violin mantis ooth laying problems. i'm not happy !

[nympho]

anyone else had major problems getting violin mantids to lay ooths. my females are definitely not happy anymore in the net cages under a light, since they mated (a doddle compared to this issue). every time i turn the light on in the morning they want to get to the light, constantly make intention movements towards it and blunder about. they dont appear to be looking for an ooth laying spot, and if they are i obviously cannot provide conditions they want. ive already experimented with twigs, bark, cardboard, light, dark areas. raised humidity. raised temperature, everything i can think of. they dont stop and examine any surface, or seem interested or behaviorally organised in anything they do. they just dont seem to 'psycologically' like being in the cage anymore.

so ive had another idea. its a long shot but if i put them on some dried plant stems, with a 60w light shining on them will that work?. i guess what will happen is they'll just wander off as soon as they get hot enough for activity, and get cold out of the light again. it just seems impossible without a heated room, to at least 30 c, where they can feel unenclosed, (ie at the top of a stem with no netting around them), but hot enough to allow them to become active. almost impossible conditions to meet without spending a heap of cash.

theve always been a pain, but are they always this difficult at the laying stage? tbh, i now actually dislike them intensely and want shot of them. they just seem irrational and brainless, even by invert standards. its a bloody nightmare trying to figure out how to solve this! :angry:

edit. had a thought. they might not like high temps when gravid and theyre trying to get away from the heat. maybe they want 20c for eggs. could that be it?

 

[Rick]

I have never kept those but I basically keep all mantids under pretty much the same conditions without any issues. Why is a light needed? Is it for heat or for the light? Net cages work great and they normally will just lay on the cage itself.

 

[tier]

Hi

Adults should be kept at around 45°C, but the females prefer to lay their ooth in areas with around 22-24°C. They prefer horizontal, wide surfaces to twigs.

good luck, and dont keep the ooth too hot, too! (25-35°)

Rick: Gongylus is for sure not belonging to the group of basical kept amntids ;-)

regards

Gongyus Breeding Group Duisburg ;-)

 

[Kruszakus]

I disagree with you Tier. I kept my Gongylus previously at 40-45C - had mostly mismolts during the final molt, and all mantids were running around their enclosures like mad.

I switched the approach to colder enclosures (around 30-32C) and I also made them pretty dark in some places. Plus, I started misting them every second day.

So far I had no mismolts, some of the females started laying ooths (I did not see any mating though). Only 3-4 of my Gongylus are about one 4-5 weeks old, so it may be a bit to early - and I don't want to jump at conclusions, but I'd say that keeping them at 45C is definitely not mandatory. I also have to say that from what I've seen - running around and trying to get out from the enclosure was taking place only when temperatures in the enclosures were 35C and above.

 

[Rick]

HiAdults should be kept at around 45°C, but the females prefer to lay their ooth in areas with around 22-24°C. They prefer horizontal, wide surfaces to twigs.

good luck, and dont keep the ooth too hot, too! (25-35°)

Rick: Gongylus is for sure not belonging to the group of basical kept amntids ;-)

regards

Gongyus Breeding Group Duisburg ;-)

Not saying they are was just saying that every mantis I have kept has been kept under same conditions and I have kept quite a few and many were not your basic types. But then again I have not had this particular species.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Mine are laying, I havent seen any mating though, and they do run around like chickens without a head, lived on my farm so I know what that looks like ! I have mine at about 90 right now and they are only quite with a lower temp, so u got me, they are beautiful, but hard to deal with.

 

[nympho]

Mine are laying, I havent seen any mating though, and they do run around like chickens without a head, lived on my farm so I know what that looks like ! I have mine at about 90 right now and they are only quite with a lower temp, so u got me, they are beautiful, but hard to deal with.

they do mate quite easily, from what ive seen but dont stay joined long, about 2 hours (going on 3 observed matings- all with one male). you may have missed it.

rick, the lights for heat. i live in uk...

about temps and humidity. id say 30, 35c was ideal. they can bare 45c, although i dont think its mandatory. theres always a temp gradient in a cage anyway. mine seemed happy near the bottom at 20c or under the spotlamp at 45c. mostly to the side where it was 30c. humidity - i was not misting and then had had one mismolt (others were fine though). so i misted after that when one was about to molt and they were ok after that. id say its not needed generally, but at molting time, it might be benificial.

at the moment ive got them on dried plant stems by a relatively warm (12- 15c) full length south facing window. it warms up a bit when the suns out .so not often then. a 60w angle poise is shining on them raising their spot temp somewhat. they are just siting still, but no laying yet. too cold probably. the trouble is they have horribly conflicting needs. they need heat to stimulate egg laying activity (searching behaviour etc) so need containing to get the heat , but a conventional, easily heated cage (glass sided, too small, etc) is unacceptable for that activity. what i probably need is a very large moderately heated wooden sided box, about 1x1 meters, all surfaces fully climbable, full of a variety of branches etc. somewhere they can feel 'unenclosed' but still warm. but its all money, time...... id need 6 pieces of plywood, with mesh stuck on the inside for grip and the correct type of grippy wood. then still no garantee of success as theyve probably gone past the stage for laying anyway and become 'eggbound' or something. or maybe another factor like they need daylight as well. its so annoying. :angry:

 

[nympho]

well, i did get it sussed in the end, and am now incubating ooths at 25 c. they'd better hatch after all the stress

 

[PhilinYuma]

well, i did get it sussed in the end, and am now incubating ooths at 25 c. they'd better hatch after all the stress

So did they lay in the setup that you described on 0401 (0104)? What was the temp? 15C (59F) + spot =?

How many females laid?

Congratulations, anyway! I'll light a candle for them to the Great Mantis Goddess (Blessed be Her Name).

 

[d17oug18]

well, i did get it sussed in the end, and am now incubating ooths at 25 c. they'd better hatch after all the stress

Let me now if your going to give the ootheca away or selling it, i want violen mantis' so bad! i live in S. cali US though =/