Roaches instead of crickets

[ballpython2]

I have 12 tarantulas and "I'm sick and tired" of the Ts only being hungry when its convient for them lol. All this does is have me ending up with a few dead crickets. So I want to save money and start breeding roaches.

So if someone can name best species of roaches to use for a collection of 12 tarantulas that would help.

Most of my Ts are juveniles to adults and I have about one or two slings. One is close to fitting on a dime (A little bit bigger) and one is about 1 -2" i think. If size helps decide what species of roaches I need there goes that information.

I was looking for the roach species name, how fast they breed,can they eat cricket gut loader food/liquids? and tempetures they should be kept at

 

[fictitious]

I hear Dubias and Lobster roaches are the best, no first had experience but I'm hoping to have a colony soon aswell. Someone else will be able to clarify this but I'm pretty shure they'll eat cricket loader and breed at the same conditions as you would house a Emp.

 

[hairmetalspider]

I was wondering this as well.
If you dont mind me throwing a question out there too- What do you keep a roach colony in?

 

[ChainsawMonkey]

Oh, irony! I've been researching this very thing, and I recommend dubias. They can't climb or fly. And if you want to keep a huge colony of at least 80 individuals a 10 gallon aquarium with a screen lid and heating pad will do just fine. To induce breeding keep them in the mid 80's, 85º - 90ºF, substrate is optional, and give them some egg crates to hide in. I've read you can give them anything from catfood to potato chunks to eat, and a water dish isn't the best plan, use that water gel stuff or those water pillow things.

 

[hairmetalspider]

Oh, irony! I've been researching this very thing, and I recommend dubias. They can't climb or fly. And if you want to keep a huge colony of at least 80 individuals a 10 gallon aquarium with a screen lid and heating pad will do just fine. To induce breeding keep them in the mid 80's, 85º - 90ºF, substrate is optional, and give them some egg crates to hide in. I've read you can give them anything from catfood to potato chunks to eat, and a water dish isn't the best plan, use that water gel stuff or those water pillow things.

Awesome. Can you pick up the gel at any petstore?

 

[ChainsawMonkey]

I believe that all of the big chain stores have it, like petco and petsmart. I remember seeing it at petsmart a couple of weeks ago. I've even seen it in the little independant petshops, they use it in the cricket box too. It's very useful stuff.

 

[Cocoa-Jin]

I have a small lobster colony in same type of 5 gallon as m T's. Slide off mesh top with about 2 inches of vaseline smeared along the top of the glass.

I feed my lobsters fresh fruits and veggies, plus a small container(those small restaurant dipping cups) of plain rolled oats, malt-o-meal and corn meal.

No need for water crystals if you provide fresh fruits and veggies, they have all moisture they need without raising the odds of mildew, fungus, bacteria blooms, etc. I find a dry habitat helps to minimize fruit flies and other flying pests.

Also provide a protein source...I use a spun-dried high protein cat food. Very easy for the roaches to eat, but remarkably resistent to moisture and spoilage.

 

[ChainsawMonkey]

He does have a point about the fresh fruits and veggies, but they're getting a might expensive. I honestly can't afford to give the feeders fresh food anymore, so I'd feed them cat food, but as a replacement for the fresh foods, and I'd give them that moist gutload stuff that they make for crix. It works almost exactly the same. But I'd still give them the water gel for good measure. BTW, I don't have roaches, I have crickets and I hate them, but I am getting them and I've been reading as much as I can. So my information is actually pretty fresh and recent in my mind, and imo pretty reliable.

 

[jeepinwu2]

I have a lobster colony, they are pretty self-sufficient. I just throw in veggie clippings, fruit that has went soft that I won’t eat it and a handful of oats every now and then. I just gave them a hard boiled egg left over from Easter and they loved it. Give them a shallow water dish that a small roach can get in an out of without drowning and your set.

 

[Cocoa-Jin]

He does have a point about the fresh fruits and veggies, but they're getting a might expensive. I honestly can't afford to give the feeders fresh food anymore, so I'd feed them cat food, but as a replacement for the fresh foods, and I'd give them that moist gutload stuff that they make for crix. It works almost exactly the same. But I'd still give them the water gel for good measure. BTW, I don't have roaches, I have crickets and I hate them, but I am getting them and I've been reading as much as I can. So my information is actually pretty fresh and recent in my mind, and imo pretty reliable.

Yeah, its not worth it to buy fresh produce just for the roaches, give them whats left over from your diet...they dont need much.

I but produce that I like and in the process point out in my mind which ones would be suitable for the roaches.

If I buy a bag of salad, I save a few leaves, if I buy strawberries I toss one in the tank and give them another if they get too ripe or something. I pay like .50cents for a small bunch of baby bok choy whiche lasts atleast a month in the frig and they only eat a leaf or two a week.

 

[radicaldementia]

I have a small, yet booming dubia colony, and I can say that I love them as feeders and as pets. They don't smell, can't climb smooth surfaces, won't infest your home, easy to breed, easy to sex, loved by most Ts. I started with about 40 medium-large nymphs, and after about 3 months I had over 20 adult females giving birth. I can't be sure, but I've got well over 200 now and growing fast.

Adding fresh fruits or veggies to their diet is fairly important, in addition to the dry cat/dog food and water crystals. I throw in some baby carrots every few days and they are gone within a few hours. They'll live without it, but remember you want fat, healthy roaches to feed to your inverts.

I also think they're one of the prettiest roaches around, especially the adult females

 

[ChainsawMonkey]

They are pretty, aren't they.

 

[frtysxan2]

He does have a point about the fresh fruits and veggies, but they're getting a might expensive. I honestly can't afford to give the feeders fresh food anymore, so I'd feed them cat food, but as a replacement for the fresh foods, and I'd give them that moist gutload stuff that they make for crix. It works almost exactly the same. But I'd still give them the water gel for good measure. BTW, I don't have roaches, I have crickets and I hate them, but I am getting them and I've been reading as much as I can. So my information is actually pretty fresh and recent in my mind, and imo pretty reliable.

this isn't my thread, but is it important to gut load for T food? do T's need extra nutrients other than the crickets themselves?

 

[ballpython2]

radicaldementia can you put up a picture of an adult female next to the adult male so i can see the difference? or is there a different way to sex dubias?

 

[radicaldementia]

This is one of the easiest roaches to sex, males have full wings, females have little wings. Nymphs have no wings and are much more dull in color

 

[ballpython2]

This is one of the easiest roaches to sex, males have full wings, females have little wings. Nymphs have no wings and are much more dull in color

oh ok are interested in selling any of those?? or were did you first buy yours from so I can get mine from there too?

 

[jeepinwu2]

I know the B Dubias are pretty and such They cost more and you have to keep their temp up for reproduction/ to keep them alive. I went with the lobsters as they reproduce from what I've seen at any temp above 50. You can pick up 1000 lobsters for $20 vs 100 B Dubias for $40. You really wouldn't be able to start feeding off the 100 B Dubias for a while without slowing the growth of the colony.

Here is where you can buy and where I bought mine.
http://www.aaronpauling.com/roaches/products.php

 

[ballpython2]

I know the B Dubias are pretty and such They cost more and you have to keep their temp up for reproduction/ to keep them alive. I went with the lobsters as they reproduce from what I've seen at any temp above 50. You can pick up 1000 lobsters for $20 vs 100 B Dubias for $40. You really wouldn't be able to start feeding off the 100 B Dubias for a while without slowing the growth of the colony.

Here is where you can buy and where I bought mine.
http://www.aaronpauling.com/roaches/products.php

Lobsters can climb correct?

 

[Cocoa-Jin]

Lobsters can climb correct?

Yep, they sure do. Even with Vaseline on the glass, if its anything other than vertical they'll climb it like champs.

this isn't my thread, but is it important to gut load for T food? do T's need extra nutrients other than the crickets themselves?

Gutloading may not be neccessary, but healthy well nourished feeders is neccessary. If they arent fed well, they may very well be defficient in required nutrients that the T needs. It may not matter in the short term, but may prove to be problematic in the long term if the improper feeding of the feeders continue.

 

[jeepinwu2]

Yes they can climb but the B dubia males can fly. As long as you have a vaseline barrier at least 1" they won't climb past it.
Here is a pic with the top off - do you see any trying to escape or climb the walls? There are well over a 1000 in there.