Feeding my T with cockroaches around the apartment?

[Vulksgren]

I don't have an infestation, but I do find them from time to time in my apartment, would it be fine to capture it and feed it to my T or is it too risky?

 

[Dman]

Too risky. It is possible for wild cockroaches to have been exposed to poison and insecticide. Never a good idea to feed anything wild caught IMO.

 

[Demonclaws]

No.

 

[Vulksgren]

Alright, I figured that was the answer. Just wanted to be sure.

 

[BoyFromLA]

Never.

 

[chanda]

Unless you can be 100% certain that nobody in your entire apartment building is using any sort of sprays, powders, baits, gels, or other products to control roaches, it is a very bad idea to use wild-caught roaches as feeders. Many roach poisons do not kill instantly, so those roaches may contain sub-lethal doses of insecticides which they will then pass on to your spiders when eaten. Even if a single roach does not contain enough poison to kill your T, the accumulated toxins from multiple roaches might.

 

[Vulksgren]

Unless you can be 100% certain that nobody in your entire apartment building is using any sort of sprays, powders, baits, gels, or other products to control roaches, it is a very bad idea to use wild-caught roaches as feeders. Many roach poisons do not kill instantly, so those roaches may contain sub-lethal doses of insecticides which they will then pass on to your spiders when eaten. Even if a single roach does not contain enough poison to kill your T, the accumulated toxins from multiple roaches might.

Yeah they do around our apartment, and I figured this would be the case. I've heard people doing it though, but what would concern me is the likelyhood of parasites.

Also, would you happen to know a good place where I could get roaches? Live in an area they don't sell.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Also, would you happen to know a good place where I could get roaches? Live in an area they don't sell.

There are number of good shippers you can google, I'm not allowed to mention names in a thread though. I personally prefer blatta lateralis roaches if that helps.

 

[Vulksgren]

There are number of good shippers you can google, I'm not allowed to mention names in a thread though. I personally prefer blatta lateralis roaches if that helps.

Alright, my bad. Thanks

 

[cold blood]

No, way too risky....but I will say, if you even see just one or two on occasion...there's no doubt, you do have an infestation...possibly stemming from another tenants apartment.....roaches don't live alone or just come by one here and there....if you see one, there are undoubtedly thousands or tens of thousands.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Too risky for you're T but feel free to look for some house spider to feed them too I have an Eratigena atrica That I found and that's all I feed it insects and flies that I find about the house and garden

 

[Michael Guirov]

I have an Eratigena atrica That I found and that's all I feed it insects and flies that I find about the house and garden

Those are awesome! I breed them for fun every now and again, vicious eaters aswell!

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Those are awesome! I breed them for fun every now and again, vicious eaters aswell!
View attachment 313979

Yeah they are that the one I have just now is a mature female keeping an eye out for a male roaming the house now

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

No, way too risky....but I will say, if you even see just one or two on occasion...there's no doubt, you do have an infestation...possibly stemming from another tenants apartment.....roaches don't live alone or just come by one here and there....if you see one, there are undoubtedly thousands or tens of thousands.

I will dispute this remark. I too have roaches come into my apartment from time to time during the summer months but it is always in one or two at a time. Although I do not doubt there are many many more around I can't see, they are coming in from the heat or to find food. So far this year, I found two species of roach in my apartment: the American cockroach and the Smokey Brown cockroach. A good sign of a proper infestation is when you see several on a regular basis at different times during the day and night. They will congregate together, sure, but only until overcrowding becomes an issue.

 

[SonsofArachne]

The best way to tell if you have a few or a lot of roaches is glue traps. They work without pesticides and will quickly tell you where your roach level is at.

 

[Dman]

I will dispute this remark. I too have roaches come into my apartment from time to time during the summer months but it is always in one or two at a time. Although I do not doubt there are many many more around I can't see, they are coming in from the heat or to find food. So far this year, I found two species of roach in my apartment: the American cockroach and the Smokey Brown cockroach. A good sign of a proper infestation is when you see several on a regular basis at different times during the day and night. They will congregate together, sure, but only until overcrowding becomes an issue.

It also depends on the type of roach. If they are the common German roach and you are seeing them around every once in awhile you had better watch out because you will get infested. If they are the larger longer Palmetto bug type you are okay. These usually live in sewers and water pipes and will occasionally pop up from the outside and get into your home. Your home does not have the conditions they will breed in.

 

[Aarantula]

Not to stray too far off topic here, but one of the reasons I’ve never kept roaches as feeders is because I’m too paranoid they would somehow attract wild roaches that would infest.

Do you keep roaches as feeders? Or have you ever had any? Is it possible some got out and your seeing them now?

Just thinking out loud..

 

[SuzukiSwift]

Let me share with you a tragic story of my own that will dissuade you from trying this. One time I found one of my own dubias in the middle of the living room, it must have escaped from an enclosure or from the dubia habitat. I picked it up with tweezers and fed it to one of my P Metallica juvies. Juvie was dead an hour later.

The dubia must have encountered some poison while it was wandering. If a T can even be killed by one of your own feeders that is out then wild roaches will definitely risk the same.

 

[TianJuzo]

Not to stray too far off topic here, but one of the reasons I’ve never kept roaches as feeders is because I’m too paranoid they would somehow attract wild roaches that would infest.

Do you keep roaches as feeders? Or have you ever had any? Is it possible some got out and your seeing them now?

Just thinking out loud..

A good setup will keep stray roaches from escaping, and also not keeping any food crumbs or potential food items laying around can help.

 

[RezonantVoid]

If you have any local wolf spider species they are wonderful at disposing stray roaches and insects. Plus, being wild AND wandering spiders, they probably develope a very small amount of resistance to some of the poisons roaches can carry (I have absolutely no evidence for this, I just see big T.Leuckarti's with wild pest roaches all the time here and they are never any worse for wear afterwards). I keep one each summer just to keep the grasshopper population in my gardens in check