waiting for ooths to hatch

[Findarato]

I got a mantis from a friend a week ago. She had three ooths, and a fourth she laid three days ago. I never had a mantis before, so I've got no experience, and I have some questions:

Unfortunately my friend forgot it in the sun for some hours before he brought her to my place, and the mantis was quite down when she arrived here. Until the evening she recovered after I spayed her a little bit, think she had to be thirsty. The following days I was worrying because she did not eat. three days ago she laid another ooth, on 31.8. I have offered her some insects which she ate, and today she took a cricket, but I still think she should eat more. when I offer her the bigger crickets, she throws them away. so one cricket a day - can that be enough? she is 6 months old, and maybe she will die soon. (my friend told me so anyway, as have the guys at the pet shop where he had bought her)

can the sun exposure (behind the glass it may have become quite warm) have damaged the nymphs? the first ooth was laid on 14.7. and that is 7 weeks now. I spray the walls of the terrarium once a day now, but nothing has hatched yet. the second and third she laid 27.7. and 11.8., and now the fourth.

How long should I wait before giving up?

since I now have the mantis, I really like to care properly for her, and hope something hatches from the ooths.

 

[massaman]

you should ask if she was mated as well cause there is a good possibility that the ooths may not hatch if the female has never been mated with males!

 

[Findarato]

she was mated,some ten weeks ago.

 

[Rick]

Old age is possible. Normally it can take awhile for them to succumb to old age.

 

[hibiscusmile]

If she is throwing away the food, she is looking for water, mist her more often, we have to remember that our pets depend on us for food and water, thinking that way will help us remember to give them a drink more often.

 

[Findarato]

there is moss on the bottom of her enclosure, and additionally I spray the walls (sometimes even her) once a day. I use a small syringe and let the water trickle through the net from above. If she's thirsty, she will clean herself and have a drink, I observed that much. there are some crickets with her, and she watches them. I am not always there, but I saw her catch and eat one yesterday. maybe one a day is enough, I have no idea. although I always heard mantises eat a lot. well, maybe you're right and she is getting old.

time for anything young to hatch then. I can only wait. or I read I can slice the ooth a bit to see inside. How would I do that without damaging it IF it is fertile and not dead?

sorry, but I keep having questions all the time. thanks for your answers though.

 

[Findarato]

another question: would crickets damage (gnaw on) the ooth she has laid. should I move her to another compartment?

 

[carlcattau]

Crickets will eat anything and everything so I would move the ooth's if you can. If not try feeding your girl by hand. A long pair of tongs work great.

Carl

 

[Findarato]

ok I will separate the crickets from the ooth. I try hand-feeding her (using tongs), but in 80% she throws away what I offer her (crickets, or various insects I catch in my house). the person I got her from told me yesterday she has always been odd in eating, refusing food for 2 days then starting again.

 

[shorty]

What species of mantis is it? Do you know? Depending upon the species, some ootheca need over-wintering in order to be properly incubated. The ootheca will need to be kept separate from any crickets and in it's own container. If the ooth is indeed fertile then you can expect quite a few nymphs to hatch from it, possibly several hundred depending upon the species. I'd recommend that you look up as much information as possible about incubating ooths and taking care of the nymphs when they hatch out. Fruit flies will be necessary to feed them and after a little while the nymphs will begin to cannibalize one another. You'll need to separate them if you want to prevent this, but some people prefer to let them eat each other down to a more manageable size. After all, separating and caring for several hundred individual mantis nymphs is a tall order, especially for a beginner in the hobby.

I'd, personally, not cut into the ooth to check it's fertility. Just be patient and wait for them to hatch or not. And were you spraying the ootheca directly? That can cause them not to hatch if they get too wet. Also, some ventilation might be necessary for them to incubate properly.

Also, I'd put crickets in the enclosure only when you want to feed your mantis. It's only necessary for them to eat once a day or so. Less if they are not pregnant. Your mantis is also quite old, so it may not be hungry as much as it used to be.

 

[Findarato]

thanks for your replies!

forgot to tell you the species: it is an Indian Giant mantis, I think it is called Hierolula Grandis (or membranacea). the pics in the net I found of these don't let me find a difference. She is about 8 cm and light green.

I removed the crickets except for 1 yesterday, have still to check if she now ate it or not. I believe you're right, aging makes them less hungry. she is getting bigger though so maybe she will produce another ooth, but for that she should eat more I imagine. we'll see. if I catch insects, they are big gnats or flies. Spiders I like too much to feed them to her.

The ooth I was talking about is now 7 weeks. is that too long a time for hoping it to hatch or not?