I hate crickets, mom hates roaches- now what?

[halfwaynowhere]

I am so fed up with crickets. I only have eight Ts, but I spend about $2 a week on crickets. I guess that's not too bad, but still. I'd love to get a lizard or frog or something, but can't stand having crickets around all the time. The chirping drives me batty.
For the past few nights, I've been hearing a single cricket chirping, but couldn't find it. Well, my mom found it, she woke me up this morning so I could take care of it. It was hiding in the cat box. Ugh. At least he's gone now.
So I used that moment as an opportunity to tell my mom that the species of roaches kept as feeders cannot survive in normal household conditions. Didn't work.
I suppose I could be sneaky and just go ahead and start a roach colony without her knowing about it... But a stunt like that might get me thrown out of the house.
I know there are a million threads about "how can i convince my parents to let me breed roaches?", but I've tried everything there, and nothing works. Am I really doomed to have to deal with crickets forever (or at least until I move out)?

 

[crpy]

can you keep the crickets in bin outside or somewhere you cant here them.

I have mine in a big tank with a lid, they breed great there too.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

would they survive outside in the winter, though?

 

[crpy]

good point, does it get real cold where you live?

I keep mine on my patio and I keep heat lamps on everybody, but i bring them in on really cold nights. A really cold night is 28-30F on 1-2 nights here and usually climbs to 60-72F on winter days.

you can also use a heating pad. just trying to come up with solutions for ya.

 

[arachyd]

Maybe she wouldn't mind a species that doesn't resemble the kind of roaches that infest houses. One of the green species perhaps or giant hissers.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

well, i have one pet hisser, she's okay with me having the one (i had two, but one died). But no matter what I tell her, I just can't convince her that there's absolutely no chance of them getting out and infesting the house.
I did mention keeping crickets outside, and mentioned the stink. She didn't know how bad they smell. So I'm thinking that a trip to petco is in order, so she can get a good whiff of their cricket bin...

 

[GOMER113]

How about trying an approach like, "Mom, I found a great feeder insect. Crickets can climb out of their tank, they stink, and they're noisy. These things I found don't do any of that! They're some sort of South American beetle and they breed fairly easily. They'll only cost about $20 for a starter colony that will replenish itself and at $2 a week for crickets, it'll be like we have free feeders for life after about three months."

EDIT: By the way, I was referring to Blaptica dubia roaches. You could try showing your mom a picture of a juvenile female. They look more like a big roly-poly than a roach, anyway.

 

[GOMER113]

I don't think my second edit saved. Anyway, this might be a good picture to use.



(rehosted picture from the bottom of the main page of www.blapticadubia.com)

 

[crpy]

Maybe she wouldn't mind a species that doesn't resemble the kind of roaches that infest houses. One of the green species perhaps or giant hissers.

yeah, cuban roaches they'er a pretty green:clap:

 

[calum]

i hate crickets too. they smell like crap.

 

[arachyd]

Dubia might work until she spots a male then the poop will hit the fan. The males are very "roachy" looking and to someone not familiar with them at all they look like an invasive species on steroids. It took me quite a while to warm up to mine.

 

[EightLeggedFrea]

Just go ahead and find a well started roach colony of whatever species you wish and to blazes with you mom THINKS she knows. I've been keeping B. dubia and B. lateralis colonies in my closet for several months now and my mom doesn't know anything about it.

If anyone asks, just say they are beetles or something that doesn't have a bad rep as pest species. Then again, certain species of beetle are also pests...

 

[Aurelia]

Tell her that crickets are closely related to roaches but worse.

 

[GOMER113]

Tell her that crickets are closely related to roaches but worse.

Yes! I second this. Tell her that crickets are like jumping roaches.

 

[~Abyss~]

Use another feeder. Silworms are a bit expensive but once you start breeding them they take off fast. They don't burrow like mealworms but those are good too.

 

[Mister Internet]

Just go ahead and find a well started roach colony of whatever species you wish and to blazes with you mom THINKS she knows. I've been keeping B. dubia and B. lateralis colonies in my closet for several months now and my mom doesn't know anything about it.

DON'T do this.

I commend you for respecting your Mom's wishes, uninformed though they may be. Deliberate disobedience towards the person that birthed, clothed, housed, and raised you is a really selfish and immature avenue, and not worth "getting your way" in this situation. There are quite a few threads here with pictures of roach enclosures, maybe have her look at some pictures... like, "see, as long as the sides are smooth, there's no way they can climb", etc etc. If the pics don't work... well, you might be stuck with crix until you move out, like you said. However, I would encourage you to show your Mom how fast two dozen adult crickets actually die, even when you're taking good care of them, and let her gt a whiff of what it smells like a day or two after they've started dying. Then ask again, politely, why she thinks roachs could possibly be worse than that.

Good luck!

-MrI

 

[ZooRex]

Checkout this thread I started back in December:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=105476&highlight=mom+roaches

Also, sneaking roaches in the house is a BAD idea. Trust me, I know from expirience, Moms do not like that kind of a surprise.

 

[lukatsi]

What about darkling beetles like Tenebrio molitor or Zoophobas morio?

 

[mouse]

you could try mealworms, giant mealworm, don't remember if it was waxworm some fat white one, my t's and beardies loved that one for a treat.

 

[EightLeggedFrea]

DON'T do this.

I commend you for respecting your Mom's wishes, uninformed though they may be. Deliberate disobedience towards the person that birthed, clothed, housed, and raised you is a really selfish and immature avenue, and not worth "getting your way" in this situation. There are quite a few threads here with pictures of roach enclosures, maybe have her look at some pictures... like, "see, as long as the sides are smooth, there's no way they can climb", etc etc. If the pics don't work... well, you might be stuck with crix until you move out, like you said. However, I would encourage you to show your Mom how fast two dozen adult crickets actually die, even when you're taking good care of them, and let her gt a whiff of what it smells like a day or two after they've started dying. Then ask again, politely, why she thinks roachs could possibly be worse than that.

Good luck!

-MrI

Yeah...

But sometimes parents can be bigger pain in the abdomen than trying to remove a C. crawshayi from its burrow...