Ah! My ooth hatched! What do I do????
- Thread starter arpooch
- Start date
Help Support Mantidforum:
lancaster1313
Likebugs (site changed my name😐)
That sounds like alot of work. I just hatch mine in a large container, mist them, feed them fruit flys, and let the strong survive until you have the number that you want. Chinese oothecae can hatch out so many nymphs that it can be overwhelming.
When the weather was nice, I released most of mine. They are not the hardiest nymphs, many of mine died mysteriously, but I still had about 8 make it to adult in the end.
Even though they are not easy to raise, I love Chinese mantids, they made great pets for me.
When the weather was nice, I released most of mine. They are not the hardiest nymphs, many of mine died mysteriously, but I still had about 8 make it to adult in the end.
Even though they are not easy to raise, I love Chinese mantids, they made great pets for me.
Last edited by a moderator:
guapoalto049
Well-known member
Make a mini thunderdome: only the strong survive! Get a big (at least 18" x 18" x 24")terrarium or net cage filled to the brim with twigs. This added surface area gives them more choices for molting + eating, as well as decreases the "stress" of keeping them communal. Keep them warm and full of flies and crickets (or roaches) with daily mistings and you'll be set!
All good advice, but when my ooths hatch, I like to run around the house yelling,,,, yipee! :tt2:
guapoalto049
Well-known member
Ok. So I know I am in a little over my head here, but I felt bad for them. So far I have 40 of them in individual clear cups with netting rubberbanded on top. I misted them. And will mist them twice a day. I will change the paper towel once a week. But I still have to get some sticks to put in the cups. I will start feeding them not tommorow but the day after. Does that sound okay?
And it is still hatching so I will have more.
And it is still hatching so I will have more.
guapoalto049
Well-known member
Aah the joys of mantid rearing
You are a very dedicated caretaker, feeding is going to be preeety cumbersome, but if you're set on keeping them separate then go for it!
If its a normal sized Chinese ooth you may get quite a few more nymphs out of that thing, like over twice what you have already. Feeding them after two days is a good idea, they typically just run away from anything until that point. Everything else looks good...good luck!
You are a very dedicated caretaker, feeding is going to be preeety cumbersome, but if you're set on keeping them separate then go for it!
If its a normal sized Chinese ooth you may get quite a few more nymphs out of that thing, like over twice what you have already. Feeding them after two days is a good idea, they typically just run away from anything until that point. Everything else looks good...good luck!
PhilinYuma
Well-known member
About a week or so, depending on the temp and how well they are fed.
If you have put a few of these in a HUGE bunch of deli cups, you deserve a medal and can tell us something important. If you feed each pot adequately, or adequately plus, how many L1 nymphs die anyway? I have always assumed (a lazy pracice!) that many die, not from cannibalism -- you can see their little corpses -- but from stress (they want to separate and can't) and from starvation because they can't capture the prey. You seem to have eliminated the "separation stress" so those that die should do so from starvation or "failure to thrive" (whatever that means)! Please let us know how many nymphs you have put in how many pots!
Well,I had them in the same container for about 6-8 hours and then moved them to the cup. In the container, with the other mantises, about 22 died. Now there are a bunch hanging from the ooth still. They've been hanging there since yesterday. Should I help them down or now? Or should I have them fall natrally?
Out of the 50 that I put in cups yesterday. During the night, 1 died completely, 6 are barely living (They are kinda just twitching but I'm not going to throw them away untill they die completely), and the rest are living strong. I also have some ones still up on the egg sac that I asked you about earlier in the post. So altogether, I have 44 healthy ones today.
I'm going to mist them now, and I will mist them tonite. I will also find some sticks either tommorow or today. I'm going to start feeding them tommorow 4 fruit flies each. And I think I will start breeding my own fruit flies. What do you keep your fruit flies in? How do you feed them to your mantises when they are so small?
Also, when they are molting, how are you suppost to spray the cup without disrupting the molting process? And how do I know when they are done molting?
By the way, what do you meant when you say L1 nymphs or L4 nymphs?
Thanks!
Out of the 50 that I put in cups yesterday. During the night, 1 died completely, 6 are barely living (They are kinda just twitching but I'm not going to throw them away untill they die completely), and the rest are living strong. I also have some ones still up on the egg sac that I asked you about earlier in the post. So altogether, I have 44 healthy ones today.
I'm going to mist them now, and I will mist them tonite. I will also find some sticks either tommorow or today. I'm going to start feeding them tommorow 4 fruit flies each. And I think I will start breeding my own fruit flies. What do you keep your fruit flies in? How do you feed them to your mantises when they are so small?
Also, when they are molting, how are you suppost to spray the cup without disrupting the molting process? And how do I know when they are done molting?
By the way, what do you meant when you say L1 nymphs or L4 nymphs?
Thanks!
Last edited by a moderator:
