Ok, before ANY of you other wise-guys get a-hold of this one, I suppose I should have DATED them before ....nevermind. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## sporeworld (Apr 29, 2011)

Wow. I am shamed. That's amazing data!

Kudos.


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## kamakiri (Apr 29, 2011)

:lol: I *had to* keep that kind of data when I was selling them!

And turns out I needed to...with a female that laid 20+ ooths! :blink: 

Unfortunately, though, that was also when I stopped keeping records after I got busy at work and kind of disappeared from here for about a year...


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## Schloaty (May 4, 2011)

Hi All,

Did a little excel work on some of the data that Kam provided (took 13 of the laid/hatched dates)

Mean time: 44.4 days (6.34 weeks)

Median: 45 days

Min days: 40 (1 occurance)

Max days: 50 (1 occurance)


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