Adult Female Chinese Praying Mantis not eating

[hopefoot]

This is the wild mantis that I adopted a little over a week ago when my cats brought her in my house.

This past Sunday she ate one fat mealworm, about half a wild cricket and the head of a mighty big grasshopper. That was the last of the bugs I could catch for her, it's been cold here and I've looked but not found. Monday morning I left her with 5 small mealworms. She didn't touch them. Monday night I took one of the mealworms and tried to get her to take it with no luck. Even had her standing on the top of the screen and kept nudging the worm at her. She climbed over it multiple times. This morning I took out the 5 from Monday and gave her fresh ones. She didn't eat them. Tonight I bought Super Worms and those are big. She didn't want those either, same thing, she stepped on and over it. I did get her to take a little cat food tonight but she was more interested in climbing the spoon than eating from it.

I'm keeping my apartment at 75 and I have a heating lamp about a half a foot away from her tank where she can get as close to it as she likes. And she seems to like. Tonight I bought her a live plant that's sturdy and reaches the top of the tank. I took out the wooden ladder I had in there and put in many, many sticks with bark and buds and nubby bits for easy climbing. She's drinking fine. She's climbing my arms the same as she has been since she arrived.

I bought some crickets tonight and will feed them fruit for a couple of days before giving to her. She's been okay with the worms so far and the 5 crickets and 1 grasshopper I've managed to catch.

So, is it normal for a female Chinese to not eat for two days? Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[kotomi]

Not eating for a few days is not a big deal... I offer my adult chinese food everyday, but sometimes they just aren't interested. Also, I don't think they are hugely fond of meal worms. Mine won't even eat them. I think they prefer moths and flies the most, then crickets, then if they are very hungry the mealworms (obviously, I'm not a mantis so I don't know this as fact, but this is just what I think from watching my own Chinese mantises). You can also buy fly pupa from people on the forum, or from websites on like Mantisplace. I wouldn't worry yet, your mantis will probably eat the crickets... and if not, she might just be old. Its hard to guess the age of a wild caught mantis.

 

[hopefoot]

You mean old and ready to go? I read that they can live up to a year. Is that a stretch?

 

[lancaster1313]

Sometimes they stop eating for a couple days before laying an ootheca. Is she restless or touching parts of the container or sticks with the tip of her abdomen?

A two day fast is not a big deal, especially if she is acting normal otherwise.

The life span includes the time they spend growing up.

 

[kotomi]

Yeah, the year life span is from birth to death... which is why so many people here breed these guys. It would be expensive to keep some of the exotics and have to buy new ones every year. I wouldn't worry quite yet, though... she honestly might not like the mealworms that much. I think you'll probably have better luck with crickets. And maybe you'll get an ooth from her and you can continue on with keeping her babies and watching them grow up. I think half the fun is watching the nymphs grow to adulthood.

 

[lancaster1313]

How is she doing now?

Sometimes if they don't take mealworms, it is that they are not noticing the movements.

I have not had problems feeding mealworms to T.sinensis after the first couple of times. I find that presentation is important when using slow moving prey. I put the mantis on a flat surface and let it settle, then toss the mealworm in their view. But usually the mantis will go down to the bottom of the container to grab them if I just drop a couple in.

I like to feed a variety of prey but if I can't find any in the wild, or don't have enough roaches breeding, mealworms and crickets will do.

 

[hopefoot]

Okay, I'm going to make this sound like a political debate, but when is birth defined? When they hatch from the ooth or when mama lays them? Because I was thinking that it was their hatch date. And wouldn't wild mantids start hatching around April? Which would make her about 6 months old? Which would mean I might possibly maybe if I'm very, very lucky have another 6ish months with her?

I would love to get an ooth out of her. I've already promised it to a friend with a garden. I have 5 cats and a 2 room apartment. I'm sure it's perfectly doable but I'm going to guess that raising baby mantids is going to take a considerable amount of room, no? More room than I have to comfortably spare. Probably. And I'd rather have them out in the wild. Ethically, I'm torn even keeping Lucy in a tank, but justify it by knowing that I'm probably increasing her life span and helping to continue the species just a little bit if I do get an ooth out of her.

I caught a crane fly in the hall last night, I know, not much of a meal for her. It was still in the tank when I left this morning. I can no longer tell if she's eating the big worms because they are all hiding under the the new plant I put in the tank last night. I think. So, is feeding the crickets fruit for one day enough? I'd feel better if she ate something substantial tonight.

She didn't seem restless and was not touching parts of the tank with her abdomen. But. I was hoping the not eating might be a sign that she might soon lay an ooth! And she's left her usual hangout, the screen at the top of the tank, and has been roaming around the plant and the branches. But. Those are new as of last night, before then her tank was pretty spartan, now it's a jungle in there.

 

[lancaster1313]

I am assuming that the lifespan starts when they hatch. Many things can contribute to her actual life span, but she has probably mated if found as an adult. I think that your chances of getting an ootheca out of her are good if she seems alert and healthy.

I have had mantids that fasted before laying oothecae, mantids that became restless , and sometimes they have just started laying with no sign at all.

Maybe she can't find the food, or simply isn't hungry. If she is nice and plump, then it shouldn't be an issue.

Uneaten feeder insects can bother the mantis and possibly chew on the ootheca if she lays one. It is best not to leave feeders in the container for too long. I remove uneaten feeders after a certain amount of time if I am sure that they were noticed, but ignored or swatted away.

. Are you misting the container with water? Does she drink it from the sides, or off of herself? Keeping her hydrated might help with having an ootheca come along.

The amount of space that you will need to raise nymphs indoors all depends on how many you will try to keep, out of around 250.

 

[hopefoot]

Do they have to be adults to mate? Someone asked me today.

What do you do with the nymphs you don't keep?

I am misting the container twice a day, she drinks from the droplets on the screen on top. I hope that is enough for her?

She was nice and plump but after not eating for two days she was noticeably skinnier. She doesn't look wasted but the difference in the size of her abdomen was worrying me.

Today she ate at least half of one of the Super Worms. I know because I found the other half on the floor of the tank. Don't know if she ate more of them, I threw in a bunch and they all ended up hiding under (or in?) the plant before too long with maybe one brave soul at a time exploring it's new digs.

Today I caught 3 crickets for her! Yay! Catching crickets is hard! But fun. I stuck just one in the freezer, popped it in the tank on one of the high branches and she sees it. I think. Worried, first-time, surprise mantid mamma that I am I really hope she gets it!

Thanks likebugs and kotomi for your advice. All of you guys have been great and I feel better knowing I can have your help.

 

[hopefoot]

SHE'S LAYING AN OOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the screen. Not on a twig. And it's partially stuck to the towel that I lay over her tank at night. I'll just have to cut the towel away and leave a little square over the ooth after she's done. It's going to make giving the ooth away interesting, I guess my friend is getting a screen too. Worth it. YAY!!!!

 

[lancaster1313]

Do they have to be adults to mate? Someone asked me today.

Yes they do.

What do you do with the nymphs you don't keep?

The nymphs can be released.

If you want the nymphs to survive outdoors, you can keep the ootheca outside so it will not hatch in cold weather.

If you incubate it indoors they will probably hatch in around 6 weeks and you will have to deal with that.

I usually just keep some in a large container with fine mesh and feed them fruit flies until I have the amount that I want to keep. I then separate them into their own private homes.

Many of the new nymphs will die whether they are in the wild or in captivity. That just seems to happen with Tenodera sinensis. They get eaten by other creatures in the wild, and in captivity some will die and some will eat eachother.

It is what it is. That is why the oothecae yield so many nymphs.

I got around 10 to adult when I raised that species, and I believe that isn't a bad number of survivors.

Oh Yeah!

Congrats about the ootheca!

 

[hopefoot]

Thanks! :clown:

 

[hopefoot]

I ordered Keeping Aliens and am hoping it gets to me before Lucy dies. Now that she's laid her ooth is she going to die soon? It looked like she was trying to lay another one last night and then gave up. I thought that they laid 5 or 6 over time. Now I'm wondering if it's lay all the ooths she's going to lay as quickly as she can and then die a day or two after.

 

[lancaster1313]

There is no way of telling how many oothecae she has already laid as you found her as an adult.

They can lay a few so you will just have to wait and see. She will probably last longer in captivity because she wont have to deal with predators or the cold weather.

 

[hopefoot]

Oh phew. I thought it might be the act of laying all the ooths that automatically triggered death. BIG sigh of relief. So weird that I'm so attached to this bug.

 

[MantidLord]

Not to be a negative whatever. But I recently caught an adult chinese female in New Jersey and she died after a couple of days in captivity. Clearly due to old age. So please do not be surprised if she starts slowing down and dies. They don't live for a year in the wild and having lived her whole life outside, you don't know what she's experienced or how old she really is. Anyway, keep caring for her like you are and you're lucky you got an ooth out of her (I didn't, but at least I was able to add her to my pinned collection). Chances are pretty good that it's fertile, so good luck!

 

[MandellaMandy123]

Oh, and BTW, if you haven't already cut out the mesh, you can probably peel the ootheca off of the mesh after it hardens for a few days