Question about red runners

[Otteresting]

Hello !

I bought yesterday around 80/90 red runners to start again a colony (as I fed my tarantulas with all the others I bought 3 months ago).

As the last I bought, I still dont see any males, and I know what they looks like (there were many nimphs in the boxes). But I've heard that they only mature on their last molt (and after that, short lifetime).

Is that possible that on these 90 roaches, males just didn't matured yet ? I don't think they can split males from females, as they're still many tiny and nymphs roaches in there.

Can someone confirm me that ?

 

[ccTroi]

Not matured yet. Mature males will be orange in color with long wings extending past their body length. Mature males are lighter in built compared to mature females. Male nymphs will be light orange in color throughout their body.
Mature females are black or crimson in color with very small wings. Female nymphs are red towards the upper half of their body and black towards the lower half.
How big are your roaches?

 

[Otteresting]

Not matured yet. Mature males will be orange in color with long wings extending past their body length. Mature males are lighter in built compared to mature females. Male nymphs will be light orange in color throughout their body.
Mature females are black or crimson in color with very small wings. Female nymphs are red towards the upper half of their body and black towards the lower half.
How big are your roaches?

Here's a pic

(I removed the egg crates to take the picture).
I can see few of them that could be males refering to what you said

 

[ccTroi]

@Otteresting I think I see possible males and lots of certain females. Give it time to mature, reproduce and lay oothecas (egg cases) before feeding them off.

Are those water droplets in your enclosure? Did you spray water?

 

[Otteresting]

Alright,

Yup these are droplets, I've read that specie need moisture, I also do it to avoid food to dehydrate because I placed a heating pad under the tank, is that bad ?

 

[ccTroi]

the heating pad is fine. get water crystals instead. having water onto their feces and egg crate increases chance for mold and mites in my experience. they do perfectly fine with just water crystals.

To give you an idea:

• I keep my lateralis colony with a couple egg crates, one corner for roach chow, one corner for water crystals, and plenty of ventilation.
• I don’t use any supplemental heat because I have a steady supply of feeders, and they do fine in room temperature (74-76). I found that supplemental heat was one cause of a mite outbreak in my old colony.
• Don’t add too much water crystals. Add a pinch and refill only when it’s gone.
• About oothecas: I handpick all egg cases and put them in a small container with very little water sprinkled on one side. You can place this container in your colony but don’t have any other roaches able to get in. I find that this incubation-type setup helps in hatching the new generation.

This is what I do and it doesn’t mean this is the only right way to do it. I hope you the best!

 

[Otteresting]

the heating pad is fine. get water crystals instead. having water onto their feces and egg crate increases chance for mold and mites in my experience. they do perfectly fine with just water crystals.

To give you an idea:

• I keep my lateralis colony with a couple egg crates, one corner for roach chow, one corner for water crystals, and plenty of ventilation.
• I don’t use any supplemental heat because I have a steady supply of feeders, and they do fine in room temperature (74-76). I found that supplemental heat was one cause of a mite outbreak in my old colony.
• Don’t add too much water crystals. Add a pinch and refill only when it’s gone.
• About oothecas: I handpick all egg cases and put them in a small container with very little water sprinkled on one side. You can place this container in your colony but don’t have any other roaches able to get in. I find that this incubation-type setup helps in hatching the new generation.

This is what I do and it doesn’t mean this is the only right way to do it. I hope you the best!

Well, it seems you knows what's best. I'll try to find some waters crystals, I am not a huge fan of misting my feeders anyway. Thanks you !

 

[ccTroi]

Well, it seems you knows what's best. I'll try to find some waters crystals, I am not a huge fan of misting my feeders anyway. Thanks you !

Try searching for them in the garden area of stores. At least that is where they are located here in the US. Good luck!

 

[Otteresting]

I know a pet store near to my apartment, they should have it .

You said I should better not give them to my T's (I got 2 females LP and Chilo sp. Blue 7/8cm legspan), so maybe should I buy more roaches (like 100/150 more) to keep feeding my T's with them, or should I buy mealworms instead and left the roaches alone for few months. How many time would It take to have enought roaches to stop buying them ?

I think I'll definately buy more red runner anyway. I am feeding my T's every 3/4 days with one red runner, I am afraid I'll never have a decent colony if I dont get more RRR

 

[ccTroi]

If you can’t resist feeding your T’s with the lateralis (like me bc the feeding response is fun to watch), I guess buying more would be a good idea.

More stuff about B. lateralis:

• The heat mat will help boost the roaches’ metabolism which would in turn boost their growth rate.
• Ensure plenty of ventilation if you’re going to keep your heat mat. You don’t want stuffiness in your enclosure (both roaches and T).
• Only put in half of an egg crate bc it absorbs moisture well (avoid moist egg crates!). This can lead to stuffy air.
• I forgot to mention that these roaches can resort to cannibalism. Currently, I keep my mature males and females in their separate enclosure apart from the nymphs and newly hatched roaches. I’m not certain if this reduces cannibalism, but I like to keep things sorted . (I do this for my dubia roach colony too)

I would suggest leaving the colony alone and let it grow and reproduce. If I were in your shoes, I would buy superworms (‘meatier’ than mealworms) and feed my T’s once every 3-4 weeks. (I believe that feeding less often prolongs the life of a T.) If you want frequent feedings, give small superW, mealW, or crickets.

 

[Otteresting]

That's a lot of informations you gave me . I won't be able to shop these feeders for 10 days cause of my exams, but after that I'm gonna get some more red runners, as I said, 2/3 boxes of 50 red runners should be fine, and let them breed (Which will make me begin with +200 red runners), then maybe 100 small superW which should be amply enought to sustain for 3/4 months (feeding one every 5 days should be fine)

So you think I should remove some egg crates in there ? (pic)

Oh btw, you said canibalism, when I first got them, I saw two of them fighting for food , but they did not hurt themselves. I always thought that specie was reputed to not fight with each others (unlike crickets would)


Thanks a lot for your time !

 

[ccTroi]

With the amount you have, you could only have one of the small square egg crate. Once you have more, I would have one more of the small square (two total). I suggest having food to one corner (and water crystals at its own corner, if you decide to use). I check my feeder colonies when I feed my T’s, adults and slings, and replace any soft and moistened egg crates.


The roach chow I use I believe contains wheat middlings, ground corn, ground soybean hulls, dehulled soybean meal, ground wheat, cane molasses, ground oats, wheat germ, brewers dried yeast, dehydrated alfalfa meal, dried beet pulp, corn gluten meal. (is it obv that I bought it? haha) There are plenty of DIY roach chow recipe online.

I recommend having moisture-rich food off the enclosure floor. Water will easily trickle down and may come in contact with the feces. In the pic below, I placed my water gels on a shallow container and made scratches on the outer side (inner side also) so the smallest of roaches can get in (and out). I would do the same when I give them fruits and veggies.

 

[Otteresting]

I am going to buy these water cristals as soon as I can, they seems really fine as it's a bit unclean to spray water on the floor. I removed few egg crates, they should be fine now (did the same with my dubias). I saw one female with some eggs attached to her back, sounds good, it would mean that I should prob have a male inside (I found long wings in the tank, maybe from a male that lost them or that died).


Thanks you so much for all these advices !

 

[ccTroi]

You’re welcome! Remember to crush/detach the heads of superW or mealW. I do this for my adults and slings. They still wiggle and cause movements that attract T’s.

 

[Otteresting]

You’re welcome! Remember to crush/detach the heads of superW or mealW. I do this for my adults and slings. They still wiggle and cause movements that attract T’s.[/QUO

Alright, I've heard this somewhere, that they could bite really nastily.

Thanks again, happy new year in advance

 

[WickedTwinz]

the heating pad is fine. get water crystals instead. having water onto their feces and egg crate increases chance for mold and mites in my experience. they do perfectly fine with just water crystals.

To give you an idea:

• I keep my lateralis colony with a couple egg crates, one corner for roach chow, one corner for water crystals, and plenty of ventilation.
• I don’t use any supplemental heat because I have a steady supply of feeders, and they do fine in room temperature (74-76). I found that supplemental heat was one cause of a mite outbreak in my old colony.
• Don’t add too much water crystals. Add a pinch and refill only when it’s gone.
• About oothecas: I handpick all egg cases and put them in a small container with very little water sprinkled on one side. You can place this container in your colony but don’t have any other roaches able to get in. I find that this incubation-type setup helps in hatching the new generation.

This is what I do and it doesn’t mean this is the only right way to do it. I hope you the best!

How often do you feed them, in about to get some an was looking on here for info

 

[Vanisher]

the heating pad is fine. get water crystals instead. having water onto their feces and egg crate increases chance for mold and mites in my experience. they do perfectly fine with just water crystals.

To give you an idea:

• I keep my lateralis colony with a couple egg crates, one corner for roach chow, one corner for water crystals, and plenty of ventilation.
• I don’t use any supplemental heat because I have a steady supply of feeders, and they do fine in room temperature (74-76). I found that supplemental heat was one cause of a mite outbreak in my old colony.
• Don’t add too much water crystals. Add a pinch and refill only when it’s gone.
• About oothecas: I handpick all egg cases and put them in a small container with very little water sprinkled on one side. You can place this container in your colony but don’t have any other roaches able to get in. I find that this incubation-type setup helps in hatching the new generation.

This is what I do and it doesn’t mean this is the only right way to do it. I hope you the best!

I have never got offsprings in dry enclosures. In moist substrate i have, but not in dry encoisures. I gave up breeding them and only had them in bulk and fed them.away!

 

[ccTroi]

How often do you feed them, in about to get some an was looking on here for info

i keep water crystals available to the roaches at all times. i feed them cheap cereal whenever they run out. occasional fruits and veggies.

I have never got offsprings in dry enclosures. In moist substrate i have, but not in dry encoisures. I gave up breeding them and only had them in bulk and fed them.away!

my enclosure right now is super dry with a heat mat on one side. nymphs are hatching perfectly fine