Feeder roaches and mold

[Socfroggy]

So a while back I sorted some roaches in a Tupperware container with some air hole. I fed them some bug burger and forgot about to remove what was left uneaten. When i came back to the container, it had a heavy mold smell. I moved them and the smell persisted. I figured out it was coming from the egg carton so I tossed that and moved them to another container to keep an eye on them. they're still alive, it smells a bit different than my other roach bins but they are doing well and have molted since. Is it okay to feed these guys off? It's a whole bunch of perfectly sized roaches that I don't want to toss.

 

[Dovey]

Absolutely fine to feed them. They probably still smell a little funky, but bugs in the wild can smell a little funky too. I can totally tell what I've been feeding my roaches by how their bin smells, though it never smells very much. I know if they've had kale, I always know if they've had citrus, and I can tell if I've been feeding apples. Your roaches will be fine. You've done everything you should.

 

[mconnachan]

So a while back I sorted some roaches in a Tupperware container with some air hole. I fed them some bug burger and forgot about to remove what was left uneaten. When i came back to the container, it had a heavy mold smell. I moved them and the smell persisted. I figured out it was coming from the egg carton so I tossed that and moved them to another container to keep an eye on them. they're still alive, it smells a bit different than my other roach bins but they are doing well and have molted since. Is it okay to feed these guys off? It's a whole bunch of perfectly sized roaches that I don't want to toss.

As long as you've isolated the mould, the roaches are in a new bin, then there are no issues. Your spiders will appreciate them, try to remember to remove uneaten fruit and veg or other scraps within 24 hrs, so yeah go ahead and feed your T's with the prey items....

 

[mconnachan]

Absolutely fine to feed them. They probably still smell a little funky, but bugs in the wild can smell a little funky too. I can totally tell what I've been feeding my roaches by how their bin smells, though it never smells very much. I know if they've had kale, I always know if they've had citrus, and I can tell if I've been feeding apples. Your roaches will be fine. You've done everything you should.

It'll take time for the mould smell to disappear completely, but as we all know, all feeders smell, it's actually a good thing because if they go funky like the OP's then you're aware of it pretty quickly, common sense tells you - keep the bucket cleaned weekly, remove uneaten fruit, veg, I don't use any kind of meat products, the only other concoction they get is a mix - dry dog food, fish flakes, brown flour, and oats, simple yet effective....

 

[Dovey]

I actually go to the trouble to order my roach chow from the Feeder Farm on eBay. The reason being, they grind their food up super fine and every crumb gets eaten. I've ordered from a bunch of other people and made my own, and my roaches always pick through and leave what I'm absolutely certain is the wheat germ. What do you have to do to get the kids to eat their vegetables?! Anyway the message is this: if you make your own chow, grind it to virtually talcum powder.

 

[Socfroggy]

I actually prefer to feed them the Repashy products because I like their nutritional value. What goes into the feeder goes into the the feedee after all! With my beardie (because he refuses to eat greens) I use veggie burger and for my insectivorous inverts I use bug burger. I want to switch to Arcadia once I get rid of what I have now. If anyone knows a combination of produce or products to emulate that nutritional value let me know!

Thanks for everyone responding to the thread!