HELP! Really need some advice. ASAP

[ladygigi]

I have a very gravid female Heiradula. I have a male too. The problem is that I can't seem to get the male interested in the female so that he can fertilize the female. She has her little (well actually very large and swollen right now) butt up in the air just a swaying but he just keeps walking right by her. Any suggestions? She is really miserable and needs to lay that ooth she's got inside of her. She's refusing food too. She's having a hard time just moving around due to her swollen thorax. It is HUGE. Any help would be appreciated. I'm really afraid that she's going to end up attacking him and then I won't have a male for her or my other female Heiradula. I'm also afraid that if she doesn't lay that ooth soon, it's going to kill her. Yes, she is that swollen. It has her walking with her head damn near on the ground.

Oh, one more question. It isn't a problem that she is brown and he is green is it?

 

[Rick]

She will make an ooth whether she is mated or not. The colors don't mean anything as long as they are the same species. I think you mean her abdomen is swollen as the thorax doesn't change shape. It sounds like she is about ready to make an ooth or is possibly eggbound.

 

[Paradoxica]

You could try keeping the male in a different room from the female for a few days, he may be desensitized to her pheromones from being constantly soaking in them.

 

[ladygigi]

What do I do if she is eggbound? Won't that kill her? She is literally with her head on the ground because her back end is so big and swollen. What do I do? And she is refusing to eat. . .

 

[gripen]

Stop feeding her. Give her some water and offer live plants to lay on.

 

[Rick]

Stop feeding her. Give her some water and offer live plants to lay on.

I don't believe live plants will make a difference but additional places to lay are a good idea. I agree on stop offering food.

It doesn't sound like this mantis is well. An eggbound mantis may lay the ooth if given plenty of options but many times they don't and eventually die.

 

[gripen]

I don't believe live plants will make a difference but additional places to lay are a good idea. I agree on stop offering food.

It doesn't sound like this mantis is well. An eggbound mantis may lay the ooth if given plenty of options but many times they don't and eventually die.

That is true. I have heard some members having success with live plants.

 

[devetaki9]

I brought my Chinese female outside and we spent about an hour with her chilling and hanging in some grass. Picked some if it and put it in her home that I had switched up with her sister do she had a bit of the outdoors along with a new locale and she laid that night or the next night. It was probably coincidence along with the exercise maybe. I feed mine smaller meals less frequently when they start to get big and make sure they get out every day for supervised exercise

 

[ladygigi]

She liked the offer of water. Drank copiously.Then she moved away and started to bite me with quite a bit of fervor as if hungry. Would it hurt to offer her some honey?

 

[devetaki9]

I don't think honey and a small cricket or small something would hurt