# I blame my wife!



## dlemmings (Feb 13, 2012)

Okay so I was tending/feeding my mantids (female ghost passed away today) and was holding my Sp. Lineola female adult (old gal...4 months as an adult so far) and My fife said "oh let her play on the plants and brought over our poinsettia from christmas...so I placed her on the plant and snapped a few pics. when I went to put her into her enclosure she was perched atop the poinsettia cleaning her raptors as I scopped her up. after putting her &amp; the others up I went to clean up the counter and noticed "milk" like drops on all the red leaves she was climbing on...concerned about her possiblt ingesting the "milk" I googled poinsettia and OH NO:

_*Poinsettia*_

_*Their brilliant red, elegant pink or creamy white colors have made perennial poinsettia plants, or Euphorbia pulcherrima, decorative staples during the year-end holidays. Poinsettias, however, contain milky, white sap with toxic diterpene esters. These toxins may cause nausea and oral discomfort. Degree of toxicity, however, may differ among poinsettia varieties. It may also depend on the sensitivity of the person or animal exposed to the sap.*_

has anyone had any experience with this???!!


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## dlemmings (Feb 13, 2012)

ooops...date on camera is still wrong!!

pic taken tonite


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## frogparty (Feb 14, 2012)

I wouldnt worry too much. Theres little chance your mantis ingested any of it


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## dlemmings (Feb 14, 2012)

I dont know, there wer dozens of droplets of the milk on the red leaves where she was...she seemed to be really really cleaning her raptorals the whole while. i did not see the milk till I put her away but while she was out she spent alot ALOT of time licking or cleaning her arms. but then again she seems okay so far. I guess we will see in the morning!


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## lunarstorm (Feb 14, 2012)

Good news for you: poinsettias are not poisonous.

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/poinsettia/faq.cfm


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## dlemmings (Feb 14, 2012)

well "Gretta" the Sp. Lineola seems to confirm this so far...she seems fine


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 14, 2012)

surely she is!


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## Rick (Feb 14, 2012)

Those warnings are most likely for humans. It could have completely different effects on an insect or none at all. I wouldn't be concerned.


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## dlemmings (Feb 14, 2012)

I just thought of milk-weed and as i researched i found no harm to humans but maybe to animals, did not really say anything about insects (monarchs feed on milkweed right) so I thought I would ask.

at any rate she is fine today


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## Colorcham427 (Feb 14, 2012)

I hope everything is fine! I am keeping fingers crossed for you!


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## Mantiskid (Feb 14, 2012)

lunarstorm said:


> Good news for you: poinsettias are not poisonous.
> 
> http://urbanext.illi...nsettia/faq.cfm


OK...Then why did my tongue burn for like 2 hours after I ate some of that stuff (LOL I did that when I was really little, I'm not stupid enough to do that now!  )


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## agent A (Feb 14, 2012)

when i was in 5th grade, a friend gave me some "almonds" and said they wanted me to try them

i toss them in my mouth, begin to chew, and it suddenly is burning and sour and YUCK!!! and she then tells me they were ACORNS, and a teacher then told her they r POISONOUS unless cooked, and she just collected them outside &lt;_&lt;


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## Mantiskid (Feb 14, 2012)

agent A said:


> when i was in 5th grade, a friend gave me some "almonds" and said they wanted me to try them
> 
> i toss them in my mouth, begin to chew, and it suddenly is burning and sour and YUCK!!! and she then tells me they were ACORNS, and a teacher then told her they r POISONOUS unless cooked, and she just collected them outside &lt;_&lt;


DAMN! That's scary!LOL


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## agent A (Feb 14, 2012)

Mantiskid said:


> DAMN! That's scary!LOL


i spent the weekend puking afterwards, despite spitting all that ###### out &lt;_&lt;


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## Mantiskid (Feb 14, 2012)

agent A said:


> i spent the weekend puking afterwards, despite spitting all that ###### out &lt;_&lt;


DAMN NATURE YOU SCARY.

OK I know that's an old one...


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## Chivalry (Feb 15, 2012)

Hmmmm... 'not poisonous' in this case appears to mean 'even a small human would have to ingest a LOT to be toxic.'. But even a small human (or mammal pet) isn't weighed in grams. I'd keep mantids off poinsettias.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55606

Btw my horses eat the heck out of acorns in the fall with no ill effects! Body weight matters.  

Glad Greta is well tho!


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## dlemmings (Feb 15, 2012)

yeah, funny thing...wife is warming up to the mantids: she is on the lookout for the "perfect" plant for them to play on when I take them out.

She liked the ghosts but not the S.Lineola but has finally warmed up to "Gretta" since Gretta kept watching her as she moved about the kitchen...gretta kept moving here head and turning her body to follow the wife as she walked around ( I think she was waiting for a cricket) now that my ghost died I will be in the market for more if anyone has any


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## Chivalry (Feb 18, 2012)

mantiscurious said:


> yeah, funny thing...wife is warming up to the mantids: she is on the lookout for the "perfect" plant for them to play on when I take them out.
> 
> She liked the ghosts but not the S.Lineola but has finally warmed up to "Gretta" since Gretta kept watching her as she moved about the kitchen...gretta kept moving here head and turning her body to follow the wife as she walked around ( I think she was waiting for a cricket) now that my ghost died I will be in the market for more if anyone has any


This made me smile.  

I asked the guy at the local pet store if he'd be interested in mantids and he said 'nah, I had some really cool cockroaches once and they just sat here forever'

I thought.... Cockroaches don't run up your hand, tip their heads as they look at you, and dance.

You wife doesn't by chance look like a cricket, does she?


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## dlemmings (Feb 18, 2012)

lol!

my local reptile shop is interested in some nymphs if my ooths hatch.

Gretta is going strong...alot more active now that I have been keeping temps higher (gotta keep temps up for gongy &amp; gongy ooths)

wife is a redhead... so while not looking like a tasty cricket, maybe someone was thinking "hot juicy burgers"!!!!!!!


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## dlemmings (Feb 26, 2012)

here is my Gongy on the same plant:


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## gripen (Feb 26, 2012)

mantiscurious said:


> here is my Gongy on the same plant:


She is green!!


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## dlemmings (Feb 26, 2012)

not really just the plant brings it out a bit...looks brown or ash to me in RL


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