The beast (at last!!!)

[Ian]

Congrats alan! Lets hope your male will make it for breeding...and then think of all the nymphs!

 

[ellroy]

Ok....tried taking some pics but as you can see she wasn't really up for it!! They have all been relatively calm for previous photo shoots so not sure if the adults are just more jumpy. I'm sure she was making some kind of clicking/hissing noise....perhaps by rubbing her wings together??

May try some more pics when she's more settled. You can see she is already starting to turn green,

Alan

 

[Ian]

Awesome photos alan! You can always trust an idolo to pose for the cam

Best of luck with them.

 

[Devils flower]

I wouldn' bother them too much, after all it's Idolomantis/Extremely Stressy.

Great mantis though, keep up the good work!

 

[Executor of Fruit Flies]

Frikkin' amazing threat display. And they "hiss" too? I so want one(or ten).

 

[ellroy]

Its been touch and go all day after finding my subadult male shedding this morning, he ended up hanging by his front legs when I left for uni but by the time I got back he is hanging from his 4 hind legs. He doesn't seem quite as strong as the female but I count myself lucky that I have an adult male and adult female within the space of a week. Don't want to count my chickens but needless to say breeding will be the ultimate aim!!

Will get more pics soon,

Alan

 

[Ian]

Awesome Alan!!! I think you are one of the few people with a captive bred adult pair...fantastic

 

[ellroy]

Again this isn't a great pic I'm afraid as I haven't had time to set it up properly but this is the adult male feeding

Note the thick antennae,

Alan

 

[Devils flower]

I went to check my Idolos this morning, disaster...

After getting my (second!!) male to adulthood I found my female -who was about to moult this or next week- laying on the floor of her cage.

Same old story: those f***ing hanging problems.

I'll put her to sleep, since she is too exhausted to get through one last moult..

As some of you know I am keeping them in mesh/stray cages, but obviously this is'nt enough to keep the females healthy.

That's why again I ask this question (for my next try...): Do they need plants to hang from, what type of mesh, etcetera... ? What about the humidity?

It is so frustrating since my males become adult without any notable problems and with the females it just doesn't work

 

[ellroy]

My two sucessful adult moults have occured in a bare, fine mesh cage with no branches or plants, unsuccessful ones occured when there were branches etc but I'm not convinced that was the reason for failiure.

I wish I had more insight but I think I've just been lucky!

Good luck with the next batch,

Alan

 

[worldofmantis]

In my opinion if you try to match what they would do in the wild perfectly where they would hang to moult and all thigns might go ebtter. I dont really know but its jstu what i expect scince there adapted to live in the wild

 

[julian camilo]

In my opinion if you try to match what they would do in the wild perfectly where they would hang to moult and all thigns might go ebtter. I dont really know but its jstu what i expect scince there adapted to live in the wild

i dont mean to be rude, but this seems like quite an ignorant thing to say unless you have kept the species yourself. i have not. however, some people have had success with quite the opposite (ie. a bare mesh cage). of course they are adapted to live in the wild, which insect isnt?

 

[DrM]

OMF'n GODDESS!.......Ive never seen one of those home grown and so beautiful!....Great JOB!! :lol: