# Hello Everyone!



## CreekWater (Oct 14, 2009)

HELLO!, my name is Eddy and im in the USA i have never really kept mantises except when i was a kid and i have been researching and i think those were chinese or european ones cause i caught them in my uncles feild when i was young

anyways one of my close friends imports reptiles and scorpions from tanzania and recently introduced me to the coolest bug i had ever saw he called it a devil's mantis but after some research i see that most people are calling them by there scientific name idolomantis diabolica! pretty cool sounding name for a cool looking insect! anyways he is importing a few egg cases for me and they should be on his last import from tanzania before winter hits! im pretty excited so any advice about this species would be appreciated!


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## hibiscusmile (Oct 14, 2009)

Hi and welcome to the forum, and one word of caution here, Tanziania is not a place we are fond of hearing about!!! haha, U should read the post, u won't believe it!


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## CreekWater (Oct 14, 2009)

he imports bugs and reptiles a few times a year and has so for about 3 years he has all the permits and has never had a problem with getting his shipments from tanzania  

could you direct me to this "post"


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## CreekWater (Oct 14, 2009)

he also imports colubrids from maylasia about twice a year and has never had a problem with importing


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## revmdn (Oct 14, 2009)

Welcome.


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## PhilinYuma (Oct 14, 2009)

CreekWater said:


> he imports bugs and reptiles a few times a year and has so for about 3 years he has all the permits and has never had a problem with getting his shipments from tanzania  could you direct me to this "post"


Here is one of the most recent and notorious threads: http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?sh...=15302&amp;st=0 but you'll find others if you enter "Tanzania" in the search engine.

I'm not sure how your friend can obtain government permits to import restricted insects in order to sell them to the general public. How much is he charging for these I_dolomantis_ ooths?

Meantime, welcome to the forum!


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## CreekWater (Oct 14, 2009)

oh i was thinking she meant no one could import from tanzanis.

my friends exporter sends him hundreds of snakes and lizards and scorpions a year so i doubt he would risk that buy shipping foam

he has only imported idolomantis once before and his egg case hatched he keeps them almost exactly the way he keeps outstelets chameleons and they do fine just smaller prey items.

i doubt he will sell any ooths especially since you said "restricted insects" i had no idea these were endangered i read no where they were threatened or endangered....yet other people keep them with no laws broken?

he is including them in the shipment FOR ME and i will only have to pay wholesale prices so out of the about 12 expected im paying very little....its wonderful having a friend who imports  

and for yall information i checked out villosa's reviews and im willing to take a bet he made foam ooths and not a tanzanian contact(well i really doubt a tanzania export company....if you didnt know jobs over there dont come easy and a bad word about anyone can cost export companies thousands)


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## mantidsaresweet (Oct 14, 2009)

Welcome and good luck with them as I believe they are one of the hardest species to raise.


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## DeadInTheBasement (Oct 14, 2009)

Welcome ive never had Idolomantis but one of the most fabulous looking species in my conformed opinion


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## bassist (Oct 14, 2009)

Welcome from California.

They are not endangered as far as keeping goes just keep em hot and only feed them flying insects no crickets.


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## PhilinYuma (Oct 15, 2009)

"Restricted" and "endangered" are not the same thing when it comes to keeping mantids in the US. For the best recent thread on this topic, concerning "ownership", not "importation" permits, read this. http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?sh...mp;#entry111653

And good luck! Let us know how it works out.

Edit! Ha, ha! Good job I checked. I left out the URL!


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## Katnapper (Oct 15, 2009)

Hi there, Eddy, and welcome to the forum! Nice to have you here.


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## sbugir (Oct 15, 2009)

hey, welcome from CO


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## Rick (Oct 15, 2009)

Welcome


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## ismart (Oct 15, 2009)

Welcome to the forum!


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