TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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Cool Ben! I bought a couple of those 12" square enclosures but I don't know where I put them! I never even expanded them yet. I put em in a box for use later but then where that box went to, maybe my storage space... I'm gonna need one if my ghost ooth hatches.
I want to get some violins someday too, such big critters! Trying to decide which I will get next, a colony of Violin Mantids or trio of Pygmy Leaf Chameleons.
Did you buy spikes (maggots) instead of pupae or are you breeding them from wild BB?
I want to get some violins someday too, such big critters! Trying to decide which I will get next, a colony of Violin Mantids or trio of Pygmy Leaf Chameleons.
Did you buy spikes (maggots) instead of pupae or are you breeding them from wild BB?
Nepfreak
Nepenthesian
Nepfreak
Nepenthesian
It was also sword's fault that I now keep mantids! He just had to post a pic of a Ghost mantis! After seeing how wicked it looked, I knew I had to get some.
I'm staying away from the violins, as awesome as they are. I'm not willing to provide the extreme heat they need. I have my Texas Unicorns and Sibylla pretiosa, they have the long thorax or something, characterics of the violins. That keeps me happy enough.
I'm staying away from the violins, as awesome as they are. I'm not willing to provide the extreme heat they need. I have my Texas Unicorns and Sibylla pretiosa, they have the long thorax or something, characterics of the violins. That keeps me happy enough.
I am quite suspect of those recommended hot & dry conditions for the Violins. I've researched their habitat in Kandy, Sri Lanka and it's not mentioned as being 40*C+ according to any climate maps I've seen online. Additionally, it's a wet rainforest, temps, rainfall and humidity similar to the Borneo lowlands. So I don't understand where the general recommendations of 40*C and dry come from. Perhaps some strains of Violins come from mainland India where it could be hotter and more arid?
Mine will be kept in a warm lowland (80-90*F) terrarium with no special extremes to add more heat. If it becomes necessary I can always add a clamp lamp to the shelf but I'm just saying, after looking up their homeland I'm not convinced such measures are necessary.
Mine will be kept in a warm lowland (80-90*F) terrarium with no special extremes to add more heat. If it becomes necessary I can always add a clamp lamp to the shelf but I'm just saying, after looking up their homeland I'm not convinced such measures are necessary.
Nepfreak
Nepenthesian
I have read that violins come from "hot and arid" regions of India and that they don't need much humidity. I'm not too worried about mine because it gets up to 100F at the top of the big enclosure. I asked Yen Saw on mantidforum about them and he said they will do fine in the 80s and the 100F crazy hot temps are only required to initiate mating.
According to google it's in the 80s in Kandy, Sri Lanka right now... I wonder if there's a hotter "mating season"? It's all a bit confusing.
According to google it's in the 80s in Kandy, Sri Lanka right now... I wonder if there's a hotter "mating season"? It's all a bit confusing.
The northern part of Sri Lanka seems to get to 40*C in April so perhaps that could cause slight heatwaves across the island (Kandy appears to be right in the center of Sri Lanka). I wish Rob C (TF member Borneo) would chime in he has his businesses GHs in Sri Lanka and could probably give us a better picture.
Year-long averages for Kandy tend to range between like 17*C - 32*C which is pretty easy to provide. I have noticed in reading online that people keeping their Violins very hot & dry tend to have molting problems (young mantids getting stuck half in their molts & coming out deformed) so using the high temps only for a short period when they are adults and ready to initiate breeding does make a lot more sense to me since they won't be molting anymore after adulthood.
Year-long averages for Kandy tend to range between like 17*C - 32*C which is pretty easy to provide. I have noticed in reading online that people keeping their Violins very hot & dry tend to have molting problems (young mantids getting stuck half in their molts & coming out deformed) so using the high temps only for a short period when they are adults and ready to initiate breeding does make a lot more sense to me since they won't be molting anymore after adulthood.
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Nepfreak, I've read the same thing about the violins. Just hot (80's) is fine unless you want to mate them. They must only mate during the hotter seasons over there. Not too hard to beleive....many animals have a mating season. They come into season based on temps, water availability, or whatever other seasonal environmental challenges they're faced with where they live.
