Slight Dilemma

[shorty]

Hi,

Last week I ordered some T. sinensis ooths from a Biocontrol website because of their price. I ordered two to test them out to see if they'd hatch out and if so I would order a few more. The thing is, they sent me twelve oothecae!! I don't know if this is to ensure viability or if it is simply a mistake. Either way, I have twelve ooths to care for and I have a few questions regarding their care. I already read the pinned topic and know most of what I need to. The few questions I have are the following: what is a good way to properly hang them without a glue-gun? Is there another adhesive I can use that won't damage them? Also, what is a good size container to use? Right now I have 32oz, 24oz, 16oz, and 12oz insect cups from mantisplace.com. I can get something else if it would be more appropriate. Basically, I'm just wondering about how tall and wide it should be. Also, what should I put in the containers for the nymphs to crawl around and hang on when they hatch? The last question is, being that I have twelve, would it be advisable to keep each ooth separate, or put a couple in each container?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. And if anyone wants to buy or trade for some T. sinensis ooths, I would be more than happy to get rid of a few. I can't guarantee that they're 100% viable, though.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Hi,

Last week I ordered some T. sinensis ooths from a Biocontrol website because of their price. I ordered two to test them out to see if they'd hatch out and if so I would order a few more. The thing is, they sent me twelve oothecae!! I don't know if this is to ensure viability or if it is simply a mistake. Either way, I have twelve ooths to care for and I have a few questions regarding their care. I already read the pinned topic and know most of what I need to. The few questions I have are the following: what is a good way to properly hang them without a glue-gun? Is there another adhesive I can use that won't damage them? Also, what is a good size container to use? Right now I have 32oz, 24oz, 16oz, and 12oz insect cups from mantisplace.com. I can get something else if it would be more appropriate. Basically, I'm just wondering about how tall and wide it should be. Also, what should I put in the containers for the nymphs to crawl around and hang on when they hatch? The last question is, being that I have twelve, would it be advisable to keep each ooth separate, or put a couple in each container?

HAHAHA! Join the club Shorty! I bought 3 T.sinensis ooths on Ebay around the middle of last month, and then, in a fit of insanity, five more at the beginning of this month. I kept them in a small sweater box kept humid with paper towels and left the lid slightly ajar for ventilation; after all they weren't going anywhere, and I planned on superglueing them to stakes and keeping each in its own pot long before they hatched. Two days ago, three ooths hatched simultaneously and the babies, not realizing that their ooths were not properly mounted, came pouring into and out of the box and all over my living room. I don't know how many hatched, but I have two hundred survivors in one of those large nursery enclosures that Mantismile sells on her website.

All my other ooths are now neatly mounted on sticks in their own pots with venti lids and sponges for humidity, but I doubt if their hatching will be nearly as much fun as the first batch. With 200 babies playing hide and go seek in the excelsior, I am going to let them live off each other for a while and will then start them on D. melanogster, though I tossed in a few D.hydei two hours ago and see that they are all gone, so maybe I won't need the little guys.

Good luck, get a HUGE supply of FFs and plenty of enclosures!

 

[Katnapper]

Omg, you two! Hehehe... I'd like to reply properly, but I have to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner out of town. Will be back later..... giggling.... :lol:

 

[Rick]

There is no point in trying to hatch 12. You MIGHT get three or four adults from one ooth. If you hatch 12 you are not going to be able to care for them properly. I suggest taking what you don't want to hatch now and placing them outside in some bushes. Those are found in your area wild so if you didn't want to bring them in they would be ok to hatch in the spring outside. These will hatch within a month or so indoors so you better act fast.

 

[PhilinYuma]

There is no point in trying to hatch 12. You MIGHT get three or four adults from one ooth. If you hatch 12 you are not going to be able to care for them properly. I suggest taking what you don't want to hatch now and placing them outside in some bushes.

I differ from Shorty in that these guys don't grow in my area, so I can't set them free. A couple of schoolteachers I know don't want them because of the need for live food and the fact that there would be a problem caring for them during the (numerous!) school vacations.

I think that I shall raise a large number of them so that I can learn from my own mistakes and this forum's advice, and then I am considering serving L2-3s to other, larger mantises. I haven't seen this practice mentioned here. Does anyone do this, or is it something that people do but don't like to admit to?

Maybe I can dump a couple on Sunny, but I doubt that my daughter will let her keep 'em :lol:

 

[Rick]

I differ from Shorty in that these guys don't grow in my area, so I can't set them free. A couple of schoolteachers I know don't want them because of the need for live food and the fact that there would be a problem caring for them during the (numerous!) school vacations.I think that I shall raise a large number of them so that I can learn from my own mistakes and this forum's advice, and then I am considering serving L2-3s to other, larger mantises. I haven't seen this practice mentioned here. Does anyone do this, or is it something that people do but don't like to admit to?

Maybe I can dump a couple on Sunny, but I doubt that my daughter will let her keep 'em :lol:

In your case you don't have much choice. You will have massive die offs with this species regardless of what you do. I tend to keep the whole batch together until I have a number I can easily manage in seperate individual enclosures. This number is usually around 10. You could maybe use some of yours as food for something else.

 

[PhilinYuma]

In your case you don't have much choice. You will have massive die offs with this species regardless of what you do. I tend to keep the whole batch together until I have a number I can easily manage in seperate individual enclosures. This number is usually around 10. You could maybe use some of yours as food for something else.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[The_Asa]

I'd place at least half of them outside. The rest will eat themselves when they hatch. The ones that survive (not many) you can try to keep. But I'm guessing even then you'll have some extras. You could also place those outside I suppose...man 12 simultaneous ooths :lol:

 

[Giosan]

Massive deaths indeed, like Rick said. Pretty scary the first time! So be aware

 

[shorty]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I am going to take half of them and release them outside tomorrow. With my luck, they'll probably all hatch out tonight! But before I do, if anyone wants any ooths just pm me and we can organize a trade or I could offer for a good price. Let me know if anyone wants any tonight or tomorrow morning before I release them.

Also, what is the largest number of ooths and mantids anyone here has raised at once successfully or unsuccessfully?

 

[The_Asa]

Breeders like Rebecca (Hibiscusmile) raise insane amounts of mantids :lol: you'd have to ask check out mantisplace.com just to see the enormous amount of species she has in stock. There are others like her. I don't know how they handle them...

 

[shorty]

Breeders like Rebecca (Hibiscusmile) raise insane amounts of mantids :lol: you'd have to ask check out mantisplace.com just to see the enormous amount of species she has in stock. There are others like her. I don't know how they handle them...

Actually, I talk to Rebecca quite often via e-mail. I ordered some H. membranacea from her and that's how I got started back up into this hobby. Coincidentally, I just sent her an e-mail before I read your post asking her how she cares for so many!

I contacted the company I bought the ooths from today to see why they sent me so many and they said it's to ensure viability. They said it's a good probability that not all will hatch. They also said that it's also because it's late in the season and they often sent extra ooths to people ordering this late. Being that the ooths probably aren't all viable, I am going to keep most of them. And if extra hatch, I'll do my best to care for them. I was planning on trying to raise as many nymphs as I can from two ooths. I have enough space, and the means to care for them. I just need to work on getting enough enclosures to house them all. Obviously, I won't be keeping the nymphs in separate containers but rather I will keep them together until they start feeding on each other. After the population dwindles a bit, I will separate them into small groups and feed them well. Hopefully, I will get a decent amount that survive until adulthood. I do plan on selling nymphs when they hatch too. If they don't sell that well, oh well! I'll just have more for myself and I really don't mind caring for them. I spend a lot of my time and money on this hobby so it's not a big deal to me. I don't work at the moment, except a bit at my uncles winery, and have enough income to maintain my hobby.

I understand the challenges I face in hatching ooths, but it's something I want to learn.

 

[The_Asa]

Obviously, I won't be keeping the nymphs in separate containers but rather I will keep them together until they start feeding on each other. After the population dwindles a bit, I will separate them into small groups and feed them well. Hopefully, I will get a decent amount that survive until adulthood. I do plan on selling nymphs when they hatch too.

Be careful selling the mantids. This species dies easily and often for unknown reasons at hatching. You may want to wait to sell them until a couple molts later. Learned from bad experience.

 

[Orin]

In my experience many oothecae you buy don't hatch, hatch out poorly or the nymphs die in mass numbers on day two. Those that make it past day two and oothecae that hatch out healthy can be reared to adulthood easily with moderate attention. They don't grow as large as they do outdoors.