Only 4 babies hatched; more to come?

[-MK-]

I have 3 Chinese praying mantis egg cases in a tank, suspended from a string. The tank is in a small sun room with windows on 3 sides. Yesterday was particularly sunny and warm, and when I went to check on the tank, I saw a tiny baby drop from one of the cases. Upon closer inspection, I found a total of 4 nymphs hanging out in there.

My main question is: do they always hatch all at once, or are there sometimes a few who pop out early? I wasn't aware that I was supposed to mist the egg cases and that drying out is apparently the most common reason for eggs not hatching. They did get water on them a few times by accident when I was pouring it in to keep the paper towel floor moist, though.

To ask my question another way: if conditions were good enough for these 4 little guys to make it out alive, is it likely that there are more to come? Also, as long as there are small fruit flies present, are the nymphs unlikely to attack each other? Thanks.

 

[Rick]

All at once. A little water on the ooths won't hurt. After all they get wet when it rains in the wild. You said you had the tank in the sun which may have raised the temps too high and killed the rest of them. I don't usually get ooths wet but being wet or dry won't hurt either way as long as there is enough humidity in the enclosure. Regardless of how much you feed them they will still eat one another but htat is ok because you really only want a few to survive.

Oh and don't forget an intro: http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showforum=15

 

[Krissim Klaw]

Generally they hatch all at once, but I've had Chinese ooths where only a couple hatched then a day or two later the whole swarm hatched. I've also had ooths do a half hatching one day than a day or so later hatch about the same number. For this reason I always keep ooths hanging for at least a few days after the initial hatching.

Sometimes however things just go wrong and only a couple babies will drop out.

 

[-MK-]

Thanks for the quick replies! I guess I'm hoping that Krissim is right on this one. What temperature do they like for hatching?

The little guy in my avatar is one of the babies. They're so cute - I hope I get more. The plan was to have them hanging out in my yard all summer, and hopefully eating some wasps and hornets while they're out there. I had a huge one a few years ago that lived in the sedum plants in my back yard for pretty much the entire summer. I used to walk right up and feed it grubs that I found while gardening - it's interesting how they often seem to be pretty laid back with humans.

 

[Rick]

Thanks for the quick replies! I guess I'm hoping that Krissim is right on this one. What temperature do they like for hatching?The little guy in my avatar is one of the babies. They're so cute - I hope I get more. The plan was to have them hanging out in my yard all summer, and hopefully eating some wasps and hornets while they're out there. I had a huge one a few years ago that lived in the sedum plants in my back yard for pretty much the entire summer. I used to walk right up and feed it grubs that I found while gardening - it's interesting how they often seem to be pretty laid back with humans.

They tend to hatch just fine at room temperature. If you plan on releasing them you should just do it now. If you still haven't got anymore hatching I would only wait a few more days before throwing the ooths out.

 

[Ellron]

Mine replied fine at room temp. many hatched, i "dixie cupped" ( we should add that to the dictionary) alot, and set the ooth outside in a small container with air holes, came back in a couple days, and about 50 were there.

 

[Katnapper]

Mike, I usually mist the ooths a couple to several times a week... depending on how warm and/or humid it is. The warmer the temps and the lower the humidity, the more I mist. I'd say on average about 3 times a week.

Edit: If you're keeping them in your sunroom in an enclosed tank (ventilated, of course!), you might want to mist every day or every other day if it gets pretty warm in there. Check your tanks too.... that they don't get so hot inside that it might cook the ooths! :blink: If you've got good ventilation on them and they aren't in direct sunlight beating down on them it should be fine.

 

[Orin]

So did you get any more or was that the end of it?

 

[Katnapper]

So did you get any more or was that the end of it?

+1

Ya, Mike... what happened? Don't leave us in suspense!

 

[-MK-]

No, I didn't get any more. Out of the original 4, I'm down to 2 now, but these two seem pretty healthy. When I checked in on them a few minutes ago, they were both munching on fruit flies. One is very outgoing; he/she never hesitates to climb onto my hand and go running up my arm. And that brings me to a question: how mature do they need to be before it's possible to tell which gender they are?

 

[Katnapper]

No, I didn't get any more. Out of the original 4, I'm down to 2 now, but these two seem pretty healthy. When I checked in on them a few minutes ago, they were both munching on fruit flies. One is very outgoing; he/she never hesitates to climb onto my hand and go running up my arm. And that brings me to a question: how mature do they need to be before it's possible to tell which gender they are?

Some species are easier to tell sooner than others. But on average, I'd say if you have good enough eyes (or can take macro pics of the underside of the abdomen, which is what I like to do!) one can usually tell around L5. Could be earlier or later though! For the most part, I've given up trying to sex them early... and just wait until it's apparent or they molt to adult!