my ghost has been adult for 6-7 weeks

[beckyl92]

i'm trying to fatten her up so i can mate her but she won't eat! its so annoying

can you mate them even if they're not fat?

the annoying thing is, i only have 1 male. so if she munches him then im screwed.

 

[kamakiri]

I think they will only fatten up so much before mating. Could you post a picture of her?

I usually feel comfortable having them mated once they refuse to eat.

Good luck to you.

 

[revmdn]

I would wait till she starts eating and feed her till she's stuffed before matting. Just so she doesn't see him as a snack.

 

[beckyl92]

I think they will only fatten up so much before mating. Could you post a picture of her?I usually feel comfortable having them mated once they refuse to eat.

Good luck to you.

im waiting for these batteries to come from china so i can use my camera. i have a phone camera but it wouldn't be clean. ill try and post one as soon as possible

 

[beckyl92]

grr. its so frustrating. i think its more the male than the female. his gay!

i spent 1 hour 30 mins trying to mate them. he'll actually notice her for once and then once i start to think somethings gonna happen he'll start cleaning himself for 5 mins none stop! :|

why won't he mate?

 

[kamakiri]

I'd give them more time. I don't remember any of the connections happening sooner than an hour or two after I put them together.

I think I've mentioned some of the conditions that I've observed mating earlier...

Males seem to prefer darkness.

Being face down or upside-down seems to be the norm.

Blowing helps to initiate S-bending.

Darkness seems to keep them from being distracted.

Do you have enough space for the female to walk around and get upside-down? I use a fake flower bouquet, and I think most of the time the connected couples are upside-down.

If I don't see any activity and he's just hanging on, I try to restart the S-bending by blowing on them.

Now that I think about it, when I've seen the females 'calling' they have been face down on a branch or grid.

Good luck to you this Friday the 13th!

 

[beckyl92]

shall i just put them both in a 1ftx1ftx1ft net cage tonight and leave them to it?

how do you know if they've mated the morning after and the males still alive?

will she eat my male if i do it this way?

i've got another female that needs mating.. shes a week behind the other female.

 

[ismart]

I really would not try and mate them in a net cage. I either leave them out in a room or put them in a 320z cup. I have found if left in a net cage the males have room to flutter about. In doing so, initiate the females love for flying foods.

 

[beckyl92]

I really would not try and mate them in a net cage. I either leave them out in a room or put them in a 320z cup. I have found if left in a net cage the males have room to flutter about. In doing so, initiate the females love for flying foods.

i'd be right next to them and i was planning on leaving the top open

 

[beckyl92]

this is gonna be a sloww night. my plan is to sit on the computer for hours with my ghosts next to me in a net cage. i'm letting them mate at their own paste. when they connect i'll open the top so he can get away while im asleep. good plan?

gahhh im gonna be bored. im determined to breed this species!

 

[kamakiri]

A net cage open to the side might work. Gives them the chance to hang upside down or any angle inbetween.

The computer monitor light might be too bright. When I'm not actively monitoring them, I try to use total darkness. It really seems to help.

If he's mounted and 'drumming' on her, you shouldn't have to worry about him getting eaten. Again, I think he is safer in the darkness.

Good luck tonight!

 

[beckyl92]

just turned out the light and he flashed his wings.. whats that mean if anything?

 

[Rick]

Why would they have to be fat to mate? The reason for waiting is so that the female is more receptive. You should be fine to go ahead and try now.

 

[ismart]

just turned out the light and he flashed his wings.. whats that mean if anything?

He waved goodbye! NO, i mean goodnight! :lol:

 

[beckyl92]

Why would they have to be fat to mate? The reason for waiting is so that the female is more receptive. You should be fine to go ahead and try now.

i've tryed to mate them everyday for like an hour :/ its getting pretty annoying now. ever struggled to mate this species or am i the only one?

im tempted to just keep them in the net cage all night connected or not.

 

[ismart]

i've tryed to mate them everyday for like an hour :/ its getting pretty annoying now. ever struggled to mate this species or am i the only one?im tempted to just keep them in the net cage all night connected or not.

Thats probally going to your best bet at this point. Even if the male mounts her, this does not mean he is going to connect right away. I usally leave ghost pairs together for a day or two. The males can sometimes take a long time before making any moves on the females. Good luck!

 

[beckyl92]

im just really scared of waking up to a half eaten male.. and if his alive, i wont know if they've mated.

 

[beckyl92]

getting close.. his stood about 3-4cm away from her and his twitching his antenners.

his been doing this for about 10 mins :S

 

[Rick]

I find orchid mantids to be like that. They can be a true pain in the butt to breed. You can leave them together but like you said, unless you see them in the act you will never know.