# Orchid Mantis



## cocolaca (Oct 12, 2014)

Hi people, Malaysian here  

Just wondering, do orchid mantids stop eating prior to laying ooths?


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## Crazy4mantis (Oct 12, 2014)

I don't remember mine doing so. If they do it's not for more than a day or so.


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## sally (Oct 12, 2014)

Not sure. I never really noticed.


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## cocolaca (Oct 12, 2014)

Alright, thanks for your replies guys  it's just batting the feeders away and also caught a fly, but dropped it after eating a leg.


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## Aryia (Oct 13, 2014)

They'll become quite restless before laying. If you ever notice a female roaming around, she'll usually lay within a week. As for eating, I've never really noticed them not eating before laying. They do sometimes decide their food "doesn't taste good" and drop it for reasons I don't know of


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## cocolaca (Oct 13, 2014)

Yeah, she has been climbing around, so I put a twig in for her. Thanks for the replies ^^


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## yen_saw (Oct 13, 2014)

From my experience I have never seen any orchid mantis deposit ooth on a stick, usually on flat surface instead, as long as the female has a good grip on the surface.


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## Crazy4mantis (Oct 13, 2014)

Mine layed on the glass.


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## cocolaca (Oct 14, 2014)

Okay, I will leave her as she is then. She is in a tall plastic container with lots of holes punched into its sides


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## Crazy4mantis (Oct 14, 2014)

having some sticks, leaves etc. might actually be good to provide some visual barriers. It may make her more comfortable.


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## cocolaca (Oct 14, 2014)

I'm afraid that she might lay on a leaf that might just die off later ._.


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## cocolaca (Oct 15, 2014)

I put in a long leaf yesterday and woke up today to see an ooth has been laid on the wall  thanks people!


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## cocolaca (Oct 26, 2014)

Guys, 1 more question. Just being a little paranoid, but is there any chance that a female might lay an ooth on top of another previously laid ooth? My female is still in the same container with her ooth, and I am guessing that she may lay another soon, as she has stopped feeding yet again


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## cocolaca (Nov 19, 2014)

The otheca only hatched one nymph, despite it being quite long /: I opened it and saw the others, which didn't make it out. I'm sure there were at least 100 in there ): What could have caused this? I have been spraying it daily and even then I think the ambient humidity here is quite high. The mother is wild caught btw.


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## Termite48 (Nov 20, 2014)

That is not the correct incubation time for an Orchid ooth. If she layed the ooth on 10-15 and one nymph hatched on the 19th of Nov. this is not long enough. Someone else with more recent experience can verify, but a more appropraite incubation time is about 62 days. So the remaining ooth, if sealed up might render some hatchlings if continuiing incubation is provided.


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## cocolaca (Nov 21, 2014)

Well there was another that managed to emerge, but died while on its thread and didn't "molt" out :S I saw the others in there and they looked fully formed to me. The high temps here must've sped up their development, I'm guessing.


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## Termite48 (Nov 21, 2014)

Keep incubating the ooth and you may get some to hatch that are alive and well. It is worth it to wait.


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## CosbyArt (Nov 21, 2014)

cocolaca said:


> Guys, 1 more question. Just being a little paranoid, but is there any chance that a female might lay an ooth on top of another previously laid ooth? My female is still in the same container with her ooth, and I am guessing that she may lay another soon, as she has stopped feeding yet again


Just had that question answered last night, so I'd thought I'd share a photo along with what happened -- It appears that yes is the answer. :blink: 

Last night my mantis Susanna went into her mode of getting ready to lay a ooth (rubbing the end of abdomen (to get it started?) and crouching/hugging the lid). She was doing that over the top of her previous laid ooth and thankfully she didn't start it on top of the ooth (the area where the nymphs hatch).

After a while she did start laying the ooth and it was directly beside the previous ooth. It actually overlaps the outer edge of the ooth as you can see below. Thankfully though it doesn't come close to the ooth hatching line/area -- so there shouldn't be any issues. I think I just lucked out and didn't have a ooth ruined by another. :clover:


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## PIaf94 (Mar 22, 2015)

I can confirm that orchids do stop eating prior to laying! Both my females ignored moths in their cages only to lay an ootheca two or three days later. Noticed both my girls endlessly walking around the terrarium for the perfect spot to lay


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