Poor male

[Mantidmaniac95]

This is several days ago but I was helping my dad work on the yard and a male mantid lands right next to me. I finally found male for my female and my dad needed me so I put it in there and left to help my dad and my plan was for her was for me to get her to catch and eat prey and my ale to mate with her. my sister watched them and she told me my male was being eaten

 

[Giosan]

There are a few things you should do before introducing the male and female. You knew the female needs to eat a lot, which yours probably didn't, so the best thing you could do is put the male in a different cup or letting your sister hold him for the minutes you had to help your dad.

well, you probably know this but just didn't have time right?

Try putting the lady outside, maybe the males will fly up to her.

 

[Rick]

There are a few things you should do before introducing the male and female. You knew the female needs to eat a lot, which yours probably didn't, so the best thing you could do is put the male in a different cup or letting your sister hold him for the minutes you had to help your dad.well, you probably know this but just didn't have time right?

Try putting the lady outside, maybe the males will fly up to her.

Even if well fed she would likely have ate him just the same. That doesn't stop them.

 

[Giosan]

Well it stops them more that if not well fed, right? I mean if my mantids are hungry they will attack nearly everything. When they're full they won't attack as fast. It could have gone right if she was fat.

 

[collinchang635]

Normally my mantid would not eat when they are full. They will not even look at their prey when they are full. Is this a good time to mate mantids?

 

[Rick]

Gravid females I have had always seem to eat anything regardless of how fat they are. I supposed being well fed can help but it is far from a guarantee.

 

[Giosan]

Of course! There are more things you can do to make it successful, like being there while it happens if a male is running like a mad man towards the female without noticing her as a female, you can take him away and start again. If you are not there, and he does this, she will eat him.

And of course sometimes these things happen without you having control over it! The chances are always there.