# ghosts almost mating + pics



## ibanez_freak

Hi,

well, almost got them to do it. I found the male on the female when I was going to bed so took a couple of pics and left them but they weren't joint and I heard a fluttering noise (about an hour later) found the male was off the female but then he climbed up a stick and flew onto the female, Unfortunately the female would have none of this and snapped at him and he didn't bother her any more. Weird though that he chose today to try mate. she laid an ooth during the morning. But hopefully they have mated before. they have been together for several weeks now (since the female was 3 weeks into adult hood). Check the pics though







Pics aren't great, taken through glass, didn't want to bother them.






I was so close. This is the first mantis I've ever paired up. I hope so much that the ootheca is fertile.

Cheers, Cameron.


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## PseudoDave

May well have done the business at some point and she just didn't want any more of it, hope that's the case for you anyway.

Good luck,

Dave


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## ibanez_freak

Thanks,

Yeah, I really hope that that first ootheca is fertile because it's a fair size. Does it matter that it is on the side of the enclosure? Or will thsi effect nymphs emerging if they do. Well if this doesn,t hatch, I still got my mated mio that I got from Ian which has laid 2 ooths now but I would really like to breed mantis myself for a change.






Fantastic looking ootheca though I must say. Well, wish me luck  .

This is the second time breeding, first time with hierodula being unsuccessful due to the male dying from old age.

Cheers, Cameron.


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## ellroy

Well Done Cameron, even just getting them to attempt mating without killing each other is valuable experience. Fingers crossed they produce some fertile ooths for you.....perhaps you'd like to do some business for some C.gemmatus nymphs? A good deal is assured :wink:

Alan


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## ibanez_freak

Heh heh,

Wow, getting into the actual breeder section is quite cool. Before this all I did was keep them but now it's something completly different. Yeah, the female gets real moody at times, especially when the male tries to climb on her face lol. I dunno why but the male seemed very frantic to mate with the female last night but didn't take heed to her before and did a cool threat display towards her with his wings just last week. Hopefully he last because the female doesnt kill him but causes minor injuries, such as a missing antanae and a "foot" on one of his claws being torn of. But that may have not been the female.

I really hope this works because so far I've been fairly useless at hatchng any thing.

Cheers, Cameron.


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## Rib

> Heh heh,the female gets real moody at times, especially when the male tries to climb on her face lol. I dunno why but the male seemed very frantic to mate with the female last night but didn't take heed to her before and did a cool threat display towards her with his wings just last week. Hopefully he last because the female doesnt kill him but causes minor injuries, such as a missing antanae and a "foot" on one of his claws being torn of. But that may have not been the female


Have you had any losses with Ghost Mantis at all? Losses as in canabalism


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## ibanez_freak

Hi,

Nah, I only got the one male and female. Bought 2 L4 nymphs and they just happened to be a mating pair lol. But nah, the female is not wanting to eat him but I think she sees him as a predator and she just tries to scare him away. As soon as she hits him he drops to the bottom of the enclosure and the climbs to the top and sometimes tries again lol.

But have had no problems with cannibalism no.

Cheers, Cameron.


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## PseudoDave

I had a PW ooth laid on the enclosure lid to the point that removing it would destroy it, so I left it be and it hatched without problems.

Dave


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## Rick

It being on the enclosure is not a problem. I wouldn't try to remove it though.


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## Ian

Nice one cam  

Best of luck with incubation.

Cheers,

Ian


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## ibanez_freak

Well, bad news,

errmmm...... lets just say I hope they mated because the female decided she was tired of crickets  .











Oh dear.... well, better luck next time I guess 

Cameron.


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## Rib

were you still feeding them both crickets during the period you were trying to mate them?


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## Rick

> were you still feeding them both crickets during the period you were trying to mate them?


What does that have to do with it? Just wondering.


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## Rib

> were you still feeding them both crickets during the period you were trying to mate them?
> 
> 
> 
> What does that have to do with it? Just wondering.
Click to expand...

Well for example if whilst he was trying to mate them he stopped feeding them, which in itself is entirely plausable, the female may simply have gotten hungry. I know that when my females come round to ooth laying time they eat at least double what i normally give them


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## Rick

Oh ok. Well gravid females are always hungry so her eating the male is somewhat common and does happen sometimes. It's the reason I let my mating pairs loose in a room. That way the male has all the space he needs to get away. I also don't leave them together unless they are actually mating.


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## Lan

ouch. that's painful to see, but i guess it's commonplace if you're a breeder. i thought ghosts could be kept communally? or do they only eat each other when mating?


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## Samzo

I think it depends, my ghost were fine together. The male used to sit on the females head and she didnt even care lol


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## Isis

With this canibalism is an interesting issue:

I think mantids have some kind of character which differs. My african mantis females are very different. The first named Hook is gentle and has no interest in males, when the copulation occured she walked with male on her back without noticing him. I copulated them once more and the same behavior. The other one was not letting male go near her- she just hated him  After a week of attempts she was captured by him and in reveange... she chewed his head  Poor male. But he made it with copulating... or his corpse rather.

Anyway the third female is also interested in male... in male menu. I like my first female the most. [and after she has laid a 4 cm coccon today I like her even more  )) ]


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## ibanez_freak

Well, even when well fed, the female used to lash out at the male if he got to close sometimes. Thought he was a predator I think. But either way, I need to ask, the ootheca was layed on the side of the tank as shown but has recently fallen off when the lid hit it. Because it was on such a smooth suface it just came of and now I have this ootheca but not sure. Can I pin it up to a roof of a tank with thread? Or do I need to use super gule to avoid damage to eggs?

Cheers, Cameron.

(Preferably answers from people with experience on this.


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## Andrew

Ive found that silly putty works quite well with those types of ooths.

Thanks,

Andrew


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## ibanez_freak

Hah hAH!!!!!

Yes! one of the ghost ooths from my female hatched. the first one I think isn't fertile but a few hatched from the second one. This is odd though, only 4 have come out and it's a fair size. Do these hatch over a few days?

Will post pics in a sec.

Cheers, Cameron


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## ibanez_freak

Well, one pic so far, my photobucket is acting up.

Cheers, Cameron.


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## yen_saw

COngrate Cameron. They usually hatch in one day. I had one hatched in the morning and late at night on the same day but most hatched in few hours.


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## nickyp0

here is my pics of my ghosts



they did mate, but off and on.


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