lost my male

[d17oug18]

Not what you think! alot of people say to leave there mantises who mate out in the open. well i did that funnel trick, they started mating last night and this morning, the male is no where to be found. the only ways i can see he escaped is through the A/C vent lol an ideas where i should look? ive looked all morning and cant find him lol what the heck lol oh well any help is appreciated.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Her tummy is a good starting place

 

[d17oug18]

Her tummy is a good starting place

id say that would be the case, but i did that safe sex funnel thing lol and there are no "mantis pieces" anywhere. im still looking and i cant even find any sign of him lol man there good hiders ^_^

 

[agent A]

Here is what you can do. If he escaped, putting a virgin female in a tiny screen cage or a paper towel wad wet with water and a tiny bit of honey- either one may attract him back. And that cone thing may not always work. Was the female exteremely fat after mating? If a female eats a male, she is humongously fat.

 

[d17oug18]

she was HUGE before the mating, i choose last night because she ate like 5 crickets, forced fed her another, coned her. then introduced the male which he jumped on it like a horney high school virgin lol. left them for the night on my desk, when i woke today he was gone, im starting to feel like he never existed lol im willing to bet hes behind my desk where i cant reach nor look behind. ill keep yall posted lol

 

[Rick]

Here is what you can do. If he escaped, putting a virgin female in a tiny screen cage or a paper towel wad wet with water and a tiny bit of honey- either one may attract him back. And that cone thing may not always work. Was the female exteremely fat after mating? If a female eats a male, she is humongously fat.

Don't even bother doing this. It is laughable at best. ALso just because she eats the male doesn't mean she is going to be huge. Most males are a small meal. I usually leave my pairs loose to mate. Yes finding the male can be a pain but it can be done. Section off the room and start in one corner and look everywhere. Pay special attention to behind furniture and near windows. ALso if you cannot tell I am not a fan of that cone around the females thorax. I think it is pretty stupid actually.

 

[d17oug18]

i wanted to give it a try becuase i only have one female and one male, =/ by the way... he was behind the very monitor im looking at now typing this to you lol yes i found him! first time i used the cone idea and she looked REALLY uncomfortable, constantly shifting and trying to get out of it. ive had other species and not used it, just did it this time becuase i need to breed this species and couldnt afford to loose him.

 

[Rick]

i wanted to give it a try becuase i only have one female and one male, =/ by the way... he was behind the very monitor im looking at now typing this to you lol yes i found him! first time i used the cone idea and she looked REALLY uncomfortable, constantly shifting and trying to get out of it. ive had other species and not used it, just did it this time becuase i need to breed this species and couldnt afford to loose him.

What did I tell you? Behind furniture! Sometimes you have to look for awhile but I have never lost a male when the pair was allowed free. I wouldn't mate them on a flat surface like a desk. Try curtains, houseplant, etc next time.

 

[agent A]

Don't even bother doing this. It is laughable at best. ALso just because she eats the male doesn't mean she is going to be huge. Most males are a small meal. I usually leave my pairs loose to mate. Yes finding the male can be a pain but it can be done. Section off the room and start in one corner and look everywhere. Pay special attention to behind furniture and near windows. ALso if you cannot tell I am not a fan of that cone around the females thorax. I think it is pretty stupid actually.

I have had a female eat a male before and she got huge. And my idea with the paper towel is a good one, I've recovered mantids that way. By the way, what type of mantids d17oug18 keeping?

 

[d17oug18]

i keep 2 species of boxers, C. Gemmatus, and the species i lost the male from was a limbata couple. thats it for now, i had a few others but the nymphs i bought died after a week, i have horrible luck with mail-in's. lol

by the way heres what they looked like with the female "inhibitided" gotta agree with rick that it looks really ********, but gotta do what you gotta do:

 

[Pelle]

Damn, that's just wrong :huh:

 

[bassist]

by the way heres what they looked like with the female "inhibitided" gotta agree with rick that it looks really ********, but gotta do what you gotta do

You don't need to do it that's just it....

 

[Rick]

You don't have to do that. I have never done anything like that. I can count on one hand how many males I have lost over the years. Give him plenty of space and he will be fine.

 

[ABbuggin]

You don't have to do that. I have never done anything like that. I can count on one hand how many males I have lost over the years. Give him plenty of space and he will be fine.

+1 I do the same thing and rarely loose a male.

 

[agent A]

The male looks like a chinese mantis.

 

[d17oug18]

there from the same ooth, but he looks REALLY cool, his coloration is so unique, i wish he could live forever. next time i wont do that lol ill just leave them be and cross my heart ^_^ , im still in shock on how little grown males eat, mine eats like 1/2 a cricket a week lol dead halves EVERYWHERE!!!!

 

[superfreak]

HAHAHA that photo was fantastic! laughed out loud! nice work. do what you want, if you only have one male and youre scared of losing him, collar her! you'll learn your own technique through experience, through seeing what works for you. dont let people always tell you what to do. everything is simply a suggestion

 

[kamakiri]

HAHAHA that photo was fantastic! laughed out loud! nice work.

HA! I like that you used a photo of a CAT to make the cone! Oh, your poor mantie. You can even see how 'upset' she is.

 

[Katnapper]

HA! I like that you used a photo of a CAT to make the cone! Oh, your poor mantie. You can even see how 'upset' she is.

I noticed that and thought it was funny too!