# my ghost has been adult for 6-7 weeks



## beckyl92 (Nov 12, 2009)

i'm trying to fatten her up so i can mate her but she won't eat! its so annoying

can you mate them even if they're not fat?

the annoying thing is, i only have 1 male. so if she munches him then im screwed.


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## kamakiri (Nov 12, 2009)

I think they will only fatten up so much before mating. Could you post a picture of her?

I usually feel comfortable having them mated once they refuse to eat.

Good luck to you.


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## revmdn (Nov 12, 2009)

I would wait till she starts eating and feed her till she's stuffed before matting. Just so she doesn't see him as a snack.


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## beckyl92 (Nov 12, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> I think they will only fatten up so much before mating. Could you post a picture of her?I usually feel comfortable having them mated once they refuse to eat.
> 
> Good luck to you.


im waiting for these batteries to come from china so i can use my camera. i have a phone camera but it wouldn't be clean. ill try and post one as soon as possible


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## beckyl92 (Nov 12, 2009)

grr. its so frustrating. i think its more the male than the female. his gay!

i spent 1 hour 30 mins trying to mate them. he'll actually notice her for once and then once i start to think somethings gonna happen he'll start cleaning himself for 5 mins none stop! :|

why won't he mate?


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## kamakiri (Nov 13, 2009)

I'd give them more time. I don't remember any of the connections happening sooner than an hour or two after I put them together.

I think I've mentioned some of the conditions that I've observed mating earlier...

Males seem to prefer darkness.

Being face down or upside-down seems to be the norm.

Blowing helps to initiate S-bending.

Darkness seems to keep them from being distracted.

Do you have enough space for the female to walk around and get upside-down? I use a fake flower bouquet, and I think most of the time the connected couples are upside-down.

If I don't see any activity and he's just hanging on, I try to restart the S-bending by blowing on them.

Now that I think about it, when I've seen the females 'calling' they have been face down on a branch or grid.

Good luck to you this Friday the 13th!


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

shall i just put them both in a 1ftx1ftx1ft net cage tonight and leave them to it?

how do you know if they've mated the morning after and the males still alive?

will she eat my male if i do it this way?

i've got another female that needs mating.. shes a week behind the other female.


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## ismart (Nov 13, 2009)

I really would not try and mate them in a net cage. I either leave them out in a room or put them in a 320z cup. I have found if left in a net cage the males have room to flutter about. In doing so, initiate the females love for flying foods.


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

ismart said:


> I really would not try and mate them in a net cage. I either leave them out in a room or put them in a 320z cup. I have found if left in a net cage the males have room to flutter about. In doing so, initiate the females love for flying foods.


i'd be right next to them and i was planning on leaving the top open


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

this is gonna be a sloww night. my plan is to sit on the computer for hours with my ghosts next to me in a net cage. i'm letting them mate at their own paste. when they connect i'll open the top so he can get away while im asleep. good plan?

gahhh im gonna be bored. im determined to breed this species!


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## kamakiri (Nov 13, 2009)

A net cage open to the side might work. Gives them the chance to hang upside down or any angle inbetween.

The computer monitor light might be too bright. When I'm not actively monitoring them, I try to use total darkness. It really seems to help.

If he's mounted and 'drumming' on her, you shouldn't have to worry about him getting eaten. Again, I think he is safer in the darkness.

Good luck tonight!


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

just turned out the light and he flashed his wings.. whats that mean if anything?


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## Rick (Nov 13, 2009)

Why would they have to be fat to mate? The reason for waiting is so that the female is more receptive. You should be fine to go ahead and try now.


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## ismart (Nov 13, 2009)

BeckyL said:


> just turned out the light and he flashed his wings.. whats that mean if anything?


He waved goodbye! NO, i mean goodnight! :lol:


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

Rick said:


> Why would they have to be fat to mate? The reason for waiting is so that the female is more receptive. You should be fine to go ahead and try now.


i've tryed to mate them everyday for like an hour :/ its getting pretty annoying now. ever struggled to mate this species or am i the only one?

im tempted to just keep them in the net cage all night connected or not.


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## ismart (Nov 13, 2009)

BeckyL said:


> i've tryed to mate them everyday for like an hour :/ its getting pretty annoying now. ever struggled to mate this species or am i the only one?im tempted to just keep them in the net cage all night connected or not.


Thats probally going to your best bet at this point. Even if the male mounts her, this does not mean he is going to connect right away. I usally leave ghost pairs together for a day or two. The males can sometimes take a long time before making any moves on the females. Good luck!


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

im just really scared of waking up to a half eaten male.. and if his alive, i wont know if they've mated.


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

getting close.. his stood about 3-4cm away from her and his twitching his antenners.

his been doing this for about 10 mins :S


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## Rick (Nov 13, 2009)

I find orchid mantids to be like that. They can be a true pain in the butt to breed. You can leave them together but like you said, unless you see them in the act you will never know.


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

they didnt end up mating  im just gonna go for my last option and put them in a net cage over night and hope for the best.

how long do adult ghosts male live for? i'm getting worried that his gonna die of old age.

his been adult for about 10 weeks.


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## sbugir (Nov 13, 2009)

Have you fed him recently? He might be hungry, or gay :lol:


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

lemmiwinks said:


> Have you fed him recently? He might be hungry, or gay :lol:


yeah his got a pretty good appitete  

he eats a medium roach every 1-2 days.


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## sbugir (Nov 13, 2009)

Hmm. He might be a bit gay then


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## beckyl92 (Nov 13, 2009)

probably ha. i didn't know them being hungry affected them mating..


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## sbugir (Nov 13, 2009)

I'm sure it could. If he's hungry, wouldn't he be on the lookout for food?

Maybe with the net cage idea, let him settle for a bit in there then introduce the female?


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## kamakiri (Nov 14, 2009)

I still think you need to give them more time. I usually stay with them until the male is mounted, which I think is the hardest part if he doesn't mount right away. But after that, she needs to walk or crawl with the male on her back to a comfortable hanging position. Let them settle in together in the dark. At this point the male should be safe, even if you walk away. If he doesn't try to connect on his own, blow on them until he starts S-bending. Then leave them in the dark. Check on them every half hour and blow on them if needed to get him restarted with the S-bending. Don't turn the lights on until after they are connected and finished.

So far in 5 matings, this has taken one to three hours, just to get them connected. About two to three hours later, they're finished and you can collect the male after he dismounts.


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## beckyl92 (Nov 14, 2009)

kamakiri said:


> I still think you need to give them more time. I usually stay with them until the male is mounted, which I think is the hardest part if he doesn't mount right away. But after that, she needs to walk or crawl with the male on her back to a comfortable hanging position. Let them settle in together in the dark. At this point the male should be safe, even if you walk away. If he doesn't try to connect on his own, blow on them until he starts S-bending. Then leave them in the dark. Check on them every half hour and blow on them if needed to get him restarted with the S-bending. Don't turn the lights on until after they are connected and finished.So far in 5 matings, this has taken one to three hours, just to get them connected. About two to three hours later, they're finished and you can collect the male after he dismounts.


i was sat there for 7 hours :/ nothing happened. tryed blowing the female getting her to move.

wanna know what happened?

i put them in a net cage together, turned the lights out and went to sleep. set my alarm for 5am to check on them, still in the exact same place. just woke up, still in the exact same place. its frustrating me that much im thinking of selling/trading them for something i can actually breed. ghosts mantids are suppose to eat flying food but i can't stand keeping casters, keeping them in a fridge. i like to feed my mantids roaches, crickets and fruit flies. the female obviously doesn't like roaches :/

do you think they'll ever breed?

also, how long do the males live for as adult?


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## ismart (Nov 14, 2009)

Here are two methods that have worked for me with this species.

1. Without scaring them or getting either of them all upset. Try placing the male directly on her back. This has worked for me quite a few times.

2. Put them both in a small enclosure. Either he will jump her bones quick, or try and escape like mad. Just be present for this one.

I currently have a pair mating now useing method #2

Good Luck!


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## Davedood (Nov 14, 2009)

Hi,

Well the Male's usually don't live too long 2-3 months as adult I'd say (if even). As with most species I have delt with, the male will have both antenna's forward and down, kinda taping the females back. This is a sign he's ready to mate her. I have also held the male on my hand, (with the female eating) hold him right behind her and blow lightly, I have had them jump off my hand onto the females back. The females usually go close to 6 months as adult. I would put a few small crickets in with the female to get her fat. If she is not eating well try using smaller crickets (less frigtning) make sure the crickets can reach her depending on the cage/cup she's in. I will use an empty cup (no substrate) as a feeding cup. You can still have some vines or sticks for her to hold onto. This works well with feeding a slim mantis. I usually leave all my males and females together constant. Just make sure to keep your females fat, or you can loose a male. If the males is eaten, you will find only his wings on the bottom of cage usually. If all else fails I have a few males Sub/adult I could part with, so pm me. Usually it's the males that don't eat much as adults. if your male is close to 2 months old, make sure to give him all the water he wants (if he drinks when you spray him) this will help you get the longest life from him. Good luck

Dave


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## ismart (Nov 16, 2009)

Update? Did they ever get busy?


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## beckyl92 (Nov 16, 2009)

nope :/ my male didn't have long left and i don't know anyone who has one so i traded them..

its a shame really. i love ghosts.


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## ismart (Nov 16, 2009)

So sorry to hear that.  Maybe you'll have better luck next time?


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## beckyl92 (Nov 16, 2009)

ismart said:


> So sorry to hear that.  Maybe you'll have better luck next time?


don't think im gonna try breeding ghosts again. i have the 1 which is good enough for me  

they're not for me... they eat flying insects only and i can't stand keeping casters. i prefer feeding brown crickets/roaches.

im happy now anyways, i traded them for 3 mated miomantis 'stalila' mantids. i don't think their species has been confirmed yet.

i also got rid of all my large mantids apart from my dead leafs for mainly creobroters (my favorite species  )

the majority of mantids i traded was for mated mantids haha  2 of them are purple boxers which i'm pretty excited about. i've never kept them before. i just spent 2 hours sorting out my bug shed to make room!


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