Chinese ooth hatched. Feeding questions

[Zemata]

Hey guys my ooth hatched that I bought from a gardening store. It's been about one day and I have some questions mainly about feeding.

First of all, they are Chinese nymphs. I missed the hatching but it looks like some stillborn nymphs are still stuck to the ooth. Is this normal? The nymphs I saw are already about double size!

Second I bought a fruit fly culture from petco. They're advertised as flightless but they have wings and seem jumpy. I tried to funnel some into my enclosure and a few got away. Is there anything I can do to make it easier? Can I stuck the culture into the fridge for a second first?

Lastly there are maybe 10 FFs in there now and the nymphs are ignoring them save for bumping into them every now and then. Did I try to feed them too early? How long should I wait until they start to eat after hatching?

Thanks a lot guys. These little buggers are already adorable!

 

[agent A]

a few stuck to ooth is normal

mist it more to avoid this

i'd wait 2-3 days to try and feed them

tapping the culture so none get out then tapping them into to cage works well

 

[aNisip]

First, yes it does happen but no this isnt normal, nonetheless it is due to low humidity, next time increase humidity slightly so they can 'slip' out easier. The will most likely get stuck and die.

Second, yes you can put the culture in the freezer for two minutes and then shake the cold flies (desired amount of flies) into the container (they should be dormant) and in a couple seconds you will see them 'come to life' as they heat up and come out of their temporary dormancy. With their movement the mantises will seize the opportunity to seize them

Thirdly, yes you fed them too early. Wait one or two days after they hatch to feed them. They are young and getting used to life on earth!

All the best,

Andrew

 

[aNisip]

a few stuck to ooth is normal

mist it more to avoid this

i'd wait 2-3 days to try and feed them

tapping the culture so none get out then tapping them into to cage works well

I was writing my response before you posted yours, (and then I posted it and it had the same info you gave ) you beat me to it

 

[Zemata]

Thanks for the fast replies!

Two more things

They're falling a lot. Will this harm them?

How long should I wait before releasing them into my garden?

 

[maybon]

Thanks for the fast replies!

Two more things

They're falling a lot. Will this harm them?

How long should I wait before releasing them into my garden?

It depends on how far they are falling and onto what. They can drown in small water droplets on the side/bottom of the enclosure so make sure you don't have that. I would probably release them after the first molt (second instar / L2) they are much more likely to survive after this stage. They also fall pretty often when first hatched but after a couple of days they get better and holding on (it also depends on what you have for them to grip to) maybe glue some paper towels down to help them climb / hang.

 

[aNisip]

Make sure they have enough space because they could be too close in proximity that they scare each other and jump away. And like maybon said paper towels will work or anything that will give them good grip. And when you release them (after one molt) it couldnt hurt to sprinkle some FFs in the garden until they get established outside.

 

[Zemata]

Alright thanks again! I lifted the lids up and put I couple more sticks in for them to climb on. Now last question I swear! How can I tell when they've molted to l2? Will they just all be a bit bigger with mantid skins strewn about?

 

[hibiscusmile]

all good advice, my subjects are doing well! haha, bad girl!

 

[maybon]

Alright thanks again! I lifted the lids up and put I couple more sticks in for them to climb on. Now last question I swear! How can I tell when they've molted to l2? Will they just all be a bit bigger with mantid skins strewn about?

You will see them slightly bigger and yes there will be shed skins around.

 

[eyes]

There are wingless and flightless fruitflies. I have only seen the flightless kind at petco. For feeding from those petco containers what I did is make a small funnal out of paper. I tap the jar on the ground to knock the flies down, then I take off the top and put the paper funnel on. Then I shake the flies out of the funnel into the mantis enclosure. The funnel provides a small pointed exit that I can easily stick into the enclosure and prevents too many from coming out. When finished I tap the fly jar on the ground again to knock them off the funnel and back into their jar so I can put the top on. Works really well, a lot less flies escape this way.

I wouldn't freeze them to stun them because you would have to keep doing it over and over to all of them. That will surely kill many of them eventually.