Hi
Yes, the typical problem: The last moults. I had 100% missmoults to adult in my first try with Idolomantis some years ago. The few specimens who not fell down and broke all legs had at least messed-up, curly wings. And I know not only Pohchunyee, Kruszakus or me had this enorm problems with the adult moultings although pets were doing fine until the last moults.
Last year, in my second try, almost 100% of the adult moultings were successfull, and this time now, again all is going fine, the first females are mated already.
What I did on my first try in contrast to the last successfull years was:
Some years ago I kept them in net cages or at least in glass cages with the front completely out of mesh. This caused two problems: The temperature and humidity was not high enough or was not staying high enough trough the day. When they moult to adults, it is rainy season in the areas of Kenia and Tanzania were they are coming from. This means, when its time for adult moults, they should be kept as a rainforrest species: I keep them in ordinary glass terrariums now, with one small metal screen in the lower front and another samll metal screen in the middle of the top. So I can make sure the temperature daytime is high and the humidity is very high 24hours. I want to compare it with a tropical hall like they have them in some zoos, for example for alligators: When you enter such a tropical hall in a zoo, you feel like you walk against a wall, caused by the high humidity and temperature. If you wear glasses, they will directly fog up and get steamed. This is the same now in my Idomonatis enclosures: When I open them for dayly feeding, my face can realize the high humidity and temperature, I can feel it on my skin. This is how it should be I guess.
While Gongylus needs big net-areas for air circulation and no humidity, for Idolomantis the ventilation has to be good, too, but the humidity must be present all time, the air has to be humid all time (for the last moults!).
The second thing I improved compared to my first try is the huge amount of fine branches. I thought such a big species needs a lot of space for moulting, but I now can say: The more branches and twig you offer, the better they do! They are very smart in finding the right area to moult if you offer endless thin branched twigs (1-5mm diameter). The more twigs you offer, the more potential good areas they have, and they will find a good area for final moulting. And they won't have problems with enlargeing their wings. So, don't be afraid of too much branches, make sure your enclosure is really full with thin branched twigs. Its like you cannot put enough of them in the enclosure! They have to be very branched in all directions to make sure the pet can move its body in the right position right after moulting for enlargeing the wings.
And the last thing is, again like phochunyee already pointed out: Make sure that you American keepers of Idolomantis stay in good contact and exchange your animals for a maximum offspring later on. You know the adult males do not last very long, maybe maximum 4 month beeing good boys for breeding. And the females need around 4 more weeks for the extra moult and another 4 weeks to become ready for mating. So males are in general useless for breeding with a female which hatched out at the same time the males hatched or even out of the same ooth. It would be sad if now, after Yen Saw again put a lot of them out into the marked in USA, all would vanish again. So I recommend you to collect all the owners of I. diabolica in USA now and work out some kind of cooperation.
Ah yah, before I forget: Of course the right diet with flies fed on honey and some other wild insects like bees, Syrphidae etc. hast to be offered all the lifetime to make sure the pets are in a strong condition for the last moult which need a lot of power.
Rick, I wish you the best luck and cross my finger for you! Hope you will be successfull!
regards from Indonesia,
tier
