Chinese ooth diapause?

[Synapze]

I have a Chinese female I'd like to mate, but I don't want any ooth hatches until next spring. Is it possible to store the ooth in the fridge to delay hatching? I believe this works for some other species, but I don't know if the same applies to Chinese mantids or how long the ooths could be delayed, if at all.

 

[Predatorhousepet]

You can keep a chinese ooth in the fridge for several months to delay hatching. I have one in the fridge right now that's been in for 2 months and just hatched one that I had in there for about a month and a half plus almost 4 months the person I bought it from kept them in the fridge. They can't be refrigerated indefinitely obviously but I do know they can handle up to 6 months in the fridge and still hatch with a good yield. I'm not sure if they can handle longer than that, I haven't tried. I don't know how long it takes for the yield to start dropping off.

 

[Synapze]

I've increased her feeding as well as her potential mate(s). I think I'll be fine if I mate her in October, or perhaps even later if she's active and healthy. She's ravenous! I've had this gut feeling that she's nearing end of life, but watching all of this aggressive feeding behavior makes me think otherwise. I think she's going to give me a crash course in male mantid rescue before this is over with. ?

 

[Predatorhousepet]

I've had a couple males get eaten during breeding but most I was able to save before things got too ugly. I recommend using a strip of cardboard to put between them should the female start hunting him and long stick, like a chopstick to pry them apart if she manages to grab him. I've mostly avoided anything bad happening by putting the male directly on the female's back when possible. A lot of the time he'll just climb right on. It also helps if you introduce them in neutral territory. Putting the male in the female's cage is more likely to get her defending her space.