Healthy Idolomantis female in need of pairing...

[bravado]

Hello forum members.

I have been raising a pair of idolomantis diabolica I acquired from Yen at L3. It has been very fun watching them grow to adulthood. Recently my female laid a massive egg case so she is ready to be paired. I believe this first case is infertile as I have not witnessed them linked up. However recently my male has become very weak and is having difficulty eating and staying suspended. I believe this to be a product of old age. Since they came from the same brood it is likely he will expire before he can fertilize her...

So I have two propositions:

1. I can send my female away to be paired with an experienced member's male in exchange for a staggered set of egg cases

or

2. A board member can send me a male to be paired with my female in exchange for money/egg cases.

Please share your ideas with me so hopefully Darla might propagate for her sake and that of idolomantis enthusiasts everywhere!

 

[Colorcham427]

Hello forum members.

I have been raising a pair of idolomantis diabolica I acquired from Yen at L3. It has been very fun watching them grow to adulthood. Recently my female laid a massive egg case so she is ready to be paired. I believe this first case is infertile as I have not witnessed them linked up. However recently my male has become very weak and is having difficulty eating and staying suspended. I believe this to be a product of old age. Since they came from the same brood it is likely he will expire before he can fertilize her...

So I have two propositions:

1. I can send my female away to be paired with an experienced member's male in exchange for a staggered set of egg cases

or

2. A board member can send me a male to be paired with my female in exchange for money/egg cases.

Please share your ideas with me so hopefully Darla might propagate for her sake and that of idolomantis enthusiasts everywhere!

View attachment 1631

Getting one male and one female at L3 to perfect adults is extremely rare and impressive. Please share us your husbandry methods, etc.

 

[bravado]

This pair, Darla and Zorak, are my fourth and fifth idolos and the first I have seen to adulthood. Caring for this insect is a meticulous process, but I have found that the best way to rear them is to replicate their conditions in nature. They spent much of their lives in a twig and vine filled net cube with a light and a thermometer. I kept the ambient temperature at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit and fed them honey filled flies and the occasional wild bee. Then once they molted to L5 I transferred them to an exoterra 12 cu in glass terrarium with a hood. This was a christmas gift. I constructed a grid of small branches and a few climbing areas along the sides of the tank. I filled it with an inch of sphagum moss substrate and during the day I would use a reptiglow 5.0 cfc bulb with hood to heat the tank and provide some UVB radiation which I believe is essential to their circadian rhythm and aids drying after molts. During night time I would replace the bulb with a weak incandescent purple night bulb to lower the air temperature to the 70s. I also used an old heating pad under the tank to warm the substrate that I found which helped regulate temp. As the insects approach the final molt, humidity becomes more important, necessitating a habitat that will retain it (ie not a net cage as cool as they are). I looked for weather reports from the lake tanzania in africa to mimic the rainy season of the lake victoria region. I varied day/night lengths appropriately and tried to keep humidity above 60% during the final molt. The styrofoam background that came wtih the tank proved useful during the last molt. As they were reaching completion I would pierce the foam background with a wooden chopstick about an inch away from where their raptorial arms hung, this gave them a "flipping point" with which to right themselves for wing inflation. Once the female laid an ooth (which I believe was a blank as I hadnt seen them mate) I knew it was time to raise the air temperature from ~90 to 95-100 to trigger the male for pairing. Unfortunately since they came from the same brood he will probably die of old age without reproducing since I don't think he has the strength to mount her any longer. If anyone on the board would like to contribute to the propagation of this wonderful species, Darla and I would be extremely grateful.

 

[Colorcham427]

What a wonderful life you have provided them!

I love how you constructed their habitat to mimic their native land. Very impressive and very professional.

As of less than a week, I have been seriously debating, are the soft fabric wide holed mesh cages I make less helpful than natural twigs?

What sort of twigs did you use? Did they molt from the twigs, exclusively? PM me, I would love to read more if possible. Thanks.

I cannot wait for the season here in NJ to offer some bees for my mantids!!!

 

[sporeworld]

Careful with shipping. My old gal lost a leg in transit. They're just SO bulky, with think little legs to hold them up.

 

[Colorcham427]

Careful with shipping. My old gal lost a leg in transit. They're just SO bulky, with think little legs to hold them up.

An entire leg? I'd like to know how the dealer packaged her??? The best way to ship a mantis is a large enough container for them but not large enough that they can get bumped around in in case they loose grip. All the insides of the container should have paper towel glued to it.

 

[sporeworld]

Oh, I'd love to see the packaging people are using to successfully ship adult female Idolos. Paper towel for grip just isn't going to cut it. One good thumping from the postman, and she's bouncing around like a kid on CocoaPuffs!

I got her round trip with one leg lost using a box lined with soft, spongy shelf liner (mesh). I thought that was a triumph.

Anyone got sucess stories...? Or pics...?

 

[ismart]

Bravado, you should still hold onto that ooth. Maybe he snuck in for a quikie when you were not looking?

 

[Colorcham427]

Oh, I'd love to see the packaging people are using to successfully ship adult female Idolos. Paper towel for grip just isn't going to cut it. One good thumping from the postman, and she's bouncing around like a kid on CocoaPuffs!

I got her round trip with one leg lost using a box lined with soft, spongy shelf liner (mesh). I thought that was a triumph.

Anyone got sucess stories...? Or pics...?

I don't have pix but I've sent out plenty of sub adults with out any issues... Do you mark your box upside, etc.?

 

[sporeworld]

I don't have pix but I've sent out plenty of sub adults with out any issues... Do you mark your box upside, etc.?

Sorry, I missed this topic on my View New Topics list...

I haven't marked an upside on the box, but do they really pay attention to that...? I HAVE intentionally put the label on the top and the heat pack on the bottom, but not sure that was enough.

Anyone have PHOTOS of sucessful ADULT Idolo shipping boxes...?

 

[Colorcham427]

Sorry, I missed this topic on my View New Topics list...

I haven't marked an upside on the box, but do they really pay attention to that...? I HAVE intentionally put the label on the top and the heat pack on the bottom, but not sure that was enough.

Anyone have PHOTOS of sucessful ADULT Idolo shipping boxes...?

Theres no point to post a picture up. Unfortunately the carriers are sometimes low life people that do not give a darn about the boxes... etc.

You can print out fragile stickers, handle with care, this side up, preishable, etc.

This side up with live feeder bugs or just this side up would be ideal.

What you want to do is get a cup that is perfect for the specimen. The width and length matter a lot. And putting nothing in side except glued paper towel to the sides and the mantid itself is BEST.

Stuff that box with papers or air bags to prevent the cup from being shaken around the box in case that tape comes off.

You could always hot glue the bottom of the cup to the inside of the box... Wouldn't be too hard to do and wouldn't be harmful to the mantis since you would do it before you put it inside.

For those who fear the worse, you can always ship with a different carrier that has insurance.

In all honesty, if things go as planned and you get a few CB ooths to hatch, you won't loose any money.

Even if you only end up with 20 nymphs, you will meet ends meet. 20 nymphs X $15.00 would be a solid $300.00. Some people sell them cheaper some sell them for more...

It's not really about the profit for me, but I can understand that people do not like loosing money from the investment and time raising the speciem(s).

I have had friends who have shipped boxes with insurance due to the value of the animal(s).

Pie Bald boas, Parsons chameleons, rare Tropical Fish, etc. We all know some people have good faith and some don't who can sleep a little bit better knowing that covered the value with a pricey insurance tag.

Think about the potential if you get more than 150 nymphs... Keep 50 for your own future breeding stock and sell 100 nymphs...

lol as usual... Brian is rambling on about topics that aren't on topic! haha, anyways, I think shipping is safe when done with the right sized cup and very tight taping since the box should be packed with material around the cup.

 

[sporeworld]

Interesting.

Does anyone have any evidence or reason to suspect the insurance purchase (and sticker?) has any effect on shipping care...? Or has anyone had sucess with other shippers (fedex?)?

It SEEMS that my USPS packages survive better than my UPS packages. At least they LOOK better on arrival (on average).

I'd still love to see pics of how other people are shipping large adult specimens. I just can't imagine the paper towel solution working for an adult female Idolo...

 

[PhilinYuma]

Not much to add to this. I have shipped adult giant shield mantids and received them, by USPS without problem. Be sure that any twigs or other perches are securely glued to the inside of the pot, and a paper lining to the pot might protect the mantids' eyes.

Gluing the the pot to the inside of the box might sound like a great way to stop it from shifting around, but it is a recipe for disaster, because any shock to the outside of the box is instantly transmitted to the pot via the glue point, however well it may be insulated otherwise. I knew a guy who spent six months making a marvelous military diorama. When he had to ship it, he made a sturdy crate, screwed the diorama to the bottom of the crate, stuffed all the empty space with foam insulation, labeled it Fragile and This Side Up., and when it arrived at its destination, the diorama was smashed to pieces, even though there was no damage to the crate.

 

[sporeworld]

Ha, ha!

Yeah, reminds me of those experiment in High School. The one where you try to package your egg so it doesn't splatter when thrown off the roof!