Mantis eating ootheca

[psyconiko]

Hi everyone!

One of my subadult Acromantis f. recently took a bite in a Miomantis ootheca(it is half eaten!!).

I have always suspected (and blame) crickets for doing this but there was absolutly no cricket in the enclosure this time and the Acromantis was well fed.Have you ever seen this?The ooth was old and sterile...

Thank you!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Yeah, I had a adult Idolo female mis a fly and land on her own ooth and she started munching down on it til I reached in and put a stop to it, I thought it was a rare one time only thing... til I read this post. :wacko:

But in there defense they have grain of sand sized brain. :lol:

 

[lancaster1313]

:lol: It never happened to me, that I know of anyway. I have had oothecae in the same container with mom for too long a few times.

I had a really scratched up ootheca from mom hanging off of it often, that hatched fine.

I also had an ootheca hatch fine in moms container, but she was snacking a bit, and didn't put a dent in my nymph count because it was a burst hatching and I already had too many nymphs. I kicked all of them out of the house (into the tamarind tree) because I was overwhelmed and didn't want to deal with fruit flies at the time.

I only kick out local species. These were my Stagmomantis carolina.