Which Direction to Hang Ghost Ooths?

Got a couple of ghosts ooths today, and I'm ready to hang them up in their nursery cages, but I've got a small problem - I don't know which direction at which they should be hung? I think I'm supposed to hang them vertically, but which side is up? I assuming that the tapered end, the part with the spike, is what should point downwards, right?

PragmaticHominid said:

Got a couple of ghosts ooths today, and I'm ready to hang them up in their nursery cages, but I've got a small problem - I don't know which direction at which they should be hung? I think I'm supposed to hang them vertically, but which side is up? I assuming that the tapered end, the part with the spike, is what should point downwards, right?

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Yes. The female usually lays an ootheca with her head pointing upward, so the "tail", the last part to be laid, is at the top. However, a lot of folks glue the ooth to the underside of a pot lid, and the ooth still hatches just fine. I have heard of folks claiming that "upside down" ooths don't hatch well, but for me, adequate humidity is much more important than the orientation of the ooth.

What Phil said.

I'm way out of touch on the forum (gonna be out for a few weeks), but here's my extra few cents...

I've had great success just hanging them from the cup lids (seam-side down). Doesn't seem like I'd have done any or much better at an angle.

I have had poor results from hanging them upside down (or with the seam pointing up). However, I lost maybe 4 or 5 out of 15 or 20. (This was a complete accident - they popped out while I had the lid off for cleaning and looked away - never blink!).

AND, I've seen females laying ooths pointed both up AND down (but more often up).

So good luck!

Like Phil said...humidity matters more!

So long as the 'zipper' is down...the ooth should be good!

kamakiri said:

Like Phil said...humidity matters more!

So long as the 'zipper' is down...the ooth should be good!

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Yep. It should be very obvious which side the nymphs come out of.

Yeppers flat side is no side !

Does anyone on here have a pic or three of some naturally laid Ghost ooths for folks to view?

I had a problem with my last Ghost ooth hatching, but I have no idea if it could be attributed to orientation or humidity. I misted it the same as the other two ooths that hatched just fine...the only difference being that it was located near a heating vent for the last week or so of incubation. (It hatched out two nymphs, which immediately fell & died, and then nothing else.)

GreenOasis said:

Does anyone on here have a pic or three of some naturally laid Ghost ooths for folks to view?

I had a problem with my last Ghost ooth hatching, but I have no idea if it could be attributed to orientation or humidity. I misted it the same as the other two ooths that hatched just fine...the only difference being that it was located near a heating vent for the last week or so of incubation. (It hatched out two nymphs, which immediately fell & died, and then nothing else.)

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Some pics and info here on Yen's page:

http://www.usamantis.com/ghost_log.html

Hanging is fine but if you set the oothecae on the bottom of the container (flat side down) you're going to have the same hatch rate.

so lets say this is a ghost ooth:

________________1

when i attach it to a stick should i do it like this:

Option A

_______________1

==================== <--- (thats the stick)

or like this:

Option B

===================

_________________1

(the "1" is that little twig part of the ooth.)

I would assume Option A, but I just want to make it clear because I plan on keeping as many as these little buggers as I can.

I'm thinking the "1" or "little twig part of the ooth" you're talking about is what I would call a "tail" of sorts, common in P. paradoxa ooths. If so, Option A would be correct... as in this photo:

I hope this helps.

Thanks that helps!

Mr.Mantid said:

Thanks that helps!

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You're welcome.