# My Ghost Ooth hatched!!!



## Graceface (Sep 25, 2018)

After waiting 5 weeks the Ghost ooth I purchased from US Mantis hatched! So excited! I'm counting around 30 sweet, little nymphs. Just so stoked I had to share, and I knew you guys would understand


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 25, 2018)

Gratz on the hatch :clap: soon you need to rehouse them


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## Graceface (Sep 25, 2018)

Thanks, @Little Mantis I just finished moving them to a new 32oz cup, with excelsior, bug ladders, and a hole in the lid for feeding. Talk about an exercise in mantis wrangling! Chasing nymphs around the mesh cube with a paintbrush begging them to get in their home, lol. Everyone is safe and sound, thank goodness ? I gave them melanogasters but haven't seen anyone as yet.

I'm such a proud mantis momma!


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 25, 2018)

Looks like a nice playground for baby mantids. ?


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## Aristalochia (Sep 25, 2018)

Nice hatch, congrats!


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## River Dane (Sep 25, 2018)

Congratulations on the hatch! They’re such a nice little group. Definitely keep us updated on them!


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## Synapze (Sep 25, 2018)

@GracefaceHow long will you be able to keep them in the 32 oz container?


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 26, 2018)

Congratulations!!!!! I had a ghost ooth hatch recently, but I only got six nymphs from it. The nymphs are now (as of yesterday) L3 and I have one male, 5 females. I have three other ooths I am waiting to hatch, and my female is laying another every week or two.

- MantisGirl13


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## Graceface (Sep 26, 2018)

@Synapze I was planning to keep them together until L3 in the 32oz cup, will that be enough space for so many mantises? 

Thanks, everyone, I'm so excited! This morning they are calm and I got a solid count, 36 nymphs. Fun surprise: 2 new little ghosties emerged from the ooth overnight, giving me a grand total of 38. I have a lot of mouths to feed now ? good thing I'm swimming in Melanogasters, as I've had extra cultures going in expectation of the hatch. 

@MantisGirl13 3 ooth incubating? Sound like you will have a lot of Ghosts soon! Are you going to keep breeding them? I have 8 nymphs at L3 currently which I'm hoping to breed when they grow to adult


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 27, 2018)

@Graceface Yes, I have three ooths, a bred female, and an unbred female that I will mate on Saturday. I had a successful mating last night with my other female. Breeding is very easy, and I sure will have a ton of ghosties!

- MantisGirl13


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## Graceface (Sep 27, 2018)

Another 2 emerged this morning, bringing the grand total so far to 40 Ghost nymphs!


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## MantisGirl13 (Sep 27, 2018)

Wow! That is awesome, @Graceface!

- MantisGirl13


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## PowerHobo (Sep 28, 2018)

Congrats on the hatching!


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## Mantis Lady (Sep 28, 2018)

Cool 2 extra  how are the little nymphs doing?


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## Graceface (Sep 28, 2018)

Everyone seems to be doing well. They are eating the melanogasters and are quite an active bunch. No more new nymphs, so we are holding steady at 40. They are enjoying the excelsior. I think next time I will include more of it, but I was worried about overcrowding the enclosure and them not having enough open space to molt.

I've never kept communal mantises before so this is all new ground for me and it makes me a bit nervous to keep them all together, lol. I'm so worried they will hurt each other, even though they clearly don't ? I *do* tend to be a worrier, though


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## Ziiggy's Insectarium (Sep 29, 2018)

Graceface said:


> Everyone seems to be doing well. They are eating the melanogasters and are quite an active bunch. No more new nymphs, so we are holding steady at 40. They are enjoying the excelsior. I think next time I will include more of it, but I was worried about overcrowding the enclosure and them not having enough open space to molt.
> 
> I've never kept communal mantises before so this is all new ground for me and it makes me a bit nervous to keep them all together, lol. I'm so worried they will hurt each other, even though they clearly don't ? I *do* tend to be a worrier, though


i will be in the same boat as you as im getting a ghost mantis ooth from @MantisGirl13 and a giant african twig mantis ooth from another person from a facebook community so nymphs will be every where lol


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## Graceface (Sep 29, 2018)

Ziiggy's Insectarium said:


> i will be in the same boat as you as im getting a ghost mantis ooth from @MantisGirl13 and a giant african twig mantis ooth from another person from a facebook community so nymphs will be every where lol


Oooh, fun! Sounds like you will have a full house soon ? I was so excited when the i saw the ooth hatched, only sad I missed it happening. it would've been neat to watch. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see yours hatching!


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## cwebster (Sep 29, 2018)

Congrats! Very cool.


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## Mystymantis (Sep 30, 2018)

Congrats on the ootheca hatching! That is super exciting! Good luck with your new little ones. I bet they are super cute! ?


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## Graceface (Oct 12, 2018)

We transferred the babies into 2 separate 32oz enclosures today. Most have molted to L2, but a few haven't yet. Looks like we lost 3 or 4, as I only count 36 now. I could've had an inaccurate count initially, to be fair, so I can't be totally sure. I'm hoping that giving them more space will lessen any potential cannibalism during future molts.  

Here is a photo of them being transferred in a mesh cube via paintbrush. I like to ask, who wants a ride on the magic paintbrush?!


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## Mantis Lady (Oct 12, 2018)

Did they jump everywhere except to the other cup?, those little ones are fast


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## Graceface (Oct 12, 2018)

@Little Mantis Fortunately, they were calm this time. When I had to move them from the ooth cup to their 1st enclosure, they were a handful! They love to jump and run ? Most of them stayed still today and didn't want to be moved to a new habitat. We had a couple stragglers in the excelsior who didn't want to leave!


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## MantisGirl13 (Oct 12, 2018)

I am glad you were able to move them easily. I had another ghost ooth hatch this morning, and I had quite the time separating them all into groups of 6!

- MantisGirl13


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## Graceface (Oct 12, 2018)

@MantisGirl13 Those L1 Ghosts are fiesty! And such good jumpers ? Congrats on the hatch!


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## MantisGirl13 (Oct 12, 2018)

They sure are! Thanks!

- MantisGirl13


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## cwebster (Nov 10, 2018)

Where did you find the bug ladders? Thanks.


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## Graceface (Nov 17, 2018)

cwebster said:


> Where did you find the bug ladders? Thanks.


Sorry, don't know how I missed this. They are made of plastic canvas, which can be purchased at Hobby Lobby or craft stores. It's about 70 cents for an 8x10 sheet


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