# Fat Mantis



## libertine101 (Jul 23, 2008)

I have read on this forum that the female mantis will lay unfertilised ooths and I think my mantis my be about to lay one. The size of her abdomen has rapidly increased in size over the past week. What I want to know is should I continue feeding her as normal, am a bit worried as am afriad she might explode :mellow: Is there anything that I should know about the laying of the ooth? Thanks


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## MANTIS DUDE (Jul 23, 2008)

HMMM, Im not sure. Im just ofering my opinion: Try to feed her just a tiny bit less.


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## Morpheus uk (Jul 23, 2008)

Completly the opposite feed her daily, pregnant females need to be regularly fed and have quite an appetite, when she is completly full up her abdomen segments would be "blown up" i suppose


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## MANTIS DUDE (Jul 23, 2008)

Morpheus uk said:


> Completly the opposite feed her daily, pregnant females need to be regularly fed and have quite an appetite, when she is completly full up her abdomen segments would be "blown up" i suppose


ooooooh, lol ok


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## idolomantis (Jul 23, 2008)

i fed mine much, a large pray a day, the more and better the food the bigger the ooth.


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## The_Asa (Jul 23, 2008)

Yep. Feed her daily.


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## libertine101 (Jul 23, 2008)

Even though she has not been fertilised?


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## idolomantis (Jul 23, 2008)

libertine said:


> Even though she has not been fertilised?


yes, she will lay an infertille ooth then it will not hatch.


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## libertine101 (Jul 23, 2008)

Ok thanks for the help everyone


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## Joe Caruso (Jul 23, 2008)

MANTIS DUDE said:


> HMMM, Im not sure. Im just ofering my opinion: Try to feed her just a tiny bit less.


Mantis Dude: I know your intentions were good, but when a question is asked regarding an issue that involves the health and safety of someone's mantis, if you don't know the answer it's best not to just guess.

(I feel like a bit of an ***hole now but I think it needed to be said.)


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## idolomantis (Jul 23, 2008)

Joe Caruso said:


> Mantis Dude: I know your intentions were good, but when a question is asked regarding an issue that involves the health and safety of someone's mantis, if you don't know the answer it's best not to just guess. (I feel like a bit of an ***hole now but I think it needed to be said.)


thats true no offense but if you dont really know the answer or solution in a serious topic


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## Rob Byatt (Jul 23, 2008)

??? I don't think anyone here read the question properly.

If she has not been mated and you don't want an ootheca yet, then quite simply, don't feed her  

Mantids can go days without food, so long as they are not too thin. Keep her plump but not so that the segments seperate from one another.


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## Morpheus uk (Jul 23, 2008)

Lol i didnt read it properly :lol:


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## libertine101 (Jul 23, 2008)

How long does it generally take for a mantis to lay an Ootheca?


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## idolomantis (Jul 23, 2008)

libertine said:


> How long does it generally take for a mantis to lay an Ootheca?


depends of the spieces, some spieces will lay an ooth every 4 days(ant mantis) and some every few weeks.

usualy 4-7 days after the mating.

dont know anything about infertil ooths tho


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## Krissim Klaw (Jul 23, 2008)

libertine said:


> Even though she has not been fertilised?


I would suggest dropping the feeding to every other or two days. If your not worried about breeding, having giant Ooths pumped out as quickly as possible isn't something you need. I have found feeding the females a lighter diet keeps them a lighter weight and they intern go longer in between ooths and lay smaller ones. This intern I have found to be far easier on the females bodies, especially later on in life when they start to weaken.Besides, as Rob Byatt stated mantises are designed to be able to go days without food and being they don't have people feeding them regularly out in the wild, a varied lengths of times between feedings is probably far more natural.


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## MANTIS DUDE (Jul 26, 2008)

Krissim Klaw said:


> I would suggest dropping the feeding to every other or two days. If your not worried about breeding, having giant Ooths pumped out as quickly as possible isn't something you need. I have found feeding the females a lighter diet keeps them a lighter weight and they intern go longer in between ooths and lay smaller ones. This intern I have found to be far easier on the females bodies, especially later on in life when they start to weaken.Besides, as Rob Byatt stated mantises are designed to be able to go days without food and being they don't have people feeding them regularly out in the wild, a varied lengths of times between feedings is probably far more natural.


I would like to congratulate you for being the best and most detailed poster on this forum!  You awnser questions so well!


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## darkspeed (Jul 26, 2008)

I think that in order to correctly assess the situation we should know whether or not Libertine is planning to mate the mantis in question. Then Rob's assessment would be correct, but if the mantis is to remain a maiden her entire life, then I assume the mantis is being kept as a pet rather than an ooth machine, and in that case the mantis should be fed less as well, simply because mantises lifespan is based on a metabolic clock, and the more you feed them the shorter their lifespans are. Slow down their metabolism and they will live longer lives, even if they are a bit on the skinny side. Even if they are only fed weekly, it doesn't hurt one bit .


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