# roach substrate



## aggie08 (Apr 24, 2006)

I decided my hissers need some aesthetic working on their cage.  Also, sometimes the nymphs get upside down and someone mentioned in my other thread that substrate will help them level themselves out.  What's the best?  I have some wood chips (the same as in the picture below, as a bonus you get to see one of my emps takin a drink  ).  Would that work?  Any other suggestions?


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## aggie08 (Apr 24, 2006)

Oh come on someone has to know something about this


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## ScorpZion (Apr 24, 2006)

could i make a suggestion? first emps like like very damp not wet soil or coir as a sub, your bark chips look dry. i would mist those if you continue to use them but i would recommend peat, eco earth, or untreated soil for you emp....

as far as your hissers go i have a small colony and found it best not to use sub, just have lots of hides and tight places. that is my two cents you also might want to use the search option for the boards. vast and vitalk information at your finger tips...

very nice looking emp you have there


Gui


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## LindsayMarie (Apr 24, 2006)

With my hissers I use aspen shavings.  It seems to work ok!  I only have a small colony of hissers (12 adults or so) in a 10 gallon aquarium, and of course their babies that I feed off as treats to my dragons.  

I recently switched my dubia colony to no substrate after always using substrate for any species I kept.  It is still very new to me (not using any substrate), but so far its working.  Some die when they get turned over, but in a large colony its probably minimal compared to the hassle of cleaning and sifting through layers of aspen with allergies and asthma....  If I were to keep a larger hisser colony (which I wont, just no need to), then I probably would have switched them to no substrate to.  

As for your question, I only have experience with pine shavings and aspen.  Pine shavings I think was a bad choice, but used for very short time when I first got into roaches.  Then I switched to aspen and no problems with it.  Goodluck, Lindsay


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## billopelma (Apr 24, 2006)

Most people seem to use either no substrate or aspen shavings. I have been using bran (like the stuff mealworms come in) with good results. The repti bark stuff is kind of coarse for roaches to burrow in and you will have a heck of a time separating out the small nymphs when it comes to cleaning time. 
 Probably no one is bothering to answer this 'cause there is a ton of easily accessable info out there on this very subject if you *search*.

Bill


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## aggie08 (Apr 25, 2006)

oh, roger that.  That's an old picture, I've got coconut fibers in my emps' cage now.  thanks


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## T.Raab (Apr 25, 2006)

Hello,

i keep all my roaches on "normal" soil (such one you can buy in the supermarket for flowers). On the soil i layed some barks, so they can hide themself under it.
I added to the soil some woodlouse (tropical and common), so i have no problem with mould.


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## james (Apr 25, 2006)

*roaches*

I have used aspen, nothing, bed-a-beast, coco-fiber, soil, sand, and peat. So with that said I now use vermiculite because it is very easy and can handle any humidity level.
James
www.blaberus.com


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## LindsayMarie (Apr 25, 2006)

james said:
			
		

> I have used aspen, nothing, bed-a-beast, coco-fiber, soil, sand, and peat. So with that said I now use vermiculite because it is very easy and can handle any humidity level.
> James
> www.blaberus.com


Hi James, 
    I know you had told me about possibly trying the vermiculite not too long ago.  So have you tried it even with the dubias?  Have you noticed better or worse reproduction?  Any cons to the vermiculite (mites, mold, more roach deaths?, harder to clean)?  I recently went no substrate as you know and I am not so sure I like it, or the dubias.  I havent yet cleaned it, so I cant compare cleaning (substrate vs no substrate).  But it seems reproduction has slowed some.  Deaths are a little higher I think when they cant right themselves.  I dont know!  Tell us more about the vermiculite!


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## james (Apr 26, 2006)

*substrate*

It seems to be working real well. It can handle water no problem and the roaches seem to like it. I have not tried to clean yet, but it doesn't seem to hard.
James


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## aggie08 (Apr 26, 2006)

How much is the stuff?  It's the white beady stuff in potting soil, right?


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## DoubleD's (Apr 26, 2006)

*Roach bedding*

The thing to consider when your raising roaches is what works best for you, and what conditions do these roaches normaly inhabit.
Basically if your getting a species that burrows, you might invest in peat, potting soil or my favorite Cocco Bedding. Why? you ask. Simple if your roach is a burrower it will not do well on egg crates, and breeding will be cut down.
If you have a climbing species or a flying one you should be thinking egg crates because there stackable and simulate a rock face or tree bark.
But then again if your uncertain as to what works best for your particular species, ask a breeder.
People have gotten too use to egg crates as a substrait because it easy to clean, these same people are the ones asking hey whay arent my roaches breeding as they should be or why are they dying? Simple.
The answer is Environmental shock. so remember folks, easy is not always best, especially when your breeding for numbers. Egg crates ar easy but if your going for environment, nothing beats rotten wood, bark, cocconut fibers or peat for making them feel right at home.

Sincerely
Dexter D
Double Ds 
www.doubleds.org


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## LindsayMarie (Apr 27, 2006)

Ok so I will ask you!   What do you house your dubias on (if anything)?  Do you have any problems with mites, mold or long hours of cleaning?  Thanks, Lindsay


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