# Turkistan roach colony



## EightLeggedFrea (Apr 24, 2008)

Seeing as I want to rid myself of dependency on crix as a primary food source as soon as possible, I got me a second roach colony (about 50 dubias being the first) in 100 Turkistans in a 5.5 gal aquarium with a sliding lid. I've currently got 9 ts, 4 scorps, and 1 cent, so I'm considering ordering another 100 to add to this colony. I saw some raoches already have wings and some are large and black so they are obviously of breeding age. I also keep both colonies in my closet with a infrared lamp as a heat source. 

For good measure I'd like to order another 100 roaches and add them to the existing colony. Is this a good idea or am I just overdoing it?

Also, are there any special care requirements about this roach or can they be raised just like the dubias?


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## petshopguy (Apr 25, 2008)

IMO - you're overdoing it on the turkistans. Keep the humidity up and they breed rapidly. One breeder project that you might find helpful and fun is breeding superworms. This will give you one more source of variety for your critters without relying on spending $ on feeders. They are nice meaty treats.:}


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## Nich (Apr 25, 2008)

*Lol*

Feed the colony for a month, keep the humidity up...and youll have more than enough to satiate the critters. If you want to boost the colony, pay a bit less and get a dozen or so Adult males and females.


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## EightLeggedFrea (Apr 25, 2008)

How would I go about providing adequate humidity? They've got a hige water dish full of water gel so that helps, but is misting the sides of the tank necessary?


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## 357wheelgunner (Apr 26, 2008)

I had high humidity in mine because I made a little "roach castle" as my wife called it, 4 egg crates with 2 on top, and buried them under a pile of substrate.  I imagine it stayed pretty warm and humid in there, I dumped some water on every week.


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## EightLeggedFrea (Apr 26, 2008)

357wheelgunner said:


> I had high humidity in mine because I made a little "roach castle" as my wife called it, 4 egg crates with 2 on top, and buried them under a pile of substrate.  I imagine it stayed pretty warm and humid in there, I dumped some water on every week.


Looks like a neat set-up but wouldn't substrate just make it harder to fish the roaches, especially small ones, out? Also wouldn't the wet egg crates inspire mold? I currently have my Turks on no substrate.


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## 357wheelgunner (Apr 26, 2008)

EightLeggedFrea said:


> Looks like a neat set-up but wouldn't substrate just make it harder to fish the roaches, especially small ones, out? Also wouldn't the wet egg crates inspire mold? I currently have my Turks on no substrate.


I'm not sure if it causes mold, but it did cause breeding ;P 

All I have to do to get them out is blow in there, it makes them run in and out and all over the place.


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## ShawnH (Apr 26, 2008)

You don't need to give any heat to your roaches besides room temperature if your only feeding a dozen or so animals.  The blatta lateralis need some humidty a couple inches of damp coco-fiber works well.  They lay eggs and need the moisture to breed.  I don't use any substrate in my dubia colonies they don't really seem to need much humidity and breed really fast if you keep them at 90F but will breed at room temperature as well.  Just make sure you feed them fruit a couple times a week they seem to breed better if you do.  The lateralis eat almost anything, I feed mine fish food I get for $1 a pound and sometimes fruit and other stuff.


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## EightLeggedFrea (Apr 27, 2008)

ShawnH said:


> You don't need to give any heat to your roaches besides room temperature if your only feeding a dozen or so animals.  The blatta lateralis need some humidty a couple inches of damp coco-fiber works well.  They lay eggs and need the moisture to breed.  I don't use any substrate in my dubia colonies they don't really seem to need much humidity and breed really fast if you keep them at 90F but will breed at room temperature as well.  Just make sure you feed them fruit a couple times a week they seem to breed better if you do.  The lateralis eat almost anything, I feed mine fish food I get for $1 a pound and sometimes fruit and other stuff.


Can peat moss work too as a substrate? And B. lateralis really don't need heat like dubias?


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## petshopguy (Apr 27, 2008)

Peat moss is fine, that is what I use - just keep it damp. Lateralis do fine at room temp - humidity is the only biggie to get them to be prolific. If the egg crates get a little mold build-up, change them for new egg crates - that's what I do.


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## Nich (Apr 28, 2008)

EightLeggedFrea said:


> Can peat moss work too as a substrate? And B. lateralis really don't need heat like dubias?


I keep mine on bare plastic is a sterelite, I cant feed them off fast enough...literally. I tried substrate and had some issues with mites, and an amazing odor. I kept a small comtainer with food in it, and a mesh that only newly hatched roaches could fit through in the enclosre, so I sould take it ut to feed slings and early instar scorps. With latteralis, there going to generally thrive with the basics, but a bit aheat goes a LONG way with these guys, as does a water dish.


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## Moltar (Apr 28, 2008)

EightLeggedFrea said:


> I've currently got 9 ts, 4 scorps, and 1 cent, so I'm considering ordering another 100 to add to this colony.
> 
> For good measure I'd like to order another 100 roaches and add them to the existing colony. Is this a good idea or am I just overdoing it?


Omg, you'd be so overdoing it. If you have mature roaches in there, as soon as they start reproducing you'll be like "Holy crap! What the heck am I gonna do with all these roaches?!?!" I have about 55 t's and I can see already that i'll have WAY more turkeys than i'll need. Just cive them 2 or 3 months and you'll be in business. of course, if you want to start feeding them off NOW then you could buy another 100.


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## kupo969 (Apr 28, 2008)

Don't mean to hijack or anything, but what about changing the substrate? Wouldnt you be throwing out eggs as well?


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## gwrace (May 9, 2008)

Nich said:


> I keep mine on bare plastic is a sterelite, I cant feed them off fast enough...literally. I tried substrate and had some issues with mites, and an amazing odor. I kept a small comtainer with food in it, and a mesh that only newly hatched roaches could fit through in the enclosre, so I sould take it ut to feed slings and early instar scorps. With latteralis, there going to generally thrive with the basics, but a bit aheat goes a LONG way with these guys, as does a water dish.


Just wondering if you could tell me what kind of mesh your using. Pictures of the container would be helpful.

Thanks!


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## elportoed (Jun 23, 2008)

*ventilation and mite issue*

I have a colony of a few thousand lateralis in a 10 gal rubbermaid with no substrate, just egg crates for them to live in.  I don't give them water source except for fresh fruits which get removed if not eaten.  And I have a dry container for cat food.  

Last week I noticed a couple of things.  One is a bunch of little small white mites which are barely visible, how do you get rid of these?  I occasionally see them in the T substrate when they are too moist.  But when the substrate dry up they would go away.  The other is faint ammonia smell, is it time to clean the colony, or I just don't have enough ventilation?


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## clear (Jun 27, 2008)

kupo969 said:


> Don't mean to hijack or anything, but what about changing the substrate? Wouldnt you be throwing out eggs as well?


That is why i was coming in here! With substrate you will throw away a lot of the egg sacks they lay! IMO i would never use a substrate for roaches, the babies are so tiny and egg cases are hard to find. Just my 2 cents


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