How to mate a mantid?

[Tarantula]

Hi!

I have a female and a male Sphodromantis sp. and I would like to mate them, but since I am totally new to keeping mantids I dont know how to do it? Anyone have any good tips on how I can make them breed the best way?

Female:

Male:

 

[maxident213]

I don't know, but damn those are some fantastic pictures. :clap:

 

[Tarantula]

Thanks!

Here are two new pics I took today:

Male:

Female:

 

[Gigas]

Hey Niklas, The first precaution is really the female should be eating when the Male is introduced, it raises his Chances by alot!
As for environmental conditions, i think they just need to be the same as the living conditions

 

[CopperInMyVeins]

Pretty much just introduce the male into the female's enclosure and hope for the best, like gigus said, it will help if the female is eating, or at least well fed, then separate them again after mating if possible. Those pictures really are great too. Also make sure you have a good surface for the female to attach the egg case to when she makes it, any kind of porous surface will do, ideally you should try to have her make it on a twig though, so you can easily relocate it.

 

[padkison]

Post your Q on the mantidforum.com. They have good ideas.

Basically, you feed the female well and/or have her eating. Have her on a curtain or some such place. Give her a minute and let the male go behind her. This gives him a chance to come up behind and freedom for best possible escape. I've also heard late afternnoon or evening is better.

Also, they should both be adults for 2 weeks or more prior to trying this.

 

[Jesse607]

Also, those do not look like Sphodromantis spp. to me, they look more like a Hierodula spp. such as Hierodula membranacea.

 

[Tarantula]

How can you tell? They are green like many other mantids...

 

[Stylopidae]

My female went through three males before I had a successful pairing.

I did everything right (with the eating and the behind thing). Sometimes, there's just not much you can do.

 

[Snipes]

My female went through three males before I had a successful pairing.

I did everything right (with the eating and the behind thing). Sometimes, there's just not much you can do.

Does the male really die suddenly if the female grabs him? Is it possible to salvage him and try again later? :?

 

[Tleilaxu]

I had no issues with the females eating the males because I fed the females alot prior to mating and kept several large prey items with the female while mating. The female almost always got distracted by the large food and caught them allowing the males to do their business and get away. It also helps if your there to seperate/ distract the female from the male if things look bad.

 

[Jesse607]

If you happen to see the female grab the male (when it happens) a good technique for making her let go is to spray her repeatedly with a jet of water from a misting/water bottle until she lets go. Things might get a liitle wet though.

 

[Stylopidae]

Does the male really die suddenly if the female grabs him? Is it possible to salvage him and try again later? :?

Actually, she just chews him in half through the thorax.

I came home to half a male mantis eating a cricket like nothing had happened.