Female Mantis won't "Open Up"

[SkittishMale]

I put a couple T. sinensis pairs together in an attempt to mate them. The females have been adult and unmated for a month and the males have been adult for around 2 weeks. One of the females has already laid an infertile ooth as well. Having them both fattened up, I placed the males with them and the males jumped on their back and assumed mating position. I noticed the females aren't opening up the tip of their abdomens to allow the males to penetrate. I supervised them for a couple hours and the males eventually gave up as so it seemed as they just sat on the females backs without their abdomens curled under anymore. There was no aggression toward the males in either of these mating attempts among these pairs.

How come the females won't allow the males to mate them? and has anyone had a female that would just never open up and eventually die having not been mated before?

 

[SkittishMale]

This is my second time breeding this species and I find them a bit difficult to breed compared to other species I've tried. I have even had a male chew on the female's prothorax which caused bleeding. I separated them immediately.

Has anyone else have had odd problems with breeding them?

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Have you seen either of the girls openly calling before adding the boys? What time during the day/night did you attempt the mating?

I probably wouldn't use the male that chewed on the girl again for any future pairings.

 

[SkittishMale]

One of the females was calling and I tried mating them in the afternoon. Unfortunately, in the room I am living in for college, there's no windows! Maybe the mantises are having trouble mating because they are not exposed to natural day length.