papilio_
Well-known member
I was lucky enough to find an adult female for my mature male, but for two weeks she refused to eat anything. Knowing that she'd need to be well-fed before introducing the male I finally tried a sphynx larva feeder from the local reptile store. Lepidoptera is my first love and I was a bit conflicted using a caterpillar as a feeder, but was actually pleased to see her immediately pounce on it.
When I introduced the male the next evening, she showed no aggression at all, and it was great to see him begin drumming as soon as I'd nudged him onto her back. I watched and waited for nearly three hours, the male knew enough to occasionally drop down 'side-saddle' in order to reach her abdomen, all she'd have needed to do would have been to move her tip a bit to the side to meet him but she seemed to have no interest in cooperating. At last I took Precarious' advice and moved them both back into her enclosure where they could hang upside-down from the ceiling, and within less than a minute they had connected!
When I introduced the male the next evening, she showed no aggression at all, and it was great to see him begin drumming as soon as I'd nudged him onto her back. I watched and waited for nearly three hours, the male knew enough to occasionally drop down 'side-saddle' in order to reach her abdomen, all she'd have needed to do would have been to move her tip a bit to the side to meet him but she seemed to have no interest in cooperating. At last I took Precarious' advice and moved them both back into her enclosure where they could hang upside-down from the ceiling, and within less than a minute they had connected!
