Nymph help?

[Mantidlvr4life]

So I have recently started having pet mantids of my own after helping (watching) my boyfriend raise his over the last couple of years. Needless to say i'm in love (with mantids lol) My mantis layed 4 1/4 oothecas before she died and we recently had some emerge. This is where i have some questions:

Each time one has emerged looking happy and energetic it doesn't eat and ends up dying. we feed them the smallest fruit flies we could find and the last one we had even made a snag at one but afterward would just watch them here and there. What are we doing wrong? I would love to raise some of the offspring of my mantis (don't plan on being a breeder but would like to know how to raise nymphs when the chance comes along) but I don't even know if all of her oothecas will be fertile or if its just the one : / if so its probably spent as I had an incident in my room (forgot to put it outside and watch it) and some emerged due to the temperature change caused by my space heater. It was too cold so they all died sadly so my boyfriend (an entomologist) took all of the oothecas since he keeps his room more temperate. I dont know if maybe that effected the nymphs vitality but if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BugLover]

How long after the nymphs came out did you try to feed them? I read (no experience with this) that they have to "harden" once they come out of the ooth, so they maybe weren't hardened yet. hopefully some other members can help you.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Need more info as buglover said. All ooths should be fertile if the first was.

 

[Paradoxica]

Some species need a diapause (cold period) for the nymphs to be healthy. What species were they?

 

[Mantidlvr4life]

@ buglover- we may have fed them too early then we have the oothecas in a container with a mesh lid and we saw it in there put it in a tiny cup thing with a lid and put some fruit flies in. Maybe it was stressed or hurt itself because it wasnt hardened yet? Maybe we will have to wait a day after discovering them next time before we feed them and thanks for the welcome!! im super excited that this forum exists!!

@hibiscussmile- thanks for the info thats really happy news for me since she laid so many ^-^

@paradoxica- she was a European mantis

 

[Paradoxica]

European mantis hatch VERY weak without a diapause. I had a wild caught ooth hatch without diapause

and 100% died before the first molt.

I'm not sure that is the rule, but that's my experience.