Too Hot for Creos?
- Thread starter sporeworld
- Start date
Help Support Mantidforum:
sporeworld
Well-known member
UPDATE:
Every one... EVERY ONE of those ooths was fertile. I found them late, gave them almost no attention, left town, and STILL they hatched!
As I close the book on this little thread, I'd highly recomend this species for new arrivals to our hobby. Great colors, plenty of wow factor, communal (within reason), tollerant of hot and cold, needs only modest humidity, and is a healty eatter, on easily available prey (ff's to bb's). A little bit of research and you'll be fine.
Thanks to everyone for their participation and suggestions!
Every one... EVERY ONE of those ooths was fertile. I found them late, gave them almost no attention, left town, and STILL they hatched!
As I close the book on this little thread, I'd highly recomend this species for new arrivals to our hobby. Great colors, plenty of wow factor, communal (within reason), tollerant of hot and cold, needs only modest humidity, and is a healty eatter, on easily available prey (ff's to bb's). A little bit of research and you'll be fine.
Thanks to everyone for their participation and suggestions!
Last edited by a moderator:
sporeworld
Well-known member
BTW, while supplies last, these are the Creos being offered as a "Thank You" for supporting this forum. Just click the bringht yellow and orange banner at the bottom of this page for details (again, while supplies last).
Cheers!
Cheers!
Merc
Active member
I'm so getting in on this.
This is the post that inspired me to jump in on trying these guys communally and thus, my enclosure overhaul. <3 Thank you for this thread.
sporeworld
Well-known member
Note: Today I got my first 2nd Generation baby to adulthood. I had given nearly all of them away, so I lost track of which ooth he popped out of, but close enough for general records.
Good luck everyone, and enjoy!
Good luck everyone, and enjoy!
Psychobunny
Well-known member
I know this is an old thread, but the way I keep my Creo pictipennis happy is to put about 1/2 cup
of damp sphagnum moss with some branches and fake leaves in 8 X 6'' plastic clear container with
screen lid (I cut the top out and hot glue the screen).
I use a under tank heater from Bean Farm with a dimmer and thermometer with probe taped to the
heating pad, and keep it at 85F (I keep my house at about 72F, and they do not like it that cold!!)
This keeps them eating, molting and happy. They usualy can be found perched on the moss, which
should be replaced every other week.
You need that heat and added humidity for creo's, just dont over do it
of damp sphagnum moss with some branches and fake leaves in 8 X 6'' plastic clear container with
screen lid (I cut the top out and hot glue the screen).
I use a under tank heater from Bean Farm with a dimmer and thermometer with probe taped to the
heating pad, and keep it at 85F (I keep my house at about 72F, and they do not like it that cold!!)
This keeps them eating, molting and happy. They usualy can be found perched on the moss, which
should be replaced every other week.
You need that heat and added humidity for creo's, just dont over do it
psyconiko
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2011
- Messages
- 798
- Reaction score
- 49
I found they can be raised at room temp,60 to 70% humidity,No water,no substrate,not even a twig needed.They almost never mismolt,if this occurs they will be fixed by next molt.
It is to me one of the easiest available flower mantis(pictipennis).
Plus they can be communal provided there is enough food.
Also they can tolerate extreme temp(100°F) and extreme moist(90%) even if kept in a confined glass terra.
What else?so nice and easy!
It is to me one of the easiest available flower mantis(pictipennis).
Plus they can be communal provided there is enough food.
Also they can tolerate extreme temp(100°F) and extreme moist(90%) even if kept in a confined glass terra.
What else?so nice and easy!
frogparty
Well-known member
I love this thread! Goin to set up a nice 12x12x18 for my little group of Creo pictipennis nymphs
Thanks for bumping this thread frogparty, I enjoyed it too. I have 3 C. gemmatus (currently L2-3ish), I'm wondering if they'll be ok together? I seem to recall something about bunches of semi-communal being better than a few.
And 1 pictipennis... and I was thinking about that provision 'if there's enough food'. Ha! There does not ever seem to be enough food for these guys. Kali (L4) is FAT FAT FAT and seems like she will always take more food. I liked the bit about the hydei snacks, I may have to do that for her. And maybe ease up on the bottle flies.
And 1 pictipennis... and I was thinking about that provision 'if there's enough food'. Ha! There does not ever seem to be enough food for these guys. Kali (L4) is FAT FAT FAT and seems like she will always take more food. I liked the bit about the hydei snacks, I may have to do that for her. And maybe ease up on the bottle flies.
frogparty
Well-known member
I currently have 10 L3 nymphs in an 8x12x6 tupperware tub set up with sphagnum and lots of twigs. I see the "swagger" a lot, but no casualties yet. I figure if I give them enough plants and twigs to make them all happy it shouldnt be a big deal.
sporeworld
Well-known member
I made a brief edit to the beginning of this thread, to try and bring the new Creo owners in for a look-around. I've seen several Creo care sheets floating around, but I really enjoyed some of the discussions and disagreements in this thread. Thanks again for all the contributions.
PS: If anyone has any video or photos to add, please post them, or their links.
PS: If anyone has any video or photos to add, please post them, or their links.
Perhaps a creobroter consolidated? The idolo thread has been SO helpful to me and I don't think we should exclude other species just because they're "easy" to keep. In fact a section of the forum for Consolidated threads would be amazing. This thread is already beginning to look like one.
I've discovered that mine want it HOT, both pictipennis and gemmatus. Pictipennis is lethargic and boring unless I've kept her warm. And the new gemmatus colony is on the same shelf with the idolo, which of course is freaking hot, and you know where they all hang out? Wherever it's closest to the lamp, yesterday nearly 100 degrees.
I am thinking of doing a separate setup for males and one for females... or I could maybe put them all in the 12" net cube. I have 8 and I am wondering if that is too many for the 80 oz deli cup the 5 new ones are in. Does crowding seem to be a factor in cannibalism?
God they are pigs. I am stuffing as many fruit flies in their container of 5, as the one with 80 sinensis babies. Granted, they are older, but not that much bigger.
I've discovered that mine want it HOT, both pictipennis and gemmatus. Pictipennis is lethargic and boring unless I've kept her warm. And the new gemmatus colony is on the same shelf with the idolo, which of course is freaking hot, and you know where they all hang out? Wherever it's closest to the lamp, yesterday nearly 100 degrees.
I am thinking of doing a separate setup for males and one for females... or I could maybe put them all in the 12" net cube. I have 8 and I am wondering if that is too many for the 80 oz deli cup the 5 new ones are in. Does crowding seem to be a factor in cannibalism?
God they are pigs. I am stuffing as many fruit flies in their container of 5, as the one with 80 sinensis babies. Granted, they are older, but not that much bigger.
sporeworld
Well-known member
I had my Idolos in a test cage with a big metal lamp actually TOUCHING the top screen. They wouldn't sit UNDER the lamp, but riiiiiight next to it - maybe 3cm away, and gather around it like it was a fireplace. And it probably wasn't far from it. Easily 120 degrees at the edge.
As for crowding, I found that as long as they're kept WELL fed (big, healthy looking, almost bulging bellies), the next best thing you can do is have an uncluttered habitat. They run away, stare down, or just snap at each other, if they can see the threat coming. Leaving molting as the biggest remaining threat (they love chomping that soft, fresh flesh). So, the final judge of crowding seems to be - do they have enough space to molt in relative safety, without appearing TOO tempting to their peers.
And remember - once you have adult females, all bets are off.
As for crowding, I found that as long as they're kept WELL fed (big, healthy looking, almost bulging bellies), the next best thing you can do is have an uncluttered habitat. They run away, stare down, or just snap at each other, if they can see the threat coming. Leaving molting as the biggest remaining threat (they love chomping that soft, fresh flesh). So, the final judge of crowding seems to be - do they have enough space to molt in relative safety, without appearing TOO tempting to their peers.
And remember - once you have adult females, all bets are off.
itzjustjeff
Well-known member
I noticed you mentioned that you didn't do much with the ooths after they were laid. Does that mean they do not have to go through diapause?
creo ooths never need diapause
dlemmings
Well-known member
COOL! my creo P. laid an ooth, soon as she lays a second I will ship it to Pragmatichominid as per our trade agreement.
i guess in 6-8 weeks I may be offering some of these guys on the forum...
i guess in 6-8 weeks I may be offering some of these guys on the forum...
itzjustjeff
Well-known member
me too 7-9 weeks though! I'm having trouble with one of my males though. He seems to completely ignore the female as if there were something over the horizon. He gets uncomfortably close to her raptorials. Would it be possible to have one of my older males continue mating with my females? Can he run out?
7-9 weeks though! I'm having trouble with one of my males though. He seems to completely ignore the female as if there were something over the horizon. He gets uncomfortably close to her raptorials. Would it be possible to have one of my older males continue mating with my females? Can he run out?
I find real old males have problems keepin it in there if u know wat I'm saying...
dlemmings
Well-known member
cant hurt to try...well maybe it could if she get pissy...lol
sporeworld
Well-known member
Didn't know where else to put this, but here's a picture of one of my sub Creo's, taken by an actual photographer friend of mine. I love that you can see the patterns of the wings, even though it's not adult yet....
