# Idolomantis Diabolica and locusts



## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

Had a bit of a livefood crisis there , had casters for about a week and it seemed they weren't going to hatch , cut a few open and every single one was dry, ended up having to bin them.

Got myself a locust about 3/4 of an inch long , got rid of the legs and head , ended up having to wave it about to make it "fly" with a needle and thread (don't ask) :lol2:

I heard someone say they had successfully raised Idolomantis Diabolica solely on locusts , has anyone tried or heard of it before?

(Personally I'm going to stick to the waxmoths and bluebottles but my Idolo is eating the locust now and should hopefully last until I get some casters hatching.)


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## Nismo75 (Mar 23, 2009)

Speaking from experience of feeding criks to mantids, the end result is death!!!!!! None lasted longer than a few months. So i'd imagine locust will have the same effect. i would think feeding locust occasionally if food is scarce then great. 

Personally I wouldn't feed them exclusively on locust.


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

Nismo75 said:


> Speaking from experience of feeding criks to mantids, the end result is death!!!!!! None lasted longer than a few months. So i'd imagine locust will have the same effect. i would think feeding locust occasionally if food is scarce then great.
> 
> Personally I wouldn't feed them exclusively on locust.


 nahh me either , I've given my last Idolo a morio before in an emergency , as long as it's not every second day it'll be fine


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

Just feed it maggots, they are safe food, just needs a little persuasion to take them!


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

any idea why crickets kill them? guess i'll change my peacocks' diets


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## mbj20 (Sep 14, 2009)

i have kept mantids alive 4 11-12 months on nothing but crix no problems its just a wives tale i reckon


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

mbj20 said:


> i have kept mantids alive 4 11-12 months on nothing but crix no problems its just a wives tale i reckon


It's not all mantids. Most are fine on whatever you throw at them. Just some need only safe foods like flies, maggots and roaches. Idolomantis and Gongylus are the main species that need only flying/safe foods.


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

The Sandman said:


> any idea why crickets kill them? guess i'll change my peacocks' diets


 I think black crickets get bad press because they're a little more aggressive , and if kept in bad conditions can kill them , sometihng to do with a bacteria in their gut.


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

ok, thanks for that, ive now changed mine to Darkling beetles (when meal worms turn to beetles, but are still soft) and they absolutely love them, change to brown crickets every few days.


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

As I understand it it's all crickets, hoppers and mealworms that shouldn't be used.

Sandman, if it's an Idolo you've got, just grab some maggots from the local fishing tackle shop and then put a spoonful in a plastic cup with some fabric mesh over the top and some oats in the bottom every couple of days, put them somewhere warm and in a week or two you'll have flies. To gut load the flies I just drizzle some honey or glucose syrup over the mesh on the top and the flies chow down for a day or two before they get muched. 

Ends up costing about £1 per month to feed all my mantids and quite a bit of my chameleon's diet using this method.

Idolo's I have found to be extremely temperamental - so far I have had two of my five drop dead for no apparent reason, even though I have been looking after them in the accepted way, so personally I wouldn't risk feeding non safe foods.

According to the insect store caresheet:

"They will not take to ground dwellers, such as crickets, locusts, mealworms, and the standard live food that is readily available in the local pet store. Not only does the mantis not take to these feeders, but also they are unsuitable to use as a staple diet, especially when breeding. There are chemicals contained in these live foods (mainly crickets) that stop the female from producing foam for her oothecae, thus laying worthless masses."

However, other people have also said it will just flat out kill them after a little while. I did try to get my first Idolo to eat a hopper when I had a serious fly drought, but it wouldn't take it. Gongy's are the same.

Your peacock however Sandman, I think can be fed any normal feeder insects. I dont think they are as sniffy about their diet or as fragile.


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

thanks Dave, much appreciated.

My peacocks seem to prefer darklings instead of crickets anyways

i dont have Idolo's but really really want them.


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## shiftyraccoon (Mar 2, 2009)

Hmm distracted by Sandmans photo... anyway...

Yeah I agree stick to flies, they do STINK though, and i'm impressed you manage to feed your mantids for £1 a week I usually buy a load of casters, and after 2 weeks or so they all hatch at once and I have tubs full of flies 

Do you fridge them?


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

shiftyraccoon said:


> Hmm distracted by Sandmans photo... anyway...
> 
> Yeah I agree stick to flies, they do STINK though, and i'm impressed you manage to feed your mantids for £1 a week I usually buy a load of casters, and after 2 weeks or so they all hatch at once and I have tubs full of flies
> 
> Do you fridge them?


About £1 per MONTH! Just buy maggots from a fishing tackle shop as they're only about a quid for half a pint. Put them in a ventilated tub in the fridge with some oats. The oats keep them dry an odorless. Then every couple of days just take a spoonful or two out of the tub and into a disposable plastic pint glass along with some more oats. Whack your mesh on the top with an elastic band and just wait. If you can keep them warm till they hatch they'll hatch faster, but once they're hatched keeping them cool will slow their metabolisms right down and so they'll live much longer. By keeping flies in our unheated utility room, where the temp was about 6 degrees in the run up to Christmas we kept flies alive for over 3 weeks, but if warm they'll only live a few days.


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

Thats a great help for cheap food, thanks.


I wonder what pic Shiftyraccon is talking about..... must mean my scorps


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## utterbeastage (Apr 4, 2009)

jakakadave said:


> As I understand it it's all crickets, hoppers and mealworms that shouldn't be used.
> 
> Sandman, if it's an Idolo you've got, just grab some maggots from the local fishing tackle shop and then put a spoonful in a plastic cup with some fabric mesh over the top and some oats in the bottom every couple of days, put them somewhere warm and in a week or two you'll have flies. To gut load the flies I just drizzle some honey or glucose syrup over the mesh on the top and the flies chow down for a day or two before they get muched.
> 
> ...


I know what you mean about Idolod just dying out of the blue , I had an L8 female (SO CLOSE!) that stopped eating for about a month and a half , I dont't even know how she lasted ,and believe me I tried EVERYTHING, got an L7 male set to moult any day this week so fingers crossed: victory:


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## shiftyraccoon (Mar 2, 2009)

The Sandman said:


> Thats a great help for cheap food, thanks.
> 
> 
> I wonder what pic Shiftyraccon is talking about..... must mean my scorps


If by scorps you mean guns - Reptile Forums UK - The Sandman's Album: ME - Picture then yes! lol

Yeah i'm gonna try the fly technique out again then, keep them cool and a bit at a time, I just put them ALL in a tub lol had like 300 files buzzing about, gross


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

shiftyraccoon said:


> If by scorps you mean guns - Reptile Forums UK - The Sandman's Album: ME - Picture then yes! lol
> 
> Yeah i'm gonna try the fly technique out again then, keep them cool and a bit at a time, I just put them ALL in a tub lol had like 300 files buzzing about, gross


Erm...


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

shiftyraccoon said:


> *If by scorps you mean guns - Reptile Forums UK - The Sandman's Album: ME - Picture then yes! lol*
> 
> Yeah i'm gonna try the fly technique out again then, keep them cool and a bit at a time, I just put them ALL in a tub lol had like 300 files buzzing about, gross



well thats no fair, you dont have any pics of ya self!


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

Oh my word... all a bit too flirtatious in here! Calm the hormones people!


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## shiftyraccoon (Mar 2, 2009)

LOL all photo albums updated


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

ummm ok...... thought you were a chick. guess not lol


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

The Sandman said:


> ummm ok...... thought you were a chick. guess not lol


Bwaaaaahahahahahaahaa! Absolutely classic. Maybe the picture of the Swallow as his avatar could have been a give away, although I believe they're normally a tattoo just below the belly button! :whistling2:


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## The Sandman (Nov 3, 2009)

:bash::iamwithstupid:


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## jakakadave (Dec 29, 2009)

The Sandman said:


> :bash::iamwithstupid:


Hehehehehe no need to be like that Sandman. You could show Shifty your no-gi skills!


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## shiftyraccoon (Mar 2, 2009)

LOL that's some funny sh*t right there!

Yeah my swallow tattoo is on my chest
Swallow by name...


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