Ghost mating advise

[Darth Mantis]

I am having trouble getting my male to be interested in my female any advice as to how I can better mate Ghost mantises. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Can we have some more info? How long have they been adult? Have they been kept in separate areas to prevent pheromone saturation? 

Try warning them before mating and keep them in separate rooms for a few days. Then up the humidity and try again.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Darth Mantis]

They are about three weeks into adult for all of them and they have been separated since they were around L3. Ill try warming them too and moving to a whole new room for a few days. It would make sense to me if the problem was just that they have to near each other for to long and he got used to her pheromones.

 

[MantisGirl13]

Sounds good! Keep trying!

- MantisGirl13

 

[Darth Mantis]

About how long will the female take to lay her first ooth if she is unfertilized

 

[MantisGirl13]

Probably a month or so, and then if she's well fed you can expect one every week or two.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Predatorhousepet]

About how long will the female take to lay her first ooth if she is unfertilized

Unfertilized it can take a while for a female to lay that first ooth so don't panic if it takes a lot longer than a month. After that she will regularly lay about every 2 weeks, give or take a week.

Once she has been mated it could take 1 to 3 weeks to lay the fertilized ooth. 

Either way if it's taking a long time she may not be comfortable in her environment. You may need to adjust the humidity, temperature, amount of space or add more suitable places to lay. They tend to like straight branches that are 1/4 to 1/3 inch (6 to 8 mm) in diameter, 1/4 inch dowel rods or popsicle sticks.

As for getting the male interested if you've followed all the above advice you may just need to be patient with him and give him time. Some males are extremely timid and are afraid to approach the female. You can skip that step for him and try placing him directly on her back (give her a large prey item first to distract her and keep her busy.)

 

[hysteresis]

Twelve hours in now, and my ghosts n still not gettin' jiggy. Theyre at 26°C. 

 

[FeistyMcGrudle]

Sorry to hijack, but is 8 weeks unhatched for a ghost ootheca still in the realm of viable?

 

[MantisGirl13]

Sorry to hijack, but is 8 weeks unhatched for a ghost ootheca still in the realm of viable?

No, sorry. Ghost ooths will hatch in a month or so.

- MantisGirl13

 

[Predatorhousepet]

Sorry to hijack, but is 8 weeks unhatched for a ghost ootheca still in the realm of viable?

They usually hatch within 6 weeks but according to their dedicated care sheet it can take as long as 10 weeks so it's possible your ooth could still hatch. Follow the care instructions and hope for the best. 

 

[FeistyMcGrudle]

Dangit I forgot that was in there. Thanks!

 

[Darth Mantis]

Well I tried everything but he still is not interested in her at all. I can not figure out what is wrong.

 

[hysteresis]

I just fed them both and threw them in a mesh cube with some foliage. They were taking too long so I threw them into a smaller bin with foliage. About 1/3 the volume of a 1 cu ft mesh cube. 

They connected the 2nd night. 

Dont be shy about putting them in a smaller space. These guys aren't that aggressive. 

 

[Predatorhousepet]

Dont be shy about putting them in a smaller space. These guys aren't that aggressive. 

It should be big enough that he can escape and hide should she rebuke his advances. Most females are not aggressive but will strike if she feels threatened. Also make sure the female has been well fed and shows no interest in going after new prey.

For the most part they just get down to business but I have had ghost males get injured/eaten so be aware that's still a possibility.

 

[Predatorhousepet]

Well I tried everything but he still is not interested in her at all. I can not figure out what is wrong.

If you've been leaving them in together 24/7 there isn't a whole lot more you can do other than what we've already suggested but do make sure they have enough privacy. You want to minimize all distractions: block their view of the outside world, make their enclosure warm and quiet and the light dim like it's nearing twighlight. 

Some males are completely clueless and never figure it out. If all else fails you may need to try again with another male if you can find one.

 

[Mantis Lady]

I was mating my ghosts on my desk I wanted to see it. My male hopped on females back after a few minutes. At night I put them in the mating bucket

 

[Darth Mantis]

Finally got one to mate and she laid an ooth a few days later. So heres to hoping it all works out well. Ghost ooths do not need a dipause right?

 

[hysteresis]

Finally got one to mate and she laid an ooth a few days later. So heres to hoping it all works out well. Ghost ooths do not need a dipause right?

No diapause.