Breeding Budwing,what do I need in the cage?

[Lylelovett666]

I'm hoping to breed my female Budwing and I was wondering should the mating go OK what kind of material she will need in her tank for the laying of the ooth(s)?

Thanks

 

[hibiscusmile]

She will lay anywhere, i like to give her some nice sticks too.

 

[crucis]

I could never predict where they'll lay, they seem to make the oddest choices! Best to give her a variety of substrates / objects to try to reduce the possibility of getting an ootheca stuck fast to the walls of the tank

I wouldnt want to leave a fertile ooth in with an adult mantis for any length of time, so when that happened to me I had to get her a new home (I don't trust myself to remove the ooth without damaging it)

 

[Malti]

I could never predict where they'll lay, they seem to make the oddest choices! Best to give her a variety of substrates / objects to try to reduce the possibility of getting an ootheca stuck fast to the walls of the tank

I wouldnt want to leave a fertile ooth in with an adult mantis for any length of time, so when that happened to me I had to get her a new home (I don't trust myself to remove the ooth without damaging it)

will mantises damage ooths?

 

[yen_saw]

will mantises damage ooths?

Mantis won't damage ooth no worry.BUdwing seems to prefer depositing ootheca at the top corner or the edge of the lid and container wall. I haven't seen one laying on a stick before, but it is good to have some for the mantis to climb up. Overfed budwing with swollen abdomen may fall due to the weight and damage the abdomen, so it is important to line the inside of the tank and provide proper footing on the lid to avoid such accidental, especially if you have a tall cage. As molting is no longer a concern I would use a smaller/shorter cage. Older budwing having problem in climbing could also lay fertile ootheca at the bottom of the cage.

 

[patrickfraser]

My budwing laid an ootheca right at the top of the container where the lid closes. It was down the side and accross the lid. It even stretched across some of the screening at the top. I was worried I'd have a problem with it, but I waited a couple of days to make sure it was hard. I was able to crack the lid enough to feed, but didn't want it to damage the ooth. After a few days I carefully opened the container and it popped right off the side, attached to the top. The I then proceeded to remove it from the top, being careful of the attachment to the net at the top. Pretty easy, really. Just make sure the ooth is hardened before making any attempt of removal. Now the waiting begins. My male has died, but mated twice. Fingers crossed for fertility. The ooth is a BIG one.

 

[crucis]

will mantises damage ooths?

Nope, they wont damage ooths. However we all know what they can do to their own newly hatched babies B)

This is a big concern for me because whenever i keep mantids, they're usually small tropical species which hatch in under a month. The oothecae are too tiny & fragile to remove without some risk.

Also, i noticed that the females i've kept were more active / skittish after laying ooths, and i'm guessing it's because they wanted to put some distance between them and their future offspring. I wouldnt want a female to move in circles round her tank and keep on coming back to the very thing she wants to avoid: the ooth she just laid...