Cricket-Fed Idolo Produces Fertile Ooth

[sporeworld]

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&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

 

[CoolMantid]

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

 

[Bryce08]

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

 

[angelofdeathzz]

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!"

 

[gripen]

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

 

[sporeworld]

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!

 

[warpdrive]

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

 

[bobericc]

This is great news

 

[lunarstorm]

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.

 

[sporeworld]

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.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

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.

 

[Gill]

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,

 

[sporeworld]

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.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

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.

 

[sporeworld]

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.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

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:

 

[sporeworld]

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.

 

[Krissim Klaw]

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.

 

[sporeworld]

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.