Too Hot for Creos?

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Ok - so first girl to get wings today. She was shipped to me 3/23/2011 as an L2 (I think). So, what... 6 weeks or so to adult?

She's healthy and ready for action (one hopes)! I've separated her from the others for now, just in case. I'll make sure she's well fed before reintroducing her. I don't have a lens to do the little lady any justice, but here she is, for the record. Colors still seem a little dull/light, but we'll see if that changes after a day or two.

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BTW, both groups of my Creos are in the same style tall-glass-vented-top type enclosure (pictured below, before I tweaked it out). One has bright white flowers, which makes them really easy to see, and the other has fake bamboo branches (very cheap at Micheal's). At first, I didn't like the bamboo, as it cast too much shade. But in hindsight, I really like it (still not a fan of it, visually). The long, stong leaves provide good varied-angle roosts for the Creos, but high visibility to ambushers. Easy to grip and they swing & jump around like monkeys on em! Just FYI.

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Yup! Kept together - super hot, pretty dry and well, well fed. Some aggression, but no injuries or cannibalism. I took out the first female that molted, but have since reintroduced her. No issues.

All on Blue Bottles now, for adult and sub adult.

They have certainly moved up on my list of recommended starter species.

 
Almost everyone has wings now, and the first mating is taking place now. Still plenty of food, super high temps, and no cannibalism.

Life is good.

 
Mine are a bit behind yours, but I did get an older one, tossed in out of generosity (thanks, Dave!). He eclosed to a seriously good looking male three days ago. I kept him in his own pot so that he didn't eat his younger brothern and sistern in the cage, and when I opened it up to give him his first adult meal, he flew away! I guess that I'll find him soon.

So what are your actual temp and --particularly -- RH for breeding? :D

 
I put the adults in mesh cages a few days ago, with the humdifier NEAR them (but aimed directly AT them). Only about 18% when the A/C is running, and 27% when it's back and forth. Probably like 60% when i leave for the "night", but I didn't record it. It's very inconsistent if i don't aim it at the cage directly (which I didn't do today, and that's when the started breeding). I have a hose that attaches and let's it pur down from the roof, but I haven't used it on these guys (yet). This species is one of the hardiest I've ever raised.

 
Hi everyone!I received 12 of them and 11 turned adult.To me it is a very easy species.

I raised them separatly when they are young, 70% humidity 28 to 30 C° degree neon light(but not directly).

Once adult I put them 5 by 5 in 2 glass terrarium with UV light(it is hot!).lots of flies.I keep only 1 female with many males per terra and I removed the pregnant ones so they can lay their ooth in peace(I then lower a bit the temperature,lower humidity,they lay,and I put them back with males for a second mating(just to be sure it is fertilized).
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In fact I use a well ventilated enclosure for laying so the temps goes down a little...I am not sure it is necessary but I noticed they were more agitated,looking for food and willing to mate under hot temps.But they like it I believe as they always go as close as possible to the heat of the UV light(and it is very hot!).

At night it is 24C° 60% humidity.

I forgot to say that in the wild,when about to lay the flower mantis would hide more often in dark places(it it more vulnerable) and therefore "load" less light(=lower temps) :)

 
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Probably my favorite thing about Creo's is their habit of posturing in front of each other. They strut DIRECTLY toward a sibling, doing their arm waving thing. And there's no apparent reason for it. Just wandering from sibling to sibling being obnoxious. Doesn't matter if they're bigger or smaller. Makes no difference. I used to fear it was a predator gesture (as in "you look like food"). Nope. Just being a punk.

Cracks me up. My older brother used to do the exact same thing...

:angry:

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Here's a picture of my new favorite foliage (found it at a silk plant shop). No idea what it's called (some kind of fern?), but they love crawling on it (and under it).

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Sporeworld said:
Probably my favorite thing about Creo's is their habit of posturing in front of each other. They strut DIRECTLY toward a sibling, doing their arm waving thing. And there's no apparent reason for it. Just wandering from sibling to sibling being obnoxious. Doesn't matter if they're bigger or smaller. Makes no difference. I used to fear it was a predator gesture (as in "you look like food"). Nope. Just being a punk.

Cracks me up. My older brother used to do the exact same thing...

:angry:
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The experts say that this is a territorial display and that the posturing is a form of mutual identification to prevent attacks. Boxers (boxer mantids, that is!) do the same thing.It seems to occur in gregarious species.

 
Makes sense. I certainly saw that in the boxers (I called it "rowing the boat").

Now I'm wondering if I ever saw a male do it...?

 
Update. I moved the Creos from "The Bakery" (Hot & Dry), to a lovely little aquarium with a screened top, sliding front doors, soaked substrate and a heating pad on the bottom. Temp and humdity both in the 75-80 range.

Since the move, there has been ZERO mating. None. Nada. This is with about 5 females and 7 males.

I'll keep you all posted...

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Sporeworld said:
Update. I moved the Creos from "The Bakery" (Hot & Dry), to a lovely little aquarium with a screened top, sliding front doors, soaked substrate and a heating pad on the bottom. Temp and humdity both in the 75-80 range.

Since the move, there has been ZERO mating. None. Nada. This is with about 5 females and 7 males.

I'll keep you all posted...
Click to expand...
Very interesting. Nikko seems to be getting copulation at 82 -86F (30C) and 70RH and you are getting "nada' at 70-80F and 70-80%RH. I assume that you would do better with 10F+ temp. Very interesting and again shows that suggestions for mating techniques that ignore temp and RH risk failure to copulate or cannibalism. This kind of close observation with accurate recording of the environment is a great help to the hobby (says Phil whose own C. pictipennis will be adult soon).

 

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