# Spiny Flower Preying Mantis.



## Boyden1985 (Jun 24, 2007)

Hiya Folks,

I am about to get and adult male and female Spiny Flower Preying Mantis that are apparently ready for breeding in 4 weeks.

How do you know when they are ready to breed once they are adult?

What is the easiest way to house them but still suitable to breed? (personally I would like to have them just hang out around the lving room on a plant)

Is there a chance the female will just eat him without mating with him?

How do I know which is male and which is female?


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## Asa (Jun 24, 2007)

Once they are adult, wait two weeks to a month before trying to breed them.

Letting them mate in the living room would be okay, but the best thing to mate them in would be a butterfly cage kind of thing. Nick Barta has them for sale at www.mantisplace.com. For an all around housing, you can use a large plastic fishbowl. Plastic preferably because the mantis will be able to climb on it easier.

There is a chance that the female will eat him without mating. To be more sure that he mates, feed the mantis a large amount of food prior to mating. Also, if the mantis will tolerate it, give her something to eat while she is mating to prevent her from being able to eat the male.

Count the segments on the top of the mantis. I forget how many are each at the moment, some brain freeze.  

Hope that helps.


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## Rick (Jun 24, 2007)

Females are males look different. Males are generally thinner with a long thin abdomen that ends in an upturned cup shape. Females are wider and more robust and their abdomen ends in a pointed "hook" apendage.

I take the male out and set him down somehwere and let him relax. Then I have the female crawl off my hand and walk away from him about six inches. He should show interest and approach her. Be ready when he jumps on to seperate them if she goes crazy and tries to grab him. I usually wait until they are joined before walking away.

Mantids usually mate for hours so don't try to watch the whole time. I put them in a large cage or better yet loose in a room. That way he has plenty of space to escape. I house mantids in both plastic and glass enclosures. They can climb both easily.

Also since you're new please make an introduction in the introductions forum.


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## Boyden1985 (Jun 24, 2007)

I will make an introduction. Thanks for the help.

Can you tell me how much on average they eat?


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## Rick (Jun 24, 2007)

> I will make an introduction. Thanks for the help. Can you tell me how much on average they eat?


I feed mantids every other day. Nymphs get several fruit flies and adults get a cricket or a few bluebottle flies. Females full of eggs get fed everyday.


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## Boyden1985 (Jun 24, 2007)

Do mantis have a habit about over eating? Or will they jus not eat what they are offered if they have had enough?


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## Kriss (Jun 24, 2007)

A mantid will usually eat until full then ignore any other food items, or drop a partially eaten meal. There are cases of mantids eating so much food as to burst the abdomen. These stories are rare and many keepers including myself have never had it happen.

You will find Nymphs and Gravid females of most Sp eat readily. Adult males will eat less.


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## Asa (Jun 24, 2007)

> Do mantis have a habit about over eating? Or will they jus not eat what they are offered if they have had enough?


Feed them enough to satisfy their hunger. Err on either side, as mantids have been known to survive without food, for a month. And rarely do they eat enough to kill themselves. You can be pretty lax in the food department.


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## Rick (Jun 24, 2007)

> > Do mantis have a habit about over eating? Or will they jus not eat what they are offered if they have had enough?
> 
> 
> Feed them enough to satisfy their hunger. Err on either side, as mantids have been known to survive without food, for a month. And rarely do they eat enough to kill themselves. You can be pretty lax in the food department.


I disagree. Just because there have been cases of a mantis going a month without food doesn't mean it should. You should not be lax with a gravid females food if you want nice, large, healthy ooths.


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## Asa (Jun 24, 2007)

I have a horrible habit of not explaining myself fully, at the cost of everyone's wits. Sorry. Pretty much I only answered Boyden1985 questions. No, they rarely stuff themselves to the point of bursting, and yes they can go without food for up to a month. Yes, they can eat practicaly anything that's half their size (or even larger). The problem is, there are degrees of 'lax' that everyone has their own respected opinion on. So by lax, I mean that you don't have to be very worried about any of the aforementioned. I promise, one of these days I will make myself clear. Until then, I apologise in advance (this is not sarcasm for the easily offended). (that wasn't either)


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## sufistic (Jun 25, 2007)

I always love reading Asa's post!


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## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

Why? Everybody else hates them...


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## Ben.M (Jun 26, 2007)

:lol:


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## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

> :lol:


What's that supposed to mean?


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## Ben.M (Jun 26, 2007)

nothing, must admit i like ur posts 2  

Btw, how do u tell the difference between male and female of this species (Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii),

Ben.M


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## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

Why?

The male's abdomen is, of course, much thinner, and the female is larger.


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## wuwu (Jun 26, 2007)

> nothing, must admit i like ur posts 2  Btw, how do u tell the difference between male and female of this species (Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii),
> 
> Ben.M


an easy way to tell when they're even younger, and before you can see the size difference, is to count the spikes on their stomach. 5 for females and 6 for males. this method works with other species that have spikes on their stomach like s. pretiosa and violins.


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## Ben.M (Jun 26, 2007)

Mine is adult and has 5 spikes and has a short chubby abdomen so........................female???


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## yen_saw (Jun 26, 2007)

Yes it is a female if you can only see 5 spikes as wuwu mentioned earlier.


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## Ben.M (Jun 26, 2007)

ok, now to find a male :roll:


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## Asa (Jun 26, 2007)

Good luck!


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## yen_saw (Jun 27, 2007)

> ok, now to find a male :roll:


I have three extra adult PW male, but it is a long way from USA unless you are willing to take a risk.


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