Breeding enclosure?

[H_Ercule_S]

I want at least 1 ootheca to raise and hatch from the local species here to get experience in the process prior to branching out to other species, since I will always want to raise nymphs as young as possible. Ghosts will be my wife and I's second species of mantis, but right now we have plain ol' Europeans. Our two named mantises have their own enclosures and we have decided not to breed them, however we have 2 nameless females and 2 nameless males that we want to breed. We have been trying for 3 weeks with the techniques listed on this board to no avail, the largest female we have is quite receptive however neither of the males will latch on even when placed on her.

I got a 2x2x3 foot box from work and replaced 3 sides with window screen, can they all be in that sized space without killing each other before mating? I'd assume 1 couple would be fine in there but can we put more than 2 couples in safely?

 

[Rick]

I'd put one pair in there at a time. Add a good amount of cage decoration (sticks, leaves, plants) in order to give the male ample places to get out of her view if you worry about losing him.

 

[Jay]

Hmmm. Sounds like you have everything you need. Plenty of ventilation is often important for adults.

Making sure the female refuses additional food before attempting mate helps to keep males alive - as well as the hiding places and additional branches, as Rick mentioned.

So both males are at least 3 weeks old (since they molted into their wings at adulthood)?

Although I have heard that lighting, temperature and humidity can make a difference for some mantids, I am not sure how this might work with a European mantis. The last time I mated a pair of European mantids they were wild-caught in a container on top of the fridge and experienced no problems. I have always experienced the most success with introducing the female in front of a male in his enclosure.

I hope these thoughts help a little.

Don't give up and let us know the outcome!

 

[H_Ercule_S]

The box has successfully worked with 2 pairs of wild religiosa, I have given them NATO callsigns instead of names, in order of who was captured first to last. All the wild mantises we have are fed only moths that can still fly and one live wild cricket in their tank, to ensure they don't lose their want for hunting when they go back to the wild. Alpha is a 3.75-4 inch female who has not been as receptive to mating as I had hoped, she also scares most of the under 3 inch males I find. She's currently munching a moth on the porch and will hopefully not be around in the morning.

Female/Males mated, males released: Bravo/Foxtrot, Charie/Golf, Delta/Kilo.

Making sure the female refuses additional food before attempting mate helps to keep males alive - as well as the hiding places and additional branches, as Rick mentioned.

Before Alphas 3rd attempt at mating, she ate 3 1 inch crickets. I set them near each other and went outside to smoke, came back and she was past Golf's raptors, no sign of the head near them on the ground... Huff