# Cricket-Fed Idolo Produces Fertile Ooth



## sporeworld (Feb 11, 2012)

OhManOhManOhMan!!!

I'm just posted for all those who don't regularly read the "Idolomantis Consolidated" thread (it IS quite long).

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=21061&amp;st=580

Bottom line: Despite reports to the contrary, a female Idolo CAN produce a fertile ooth when exclusively fed on crickets!

So far, only one nymph has emerged, but it still makes the point. I'm not RECOMMENDING that people ONLY feed them crickets, or that feeding them crickets MIGHT cause a a female to lay a useless ooth - I'm just saying that it isn't ALWAYS the case. There's at least ONE exception!!!

Woo hoo!

Mark


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## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

Great find! I am always consicous about feeding my violins crickets. I've never done it. Even when i am despretely low on food.


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## Bryce08 (Feb 11, 2012)

yeah i dont either...and 2 of my friends idolos died recently....possibly to crickets....but that is really good and yes good find


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## angelofdeathzz (Feb 11, 2012)

Bravo my friend! let us know if anymore hatch out from that ooth?

Once I was out of flies for about 10 day's(non-hatcher's) and picked up some crix, but on average 9 out of 10 of the Idolo looked at the live tweezer'ed crix like they were the devil, so I dipped them in honey and touched there(Idolo) mouth and that seemed to help but still there were hold out's that wanted nothing to do with the crickets even though there legs were kicking, to make a long story short, about 20 of 30 L4 and up finally took a cricket or 2 after 1-2 hours of effort and several attempts.

THEY DON'T LIKE THEM!!!

Once I got some flies to hatch and put 4-5 for every mantis in there they went nuts and had a pig out party giving me the thumbs up, were before I got the "why are you doing this to us" look, lol.

To quote the Water Boy-Bobby Boucher(Adam Sandler) "Momma say's crickets are the Devil!"


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## gripen (Feb 11, 2012)

i find wax worms on a string work pretty well with idolos.


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## sporeworld (Feb 11, 2012)

Yeah - I got mine trained by flicking them around on tongs and making (possibly useless) buzzing sounds. I also saw mantids that were resistant, getting interested only AFTER they saw a sibling greedily chowing down!


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## warpdrive (Feb 11, 2012)

ok, ok, I'll spill the beans.

it is simple to get any mantid to eat a cricket from a tong.

line up your mantids so they can watch the following...now just pick up a cricket, bite off it's head, suck out the brains, toss the head aside and suck the juice from the body. your mantids will now know what to do.

what? doesn't everyone do this to get this type or results?







Harry


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## bobericc (Feb 13, 2012)

This is great news


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## lunarstorm (Feb 13, 2012)

I was already skeptical of the "mantids + crickets = infertile ooths" claim and it appears that's now debunked. Well, at least for idolos, though I've recently heard it for gongys too.


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## sporeworld (Feb 14, 2012)

I want to re-emphasize: I just proved that it doesn't ALWAYS mean infertile - not that it MIGHT mean infertile. Or that the crickets used in Europe might be different that the variety here.

BTW, If someone in SoCal wants my brave little L1 Idolo - shoot me a PM. I think he's an only child, and would love a new home. Free plus shipping.


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## Krissim Klaw (Feb 14, 2012)

Sporeworld said:


> I want to re-emphasize: I just proved that it doesn't ALWAYS mean infertile - not that it MIGHT mean infertile. Or that the crickets used in Europe might be different that the variety here.
> 
> BTW, If someone in SoCal wants my brave little L1 Idolo - shoot me a PM. I think he's an only child, and would love a new home. Free plus shipping.


Awe an only child. He will have such a hard life, a tiny nymph all alone in the world. I am moved by his plight. ;o; One of these days I am going to have to try this species out although the horror stories of them dieing easier than a slug in a pile of salt has left me sort of skittish.


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## Gill (Feb 14, 2012)

> Or that the crickets used in Europe might be different that the variety here.


I hadn't seen that rumour in the Uk so was having a search and I found a gongy and roaches one and then a mention of crickets http://www.ukmantisf...-roaches-2.html but couldn't find the idolo one

It is good to get these rumours killed,


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## sporeworld (Feb 14, 2012)

Krissim Klaw said:


> One of these days I am going to have to try this species out although the horror stories of them dieing easier than a slug in a pile of salt has left me sort of skittish.


The rumors of early Idolo demises are greatly exaggerated. 

In the right conditions, I found them no more fragile than Gongys or Ghosts.


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## Krissim Klaw (Feb 14, 2012)

Sporeworld said:


> The rumors of early Idolo demises are greatly exaggerated.
> 
> In the right conditions, I found them no more fragile than Gongys or Ghosts.


Haven't had a Gongy but I had a Ghost and I considered him easy peasy and no different than any of my other mantises. I love to spoil my babies and I know I get way too attached. :wub: I don't like to think of them dieing early. Never lost a mantis to a shedding problem yet, but Idolo seems to be one of those species that can have issues even with normally easy to cling to screen.


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## sporeworld (Feb 14, 2012)

The only illness I've seen (that I can remember) is the "dripping death", which seems (to me) to be molt-related (mentioned previously in the thread). I suspect, at this point, that I could get 16 out of 20 from L2 to adult sucessfully. Or real close to that.


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## Krissim Klaw (Feb 14, 2012)

Sporeworld said:


> The only illness I've seen (that I can remember) is the "dripping death", which seems (to me) to be molt-related (mentioned previously in the thread). I suspect, at this point, that I could get 16 out of 20 from L2 to adult sucessfully. Or real close to that.


That sounds reasuring. I guess I have no excuss not to try them then all I need is a stork to fly buy and drop one of the little bundle of joys off on my doorstep. :shifty:


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## sporeworld (Feb 15, 2012)

Yeah. I've noticed there aren't a lot of people making posts in the Classifieds for what they WANT, vs. what they're selling. I know there are a lot of people who HAVE mantids that they would sell or trade, if someone asked. Like me, they just don't want to be an active breeder.


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## Krissim Klaw (Feb 15, 2012)

I have only posted in the wanted subforum once when I was looking for euchomenella macrops to no avail. I fear they have fallen out of culture in the U.S.A. I don't know how some of you have the energy to breed or keep all that you do. 1-3 mantids at a time feels more than enough for me.


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## sporeworld (Feb 15, 2012)

Off topic, but I didn't really care for euchomenella macrops when I had them. I had Heterochaetas and Gongys at the same time, and they just didn't win in any of the categories. Also, seem a bit fragile. Even the brunners seemed to cover the category of big/long/stick-looking mantis better. But they DID have a sort of sweetness to them - less paniced, maybe.

As for time, yeah - even with a good system, it was a bit taxing for me.


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## Krissim Klaw (Feb 15, 2012)

I think their problem is they are plain Janes as far as most people are concerned. I however love their temperments. They are truly gentle giants who are sweet as can be. I've had the joy of owning six now and despite handling mine on a daily basis I have never once got a threat pose thrown at me. They are a curious mantis, with a nice activity level, and will crawl right out on your hand. I tend to stay away from a lot of the more delicate stick type ones because they seem so much more hands off and shy. I also loved that they were diverse feeders. They are just as happy taking crickets as flies, or mealworms.

The love I have for this speicies was enough I was going to do a breeding to keep a line going but I coudn't find any boys, same problem as Rebecca was having. I am so sad to see them go, especialy since I know they are not flashy enough to be a mantis that will come back because there is a large demand.

Part of the reason I like having a small amount at once is because I know I have a terrible system. I way over do things. I'm not even going to mention some of the things I do on a daily level because I'm sure it would have most members on this board shaking their heads.


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## sporeworld (Feb 15, 2012)

Ha! As a guy who gets TONS of critisicm for not sticking to the program, you've got my sympathies. I _try_ to share the setbacks, too (and there are plenty). So, feel free to share the odd-ball techniques and desperate measure. If, for not other reason, you'll save someone ELSE the embarrassment!!

BTW, I don't think I had my Eucho's (can you call them that) communally - I had them in with _other_ communal species. Do they get a long in groups with each other...?


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## Krissim Klaw (Feb 15, 2012)

Sporeworld said:


> Ha! As a guy who gets TONS of critisicm for not sticking to the program, you've got my sympathies. I _try_ to share the setbacks, too (and there are plenty). So, feel free to share the odd-ball techniques and desperate measure. If, for not other reason, you'll save someone ELSE the embarrassment!!
> 
> BTW, I don't think I had my Eucho's (can you call them that) communally - I had them in with _other_ communal species. Do they get a long in groups with each other...?


Well one of the things I do is offer water daily to all my mantises. Your probably thinking, well that isn't too odd, giving them a daily spritz, but no, when I say I offer water daily I mean they get the royal treatment and I offer some via syring since I am always paraniod the mesh doesn't hold water well enough for them to have a proper drink if they are thirsty. Clearly this would become very, very time consuming if you say had fifty mantises to tend to instead of just a handful. =pFunny you should ask how they do with others. As I said in my last post, I've never once had one throw a threat pose up at me, but my two girls Tinkerbell and Merlin sure loved to put on a show for eachother. I never personally housed them together, but they went at it a couple times between the clear side of a net cages. I eventually dropped a blanket over the side of it because whenever Tinkerbell was out she would make a beeline for her sister's cage to let her feelings be known. Until I saw them going at eachother, I was convinced they just didn't have it in them to throw their arms up in a I am going to claw your eyes out threat display. Since I never actually let them interact where they could get at each other I can't say for certain if they would have harmed eachother or just had a few mock battles before settling down.


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