Roach Recommendations

[Connectimyrmex]

Hi!
Recently I've been getting into rearing/breeding roaches, especially the CT native species (Parcoblatta and a small unidentified and possibly arboreal species), larger display species (Gromphadorhina), and the large feeders (Blaptica dubia). Recently, I've kind of wanted to buy a few nymphs or a colony of a new species to rear. Here are my personal favorite options:

Simandoa Cave Roaches (the colors are gorgeous, plus keeping an extinct-in-the-wild species would be interesting)
Green Banana Roaches (I love the coloration, plus their hardiness is appealing)
Gyna sp. (one of my local reptile stores has a small breeding colony for sale, I think that its the Chrome Roach. The coloration is awesome and the small size makes them look even more adorable)
Cryptocercus sp. (I'm pretty good at rearing termites, so I thought that I might give a shot at rearing a colony of these guys. I probably would have to field-collect these, since there aren't many suppliers)
Any other species (I don't know many roach species, so I'm sure that there are some awesome ones out there that I don't know about)

Thanks!

 

[pannaking22]

Just from personal experience:

Simandoa conserfariam - a blast to keep. I love my colony, even though they're in a bit of a lull for some reason. Getting them to give birth can sometimes be tricky.

Panchlora nivea (I assume) - a neat species for sure. Keep an eye out for other Panchlora though, the hobby diversity of that genus has increased quite a bit the last couple years Most are very hardy and easy to keep, though there are a couple super challenging species (ex. Panchlora sp. "white").

Gyna sp. - personally, I've found that to be the most rewarding genus to keep. Care is simple (for the most part) and the activity level of a large colony is a pleasure to watch. Doing maintenance after dark isn't recommended in most cases because the adults can be super flighty, especially the males.

Cryptocercus sp. - haven't kept it so I can't say. @Hisserdude would know more than me on those.

Have you checked out Ergaula pilosa and E. capucina? They're both beetle mimics and also fun and easy to keep. Therea is another corydiid genus that is popular and pretty easy.

Ectobiidae sp. "Malaysia", aka the little penguin roach, is a neat starter ectobiid and relatively easy to keep. They're pretty active all the time too, so they'd make a good display species. They're also super cute!

 

[Connectimyrmex]

All those roaches look great, and the penguin roaches are absolutely adorable! Thanks!
My only concern is that my parents hate the "roachy roaches", and by that I mean the ones with the generic roach shape. I think that over time they'll get more used to roaches, because they've let me keep Parcoblatta and that unidentified golden colony (and they have that standard shape).
I'll probably keep Gyna for starters, I hope that the pet shop isn't sold out.

They also have redhead roaches, and I think that they're pretty cute.

Back in Hawaii, I used to keep Pacific Beetle Roaches, and I really loved those. Its a shame that they're not sold very often.

 

[Hisserdude]

Cryptocercus are quite challenging to keep, supposedly they can do well and breed in a substrate of cellulose powder, but that stuff is really hard to find, and expensive.

Others say that high ventilation is more important than substrate, and that they will breed well in just about any wood type. I have yet to see pictures of truly CB individuals though, so I have no idea which claims are true or not.

Overall, it seems like the husbandry for this genus is far from figured out, most keepers have trouble keeping them alive for long in captivity, let alone getting them to breed. Some northern species may even need a diapause, we don't know! :/

 

[Hisserdude]

small unidentified and possibly arboreal specie

Could they be Ectobius pallidus? Fairly common up north, introduced from Europe.

 

[Connectimyrmex]

YOU'RE RIGHT! Thanks!
Finally I know what they are.

Concerning Cryptocercus, has anyone ever tried to feed them aged damp cardboard? That's what I feed my termites (I allow a tiny bit of fungal growth, which softens the wood component and makes it more attractive as food).

 

[Connectimyrmex]

BTW Hisserdude, I'm a big fan
I love your website (I can't believe that I've been noticed)! In fact, your website kind of got me into keeping roaches & beetles.

 

[Hisserdude]

YOU'RE RIGHT! Thanks!
Finally I know what they are.

Concerning Cryptocercus, has anyone ever tried to feed them aged damp cardboard? That's what I feed my termites (I allow a tiny bit of fungal growth, which softens the wood component and makes it more attractive as food).

No problem, happy to help! If you are successful in breeding them and getting your colony past F1, let us know, as I don't think anyone's been able to breed any Ectobius species for more than one generation.

I don't think anyone has tried that cardboard trick yet, I don't know if it'll work or not, because unlike some termite species, they only eat really rotten wood in the wild.

BTW Hisserdude, I'm a big fan
I love your website (I can't believe that I've been noticed)! In fact, your website kind of got me into keeping roaches & beetles.

Thanks, I'm flattered! Glad my blog could help inspire you to start keeping roaches and beetles, good luck in your breeding endeavors!

 

[Hisserdude]

BTW, if you can find them, Polyphaga saussurei make a great beginner species, they are pretty low maintenance, fairly easy to breed, long lived, and adults are great for handling! Plus, they don't look "roachy".

 

[pannaking22]

Agreed with P. saussurei, very easy to keep, but they require a lot of patience to get to adulthood and have ooths start hatching.