Idolomantis Consolidated

[sporeworld]

Well put, Phil.

Between L3-L5 is when the space (and food) considerations REALLY smack you in the head.

My "machine" is now all setup and running smoothly... thanks to all the help, advice and contributions to this and other threads. L1 to Subadults! I've got more experiments in the works, but the system as is, functions great!

My crazy-genius tech guy is putzing with an automatic misting system, light timer, etc. But that's all overkill. Aside from weekly cleaning of the cages, I've got feeding down to just about an hour a day - less if I didn't have a lot of odds and ends species (oh, I long for the simplicity of a single species again).

Blue Bottles pupa get ordered once a week (gratuitous plug for www.mantisplace.com), which I may streamline by adding 500 spikes each order and pace them out separately.

I'm still not happy with my Sub-Adult molting "chambers". But what I have is pretty solid, but what I have planned is better and more efficient.

What I'm NOT prepared for, is the final display. The more I look at it, I don't think it's wise to keep the FEMALES in a communal enclosure. So it might be males-only. I have two very large fake ficus plants that I may put in a converted back storage room (about 10'x10') and let them free roam - but only a few hours a day (or, if well fed, alternating days), then back in the communal or solitairy for feeding. Or, screw it - just stay in the tanks! :angry:

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Got my first Adult male yesterday, perfectly molted, with some females not far behind. :fortuneteller:

Keep in mind about roaming free, that females that aren't gravid can fly...

 

[sporeworld]

:angry: !jealousjealousjealous! :angry:

Annnnny day now....

 

[Precarious]

:angry: !jealousjealousjealous! :angry:

Annnnny day now....

Got my first male molt yesterday. Caught it all on video... except the flip! Turned my back for a minute and he was upright.

He's a big healthy boy. Hopefully, just in time to mate my two remaining adult females.

 

[ShieldMantid1997]

Sporewolrd, about your comment on the fact that your mantids do that (one leg hanging)i have two violins that do the same thing. I know its different since they are different species i just thought it might be worth saying .

 

[sporeworld]

Well, I'm happy, nay, THRILLED to report, I have my first Adult Male!!! Got back from an overnighter, and SURPRISE!!

He's still brown and a little soft, but I said, "whatever" and got him out and put him on one of my girls (staff) and had a jolly good time!

He's resting in his own cage now, but he's glorious - and, btw, utterly unexpected. He was in with (what I thought were) other L6's. Seemed too small to be in the bigger boys clubhouse. Ah, well.

No great pics just yet (can't compete with Precarious, anyway), but I'll post what i get soon. Busy, busy, busy!

AND, to all those struggling with keeping these beasts well fed, I (again) recomend training your nymphs to eat crickets from your tweazers. Maybe (maybe) not gravid females, but all else seems safe... so far. I've got some of the enclosures 100% anxious to eat them, even when bloated already. Here's my "Four Hags" (they have the top shelf and lear down at everyone walking by) greedily chowing on crickets.

Once trained to do this, is much more efficient than the 8 or 10 Blue Bottles it would take to match the same relative nutrition.

Keep the faith!

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Yahooo the males a cometh. Now let's hope we all can have the same good results will some gals!

Don't worry Mark its Henry's job to make us feel inadequate about our photo's, It means he's doing his job properly. :lol:

A little birdie told me he has quite a photo spread coming soon for all the Idolo lovers, you didn't hear it from me. :whistling:

 

[Precarious]

A little birdie told me he has quite a photo spread coming soon for all the Idolo lovers, you didn't hear it from me. :whistling:

Rumors... just rumors I tellz ya...

 

[d17oug18]

im wondering if the semi-translucent marbles are looks or if theirs a purpose to them? To me its what pops out the most when i see pictures of them.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

im wondering if the semi-translucent marbles are looks or if theirs a purpose to them? To me its what pops out the most when i see pictures of them.

I believe its called the "parietal eye" like in lizards it can sence light and movement in low light, but I may be wrong, we may need Dr Phil on this one...

 

[RevWillie]

Simple eyes or ocelli. As opposed to the large compound eyes.

 

[sporeworld]

OK - 2nd male molted with flying colors. Well, drab colors, but you know what I mean...

I was quite pleased to see the complete skin hanging, with all 4 feet still gripping the carpet liner after molting (proof of concept, as it were). This enclosure is right under the Bug Zapper, and we had a recent.. incident. About 50 flies got out, but zapper, net and fly strip solved the problem.

I was also pleased to see how he managed to molt without a "flip" for wing inflation. He just let go with the back 2 feet, which changed the angle he was hanging. Once dried, he just hoisted himself back up.

Can you see the sneaky little (well, not THAT little) "Marbled Mantis" (Polyspilota aeruginosa) at the bottom...? That little (not SO little) sneak got put in there 3 molts ago, and hid in the plants when I cleaned the cages. If you've ever seen them, they crunch right down like a bark mantid, and you just can't spot them. He (or she, I don't remember) is in another enclosure now, but I didn't see her til I looked at the picture!

 

[PhilinYuma]

Quote. Sporeworld:

AND, to all those struggling with keeping these beasts well fed, I (again) recomend training your nymphs to eat crickets from your tweazers. Maybe (maybe) not gravid females, but all else seems safe... so far. I've got some of the enclosures 100% anxious to eat them, even when bloated already. Here's my "Four Hags" (they have the top shelf and lear down at everyone walking by) greedily chowing on crickets.

To me this seems to be major. G_d knows what flies by in the wild, but I've been in Africa, and even the mosquitoes are bigger than BBs! Flies eaten in the wild carry pollen. Ours usually do not. it might be an idea, though, to shake up the crix with some powdered pollen or Yen's Mix. I must confess that I don't bother to with flies. It might also be a good idea to feed the crix cat food with their veggies, since there is evidence that mantids are tritrophic feeders, i.e. they can derive benefit from food like pollen and animal protein that their prey has eaten and digested. This is not the same as "gut loading".

 

[sporeworld]

Yeah. I don't understand the insect digestive system, so I'll ask you... if I put pollen in the Blue Bottle food, will that do the trick, or does it need to be an undigested coating?

 

[sporeworld]

Not that I'm bragging (well, OK, I'm bragging), but today was successful molt 3 of 3 for my Idolos on Carpet-Liner. All 3 males, and gorgeous. Each a day apart. Photos processing now (I took 4 gig worth!!!).

Post soon...

 

[PhilinYuma]

Yeah. I don't understand the insect digestive system, so I'll ask you... if I put pollen in the Blue Bottle food, will that do the trick, or does it need to be an undigested coating?

Sorry for a late reply. Protein is digested in the posterior end of the midgut, so it is the last group to be transformed, but food passes pretty quickly through a fly's gut and the traditional method of feeding pollen is on the surface of the fly, which has plenty of hairs to hold it. The quick way is to put the pollen in a bag, then the flies, and shake the bag! Poison arrow frog keepers use that method, I know. Hope that helps.

 

[sporeworld]

Yeah, it helps, but still not sure how necessary it is, except maybe for the adult females. I'll have to look at methods of coating the flies besides bags. Hmmm...

 

[d17oug18]

well if your doing all these crazy things like misters and junk, why not liquify the pollen and mist it on the flies? What ever is missed the excess flies will walk over, dont know how sticky pollen is when mixed with water but thats another idea. OR or maybe use it as a subtrate! so they are gauranteed to walk and crawl over it, then all you need to do it cox them up into a bottle and BAM pollen covered flies.

 

[sporeworld]

Correction: 4 for 4. 4th adult molted tonight.

 

[sporeworld]

Here's the Boy's club (hand model is one of my very patient employees, bless her heart).

Here are the boys with a subadult gal in the middle...

Here they are with a Mottled mantis...

And the classic tennis ball shot...

And a boy and his very little (L1) brother...

So much to do. I'll post more when I can...