Are roaches better than crickets

[EulersK]

Do they make slings grow faster?

Not in my experience, no. Roaches have much more "meat" on them than crickets, so there's that, but I don't think they actually make spiders grow any larger or faster.

Here's my final thought: keeping a cricket colony is not something I want to get back in to. I did it when I kept herps, and it was a pain and a half. Keeping a roach colony is so easy that I'm actually trying to slow down their reproduction. And, again, almost no smell.

 

[ArachnaeEsoterica]

How do you tell which females are pregnant? I haven't seen any signs of pregnancy in these.

 

[EulersK]

How do you tell which females are pregnant? I haven't seen any signs of pregnancy in these.

Arthropods do not get pregnant - they are gravid.

Also, look at what I said; they're breeding so quickly that I can't keep up. You won't care if a female is gravid, because they reproduce ungodly fast. I don't think there are any obvious signs that a female is gravid, but from what I've seen, an adult female is either gravid or about to be gravid. There isn't much gray area. The females are ready to pair after dropping the ootheca ("eggsac") something like six hours later.

 

[ArachnaeEsoterica]

This eggsac sits in the enclosure or do they carry it?

 

[Jacob Ma]

Depending on the species, the roach may or may not carry the egg sac, but if they do carry the egg sac they may expose it occasionally and appear to be much wider or longer than the other roaches. For the species that lay eggs, they usually deposit them in crevices or damp areas away from direct sunlight.

 

[pannaking22]

How would you keep lats?

Pretty good care info here: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/b-lateralis-care-sheet.56044/