Few questions about mating

[Melophile]

I bought two Paraphendale agrionina (Budwing mantis), one adult male and one adult female, in hopes to learn how to mate/breed mantises.

I've heard that females can lay empty/unfertilized ooths. Does this mean they lay ooths without being mated?

The female I purchased is fairly fat. Is she already gravid? I haven't mated her yet. If she is gravid, will she lay an empty ooth? Can I mate her before she lays?

Here is a picture of her.

 

[Bloodtkr]

Ask who you bought them from if she was with a male or not.

 

[CosbyArt]

Yes all females lay ooths, even if they have been breed or not. Even if they have mated it is hard to say 100% that a ooth will hatch, as there is no way to tell by the ooth if it is fertile or not.

Indeed your female is gravid and should lay the ooth in the next few days, likely much sooner. Even if she is mated before her current ooth is laid it is likely much too late now; however, if you do get a male and breed her, her remaining ooths should be fertile. You can expect 4 to 6 oothecae for a Budwing mantis on average - but I had another species that went well above her average and laid near a dozen ooths before she died.

 

[LAME]

Yeah she looks gravid to me as well, let her produce that first ooth and breed her, as CosbyArt mentioned its more than likely to late on that one.

 

[Sticky]

Dont feed her , she could pop easily if you give her anything more! Be very careful with her.

 

[Mantis Man13]

Sticky is right. My friends mantis was pregnant and fed too much and it popped and had a hole in her abdomen.