# pinheads for Idolo nymphs?



## Ricardo (Mar 30, 2011)

EDIT : Violins sorry

I cant get a hold of fruit flies so I'm going to see if I can get some pinheads. IS that okay? Will they eat em if they're hungry enough?

I don't know when they hatched I'm pretty ashamed of myself. I thought they were all dead in the egg so I got really busy and didn't check for like a week. I found two of them dead and four special ones very much alive. I fed them some water from a toothpick for some sort of sustenance but I think pinheads are my only options here :/


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## [email protected] (Mar 30, 2011)

I've fed pinheads to my baby budwings, should be sfine as long as the mantids are big enough to eat them.


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## yen_saw (Mar 30, 2011)

The photo you have there is not Idolo nymph. It is violin nymphs.

I use house flies for L1 Idolomantis, pinhead might be too small but they will go for it if hungry.


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## Ricardo (Mar 30, 2011)

yen_saw said:


> The photo you have there is not Idolo nymph. It is violin nymphs.
> 
> I use house flies for L1 Idolomantis, pinhead might be too small but they will go for it if hungry.


What L would you say mine are? Medium crickets seem to be considerably to big for them so I assumed pinheads would be fine? ( And I know they're gongys I had a brain malfunction there for a sec  )


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## hibiscusmile (Mar 30, 2011)

aw! poor babies! :lol:


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## angelofdeathzz (Mar 30, 2011)

They eat house flies and or bb's, flying insects are preferred.


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## Rick (Mar 31, 2011)

Those guys can get rather large prey at L1.


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## ismart (Mar 31, 2011)

You should pick up small crickets. I would think pinheads are to small for an L1 gongy. Next time you buy, an ooth or nymphs. You should at least have some fruit flies cultures readily available.


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## dgerndt (Mar 31, 2011)

I thought gongys can't eat crickets? Only flies... ?


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## ismart (Mar 31, 2011)

Deby said:


> I thought gongys can't eat crickets? Only flies... ?


They can, it's just not the prefered choice.


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## Ricardo (Mar 31, 2011)

Okay they're eating the pinhead , except for two of the bigger nymphs who are very glum and tired looking.


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## sporeworld (Mar 31, 2011)

Try the honey-on-the-tip-of-a-stick trick. If they go for it, "accidentally" squish a few pinheads in there. See if that gets them stimulated.


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## Ricardo (Mar 31, 2011)

Sporeworld said:


> Try the honey-on-the-tip-of-a-stick trick. If they go for it, "accidentally" squish a few pinheads in there. See if that gets them stimulated.


Would syrup work?

I think they know the pinheads are food now. I believe three of the four have eaten nicely, but one of them has been in the same area for the whole day and has not even noticed the food despite my vigorous attempts. Is he going to molt or is he a gonner?


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## angelofdeathzz (Mar 31, 2011)

getting him to eat anything is good it this point, so if syrup is all you have then try it on a toothpick, if it works coat a cricket in it next.


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## sporeworld (Apr 1, 2011)

Honey or mushed banana has worked for me. What about feeder worms from the petstore?


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## Ricardo (Apr 1, 2011)

To late. The weak one died off and the other three are eating fine


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## dgerndt (Apr 1, 2011)

ismart said:


> They can, it's just not the prefered choice.


Aw, dang! I could have gotten a really good deal on a gongy but I was told that they literally can't eat crickets. *pouts*


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## sporeworld (Apr 2, 2011)

Hey, Deby! If you're talking about "A" Gongy, there are lots of options. They'll eat out of your hands eventually. I hand fed some fly larve when I had a food crisis, and even some waxworms (I think that's what they were). Just buzz the tweezers around and they'll snap it up. On a small scale, you could take him/her out for daily hand feedings. I know the leave-em-in-their-deli-cup people out there will be furious, but the lovey-dovey people (like me) will love it. Or should I say "eat it up"!


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## angelofdeathzz (Apr 2, 2011)

Deby- there's a myth out there that if you feed Violins crickets they won't produce fertile ooths, something to do with the high protein % or something like that, not sure if its true or not but I've had dozens of gongy and I can tell you they don't really like crickets or any non flying bug, only my adults have ever ate crickets. Gongy won't chase there food more than a inch or two as a rule, so flies flying by is what they like to pick right out of mid air. the buzzing sound of the flies wings get them looking around for a meal that they rarely miss.

When you see a mantis with the leg plates like Gongy-Idolos etc. those type eat flying insects almost exclusively.

Flies are cheap so get some Gongy and you won't be sorry, and hey we can almost go outside and catch flies-moths-wasps for free now.


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## sporeworld (Apr 2, 2011)

Yup! And, I think, if I read it right, you're talking about having a SINGLE Gongy. So it won't matter if the ooth comes out goofy, anyway. Only 50/50 it's even a female. Some of the more off-beat food posts here list all sorts of things they could eat, if you're willing to hand-feed.


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## Ricardo (Apr 2, 2011)

well I'll have to start a fly culture :/

How do I get the flies into the enclosure without escapees ?


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## dgerndt (Apr 2, 2011)

You can put them in the freezer for a minute or two. They'll slow down and then they'll wake up and get moving when they warm up.


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## dgerndt (Apr 2, 2011)

@Angel: Well I heard that Ghosts won't eat crickets or chase their food, but I ONLY feed mine crickets. Also, I see them run after and stalk their prey all the time. Maybe if you feed Gongys crickets from the beginning, they'll eat them... It's worth a try!

Too bad I can't try, though. I have too many mantids and too little money. :lol:


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## angelofdeathzz (Apr 2, 2011)

Deby said:


> @Angel: Well I heard that Ghosts won't eat crickets or chase their food, but I ONLY feed mine crickets. Also, I see them run after and stalk their prey all the time. Maybe if you feed Gongys crickets from the beginning, they'll eat them... It's worth a try!
> 
> Too bad I can't try, though. I have too many mantids and too little money. :lol:


Your probably right about feeding them crickets from L1, but I kind of think it's like telling the Cookie Monster(sesame street) that he needs to start eating donut's when he really wants the cookie.  

I have a couple of L3-L4 Violins, I could send you one for free with a 2 week starter supply of fly larva if you would like to try your hand at a Gongy, just PM me if your interested.  

Many people here at the forum have given me stuff free, thats part of what make this place great and worth the time spent here, I mean I've given away some Chinese before but your seem like such a nice girl you deserve a Gongy.

P.S. Angelofdeathzz as some people here know is just a "online shooter game" name I've used for years, lately I've switched to Clinteastwoodzz as I like the icy cold look's he gives in his old western movies(the man with no name) anyway I just wanted to clear up that I'm not bad,evil or some kind of cult guru, just a guy that used a silly name to long. :lol:


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## sporeworld (Apr 2, 2011)

Hahaha! I used to love that picture of you on yor old avatar - no way that guy was the "Angel of Death"!  

I've been meaning to do a video of how I do my flies, which maybe I'll get done when this batch hatches. Really, really easy.


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## dgerndt (Apr 3, 2011)

@Angel: Well maybe the Cookie Monster would've been the Donut Monster if he ate those from the beginning! Besides, I heard that he is now the Fruit and Vegetable Monster. &lt;_&lt; I guess cookies are now called a "sometimes food".

Aw, thanks for offering me a Gongy with food! :clap: I might have to take you up on that...

I tried to give away some mio nymphs and ooths a few months ago, but no one wanted them. If I have a successful mating with my two current mios, I'll offer their nymphs and ooths for free again. I like to help people, and I've had lots of help from so many people here. It's the least I can do!

Haha, I used to use DAGKicksBass for usernames and whatnot online. I knew you weren't evil.


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## sufistic (Apr 14, 2011)

Just to add, I don't have the benefit of acquiring flying feeders here with the exception of fruit flies which I've bred myself (shops here only sell mealworms and crickets). I've successfully bred violins with _B. lateralis_ roaches as their staple. They do hunt down the roaches but they definitely seem to prefer flying insects. So I don't know about the theory that they will only breed when fed flying insects. I do agree that they seem to prefer flying insects but mine bred for at least 2 generations with roaches as their staple.


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