Idolomantis Consolidated

[Precarious]

I'm currently at about 50 out of 50 successful molts on the new material(s). There have been NO, repeat NO mismolts from my L4-L5-L6 in the new enclosures.

As would be expected. They are no different from any other species at this level of maturity. The special molting needs don't kick in till pre-sub or sub when they get heavier. So I say enjoy experimenting now while it doesn't matter. Hopefully you work something out that will be effective for later instars that both you and the mantids can live with.

 

[alicenwnderlnd]

:lol: :lol: point taken... I think i will remove the sides... am getting anxious as L-7 is just around the corner and i know I have only played with the "easy" molting, i am now concentrating on making the last molts as easy. I am glad i realized that i was making a mistake before molt time and it was to late! I have also removed most extra heating to the girls... i give them a couple hours in the am with a uv light and than shut it off. boys have no extra heating at all.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Alice: Please do keep the girls above 82-84 or so a least, and the males not less than 76-78 (I know you want to cool the males down) day time or they may weaken, these guy's are either very healthy or dead! not much middle ground on them. I know some (many) people that messed (to low and to high both) with the temps too much and others with too low of RH and ALOT of theirs are Dead!

I GOT MY FIRST TWO L7's THIS MORNING !!!!!!!!! both males though=(

If we are not careful almost all the males WILL mature first which is the last thing we want. Keep in mind the females have a extra molt on the males, that makes it a double whammy!

 

[alicenwnderlnd]

Alice: Please do keep the girls above 82-84 or so a least, and the males not less than 76-78 (I know you want to cool the males down) day time or they may weaken, these guy's are either very healthy or dead! not much middle ground on them. I know some (many) people that messed (to low and to high both) with the temps too much and others with too low of RH and ALOT of theirs are Dead!

I GOT MY FIRST TWO L7's THIS MORNING !!!!!!!!! both males though=(

If we are not careful almost all the males WILL mature first which is the last thing we want. Keep in mind the females have a extra molt on the males, that makes it a double whammy!

Nick, my house is a constant 80-85, its over 100 degrees here and all i have is a swamp cooler so, they air is very humid. All of my mantis are thriving,(not me though :sweatdrop: ) I just moved my boys into my bed room where it is a few degrees cooler, I turn the UV light on the girls in the morning and it puts off very slight heat... i doubt they ever really get under 78 degrees even at night. but i like the "morning sun" effect...

:clap: :clap: L-7 :clap: sub Adult for male?

 

[sporeworld]

Here's some pics to illustarte where I'm at with Sunflower City - an improvement on Spongeworld for molting L6-L8's. I'm about 57 sucessful molts, and ZERO mismolts. Not one!!!

I think, besides high humditiy and relatively high temps, the real improvements are (a) the spongy mesh on top and ( B) the arrangement and textures of the sunflowers (very similar to the sponges).

You can see in the photos below, how she (or he?) uses the nearby foliage to gently brace herself, and when ready, she just WALKED out of the skin. There was no flip. Very graceful. Back when I used screen, that skin would have fell right off, and her with it. Once she was ready, she tugged a little and her abdomen slipped right out.

As always, looking for suggestions and input..

 

[Precarious]

There was no flip. Very graceful.

They only flip when they become adult and have to inflate their wings. Until then they want to remain upside down. They may reach up after molt to grab on but the real danger comes with those pesky wings. :angel:

 

[sporeworld]

Hmmm. Good point.

I always think of the "flip" as the crawl back up their skin, but yeah - there's the other part where they try to be heads-up. Pretty sure the flowers can support them, But I might have to rethink the angles. Any suggestions (or pictures)?

 

[Precarious]

Any suggestions (or pictures)?

Just the same old same-old. There should be grippable material within reach at the level they will be after molt so all their weight isn't on the old skin. That's the whole puzzle though.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Just the same old same-old. There should be grippable material within reach at the level they will be after molt so all their weight isn't on the old skin. That's the whole puzzle though.

I just tape two of them together and they use the buddy system for the flip , well that and MANY, MANY sticks and branches all over, from the top and mid zone, not to many in the bottom so they don't molt to low and bottom out.

 

[animalexplorer]

Zero casualty mismolts on my end so far, but then I'm still waiting for the final molt to adult to occur. I'm going to hang the net in front of them to assist in the flip when the time comes. I tried various sizes of branches in different zones to see if they had a preference but they seem to randomly molt in different locations throughout the whole enclosure. I let them all molt up to L4 using the screen top before placing the branches on top.

 

[sporeworld]

They only flip when they become adult and have to inflate their wings. Until then they want to remain upside down. They may reach up after molt to grab on but the real danger comes with those pesky wings. :angel:

OK, so I get a better sense of what we're dealing with... question to Precarious: If temp and humdidity could be controlled, do you think your Idolo could be left alone in your Ficus at home and molt successfully...? Obviously in a giant Net cube or some such.

 

[Precarious]

OK, so I get a better sense of what we're dealing with... question to Precarious: If temp and humdidity could be controlled, do you think your Idolo could be left alone in your Ficus at home and molt successfully...? Obviously in a giant Net cube or some such.

I don't think the ficus is necessarily the perfect plant for them to molt on. They would probably pick the underside of one of the lower branches then have nothing to really grab onto. And in a net cage they might resort to grabbing the sides of the cage which would rip the spikes off their feet. But if the branch is on an incline and they are facing the downward slope it may work very well. I think you'd do better with a different branch configuration or to add an arrangement of vines hanging every 6" or so just in case.

I wish I could see them in their natural habitat to get an idea of the density of growth they prefer. I'm thinking branches with that 6" of spacing would be about right. They would always have something within reach.

You should ship me and Nick, with AnimalExplorer for tactical support, to Tanzania for some field research. We promise to bring you back a souvenir t-shirt at the very least.

You'd look pretty snazzy in one of these...

 

[hibiscusmile]

I think I seen it mentioned that less daylight was given to the males, this might be a good thing to keep them from aging to fast, I know it works for me! :lol: :tt2: I like the dark!

 

[sporeworld]

You guys are a riot.

In other news, I have seen almost NO color variations, other than lightness after a molt, and more of a tan as they dry out. This guy here is the only exception. He's quite a bit darker than the others, and no real explaination why. He's in the darkest part of his emclosure, which is still brighter than about half the others. So I hope it isn't health related. Anyway, let me know if you guys see any variations.

 

[angelofdeathzz]

Yeah, some of mine are much darker than others and a couple are almost white, the same with some Violins I've noticed. I don't think it's a health issue there just a different hue, like people or other animals... Even human siblings from the same parents aren't always the same color/hue?

Or that one is the milk mans baby???

 

[sporeworld]

OK, I'm happy to say that I'm not crazy (well...) and I CAN tell the difference between male and femals after about L5. As it turned out, I just didn't HAVE any males in that range, at the time. Started getting them this week, and NO PROBLEM telling the difference. The antenae on the male are so dramatic. Here's an example...

 

[Termite48]

Mark : I must be dense, but I do not see what you are seeing in this picture. Are you seeing the kind of difference one sees in the antennae of a Violin male to female? The male's antennae are longer and more ornate.

 

[Precarious]

Please forgive the wacked out colors and contrast, as I just had to ship my lens out to get fixed, but...

This is what you're looking for. A little less pronounced then in this L7, but you get the idea. Thicker antennae from that lower portion, which both sexes have, on up to the tips. The males have a more delicate head as well, smaller, especially in comparison to the width of the shield.

 

[sporeworld]

Haven't had the time to take or process more pics, but here's a slightly better illustration than the one I posted. These are about L5-L6 (I think). Not L7. But you can see the dramatic difference in the antenae...

I'm sure there are clues in the genitalia as well, I just haven't studied it yet. I know one of the big breeders posted images a while back (I intend to do more).

In this photo, you can see the newly molted male (Left), and 2 near-molting siblings. I THINK one is a male, the other is certainly a female. You can see a difference in the antena thickness...

 

[sporeworld]

So, as I get ready for the "BIG FLIP" of the last molt, I am considering lifting one side of my square enclosure about 2". I'm hoping this will add enough of a slat to allow them to dry their wings from the top at a slight angle, and prevent them from flopping over, or drying wierd. It's that, or radically change the top entirely, which I'm trying to avoid.

Thoughts...?