misting idolomantids.?HELP

[macro junkie]

ok i got 9 idolomantids..how often do i mist them..i know when i got my pair at L5 they didnt drink any water//well,if they did i didnt see it..so do i mist them?>if so how often.there in a net cage with 50watt lamp,room humidity is 35%.

 

[Malnra]

ok i got 9 idolomantids..how often do i mist them..i know when i got my pair at L5 they didnt drink any water//well,if they did i didnt see it..so do i mist them?>if so how often.there in a net cage with 50watt lamp,room humidity is 35%.

if memory serves me the humidity you have is low ..... i am thinking in the 70% range is preferred, or was it 80% ..... now I have to search the net to be sure. LOL

i did locate this on a quick search of the net .... will keep my eye out on humidity, but am thinking i am about right .. i am sure others know off the top of their heads, and if i had my morning hot tea i might recall also ..

In captivity, we try to do the best to stimulate these conditions. 25-35C is the best temperature range

 

[macro junkie]

idol mantids like low humiderty.i have grown up 2x L4 and L5 nympths to adult at 35--40% humiderty with no probelms..im just wondering if its ok to spray the nympths,do they drink water?

 

[Malnra]

I was only relaying what I have seen on other websites about the humidity requirements. I have also seen that misting the nymphs helps with shedding, but is not needed for adults.

 

[macro junkie]

well i was hoping cristian or yen would pop by..

i misted them any way..iv started misting every 2 days just lightly.so far so good..there getting really fat to.

 

[mrblue]

im not christian or yen and have never bred this species but i did read as much as i could find on them and i seem to remember someone somewhere (yeh i know, great source!) saying it was good practice to spray them at night when you turn the lights off. i raised mine from L2 to adult like this. but as you keep your lights on 24/7, i dont know how this would apply.

 

[macro junkie]

im not christian or yen and have never bred this species but i did read as much as i could find on them and i seem to remember someone somewhere (yeh i know, great source!) saying it was good practice to spray them at night when you turn the lights off. i raised mine from L2 to adult like this. but as you keep your lights on 24/7, i dont know how this would apply.

well the room light is on 247 but i can turn off the lamp for a couple hours then spray them,why wouldnt u want to spray them while lights on?is it bad for them?

 

[mrblue]

nono im not saying what you do is bad (it could be, it couldnt be, i have no idea) i just mean i sprayed them at "night" (i.e when i turned the lights off, so they experienced a temperature drop and a humidity rise, a little like they would in nature). but as yours have 24 hour day, and constant heat and humidty levels, then there is no equivalent time to spray them, so i cannot really advise you on that. maybe having the light off for a few hours a day might help? or maybe if you just chose a certain time every day to spray them? i guess the main thing would be to watch them when you spray them. if they seem startled and annoyed by the water spray, maybe theyre doing ok for water and you may want to spray them less. if for example they seem happy at the water spray and drink up all the droplets on their arms and on twigs etc, maybe start to spray more frequently? i think being flexible and adapting to what you observe is more useful than set-in-stone rules for feeding and spraying and all that.

 

[Christian]

Keep the humidity at 50-70% (lower value = day, higher value = night) for larvae and 70-90% for late subadults and adults. I am spraying each day when the lights turn off, but I use large ventilation meshes. Spraying has to be adjusted to achieve the above values.