# Red Racers Turkistan roaches



## eddieriv (Mar 24, 2010)

Hey I was interested in starting red racer colony. I have a Dubia colony going but I would like to get out of crickets as soon as possible and I feel the Turks are the way to go since they lay eggs constantly. I was wondering if they are easy to take care of and how do they compare to Dubia in terms of care. Also do they escape easy I keep hearing that the males fly.  If anyone is selling them I would like to buy $2000


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## robd (Mar 24, 2010)

The Turkish Red Racer (Blatta lateralis) is definitely a good choice as a main feeder roach. They aren't climbers so their odds of escaping aren't good. They're similar to any roach in the regard that if you keep them at 80+ degrees they're going to thrive and reproduce a lot. The one thing with them is, it's important to keep the humidity up, so that the females will drop their egg cases.

I am planning on trying something new here soon with humidity and lateralis. I'm going to take a large deli cup, like the kind you'd use to transport a fairly large T, and fill it with water, put the lid on, and poke a bunch of holes into it. Holes small enough to where no roaches will get in. A bowl of water crystals will only provide so much humidity, so hopefully this helps.


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## gvfarns (Mar 24, 2010)

The way I handled the humidity was to keep them on a substrate, which can be kept humid (not moist).  You don't have to change it all that often and that plus a heater lamp was pretty much necessary for me to get them to breed.

Lats are the best feeder roach.  Real easy to care for and T's love them.  When they do breed they are prolific in the extreme.  It just takes a little care to get them to drop egg cases, and for those egg cases to hatch.

Though, even if you don't successfully breed them, during the warm months you can get them shipped to you at extremely low cost.  Then you can feed them off for like a year or more.  Mine haven't bred in a long, long time and I'm not close to needing to get more or make them breed.

That's if you are keeping tarantulas.  If you have any herps, you will need much larger quantities and should get a big colony breeding.


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## jebbewocky (Mar 24, 2010)

Here's what I did for humidity, essentially.
I bought mealworms, about 50 or 100 or so, anbd saved the container.  Anything plastic with a good seal will do.
I cut a hole in the lid, and hot glued window screen to it.  Then, I fill the cup with water, and put the modded lid on.  Put on the warm end of the roach tank.

Presto!  Instant humidity!  No spraying, no substrate.


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## endoflove (Mar 24, 2010)

wow $2000 for roaches thats a lot!!! i bet u mean 2000, i use to have a colony but its not them escaping from it, its them escaping when its feeding time


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## eddieriv (Mar 25, 2010)

Haha yea i meant 2000.  I will be feeding bearded dragons and not just one but 6 adults plus hatchlings so I know i need a huge colony.  I have a Dubia colony started now but they arent as prolific as the turks.  Someone was trying to get to buy lobster roaches but I hear they climb and he was saying that his lobsters breed faster than his turks but i think he was just saying that so i would buy lobsters instead.


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## Reptiliatus (Mar 25, 2010)

eddieriv said:


> Haha yea i meant 2000.  I will be feeding bearded dragons and not just one but 6 adults plus hatchlings so I know i need a huge colony.  I have a Dubia colony started now but they arent as prolific as the turks.  Someone was trying to get to buy lobster roaches but I hear they climb and he was saying that his lobsters breed faster than his turks but i think he was just saying that so i would buy lobsters instead.


Firstly I think it’s important you be told how ridiculously fast Turkistan roaches are and to be honest I’m surprised no one has mentioned this as one of their cons! Aside from this everything else everyone has mentioned is true and accurate.
 You mentioned you want to use them to feed your bearded dragons, which in the case of the hatchlings and juveniles Turkistan roaches would be excellent feeders and will keep your little guys running all over the place hunting, but your adults will be much better off eating the B. Dubias you said you also had. I’m only trying to help you make an educated decision but I want you to know I have heard some bad “horror stories” about Turks getting out and establishing themselves in people’s bathrooms, etc. Although these are a tropical roach species they are prolific breeders as mentioned and thus are capable of breeding in even their moderately undesirable temps, thus infestation is possible and with their speed a gravid female on the loose is the last thing you want. I really wanted you to know that since you want to buy ALOT of them which posses a greater risk.

 Sincerely, Dayyan (YouTube user: Reptiliatus Channel)


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## eddieriv (Mar 25, 2010)

I heard how crazy fast they are, I really don't think they will escape because I plan on being extra careful.  I live in Jersey I don't think they will survive a winter here either. I have a bunch of hatchlings coming soon and I need a fast breeding roach so that I can get completely rid of crickets. I hate them, they smell make to much noise etc.


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## dociledragons (Jan 2, 2014)

I too would like to purchase 2000 if anybody has any. Thanks


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## Smokehound714 (Jan 11, 2014)

This species is becoming established in the scrubland here in socal..  They're quite beautiful, however.   I collect them every now and then from the scrub for my trapdoor spider


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## dociledragons (Jan 19, 2014)

I am going to purchase 1k or so at the Repticon Salt Lake City in Feb. I can't wait


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## Angels5599 (Sep 7, 2016)

this is my lil starter on my turkistan roaches. This is also a temporary housing till i can buy another critter keeper. (The water crystals are clean the picture an light isnt very good.


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## Toxoderidae (Sep 7, 2016)

Angels5599 said:


> this is my lil starter on my turkistan roaches. This is also a temporary housing till i can buy another critter keeper. (The water crystals are clean the picture an light isnt very good.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


and why did you revive a thread from 2010?


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## Angels5599 (Sep 7, 2016)

Just... Idk.

Reactions: Dislike 2


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## Introvertebrate (Sep 7, 2016)

Toxoderidae said:


> and why did you revive a thread from 2010?


What are you?  The thread Nazi?  Turkistans are as relevant today as they were in 2010, if not more so.


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## Toxoderidae (Sep 7, 2016)

Introvertebrate said:


> What are you?  The thread Nazi?  Turkistans are as relevant today as they were in 2010, if not more so.


Actually I'm am the Revived Soviet Union. The reason why this thread was stupid to revive was because this was someone trying to buy roaches.


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## Introvertebrate (Sep 7, 2016)

Toxoderidae said:


> Actually I'm am the Revived Soviet Union. The reason why this thread was stupid to revive was because this was someone trying to buy roaches.


Ah, I see.  I never bothered reading the thread from the beginning.  I'm voting for Putin, by the way.

Reactions: Funny 1


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