Beginner Roach Keeping

[Chris52]

Hello! I've never kept any roaches before, so sorry if these are some stupid questions. What are some good species to begin with? I like the look of Simandoa conserfariam and some hissers, but I'm open-minded. I would prefer to just keep a few, so they preferably wouldn't reproduce easily, although I would be fine as long as I don't end up with hundreds. It would also be great if I didn't have to worry about them flying or climbing the walls of their container, but it doesn't matter too much as long as they won't actively escape. What are preferable conditions? I'm not sure how much moisture, what they're substrate should be, or how often they should be fed. And finally, from what I understand, they eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies, and citrus puts them in breeding mode lol. Thanks!

 

[pannaking22]

For a first roach I'd recommend the hissers. Very hardy and you can easily/cheaply get a group of males which will eliminate being overrun with nymphs. There are several species of hissers too, many of which are quite the lookers. And extra perk is that they all tend to be relatively long-lived. S. conserfariam is a heck of a roach, but probably not one you'd want to start with since they move extremely fast and can be a little finicky with conditions. Once you get conditions right though they'll breed like wildfire. They're also on the pricey side

Conditions will depend on the roach you choose. Some like extra humidity to thrive, others prefer a bit of dryness. Fortunately most hissers are tolerant of a wide variety of conditions and they aren't particularly picky when it comes to food either.

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

I am definitly a beginner and have a few species, but the one I would recommend is Gromphodorhina oblongata , the wide-horn hissers. Some of the longest and bulkiest roaches out there, they are pretty cheap for a starter colony. They like it dry and eat about anything you give them, and they are very loud hissers (I find it funny when you take out the dish and hear many loud psssssssts coming from the cage ). Bought mine 5 months ago and are now my favorite pets. If you want some color hisser wise, you can get E. javanica. Never owned them, but they are beautifully colored for hissers. Same care practically. Most if not all hissing species DO climb glass, but if you have a thin layer of 2" thick vaseline on the top rim of the enclosure, then they can't climb up that.

If you are not into hissers and don't want a breeding colony, go with a few sub-adult A. tesselata. Another huge roach, they love to burrow but are gorgeous when fully grown. These do not climb, which is a plus, but do like a little more humidity and wood chip substrate.

Just some suggestions

 

[craze horse]

I was given some Madagascar hissing roaches for food for centipedes, I got rid of the 'pedes and kept the roaches. Must have 40 at least. Great to handle and watch. They only breed if warm enough, keep an cool and they won't.

 

[Chris52]

Thanks for the feedback. I think for me it's between A. tesselata and E. javanica. Seeing as I already keep millipedes, wood and a bit of humidity wouldn't be too difficult. How big of a container would these guys need (maybe three)? Would a plastic shoebox-container work?

 

[Chris52]

Thanks for the feedback. I think for me it's between A. tesselata and E. javanica. Seeing as I already keep millipedes, wood and a bit of humidity wouldn't be too difficult. How big of a container would these guys need (maybe three)? Would a plastic shoebox-container work?

Also, will A. tessata not breed then?

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

Thanks for the feedback. I think for me it's between A. tesselata and E. javanica. Seeing as I already keep millipedes, wood and a bit of humidity wouldn't be too difficult. How big of a container would these guys need (maybe three)? Would a plastic shoebox-container work?

For A. tesselata, a shoebox enclosure may work. However, as adults, I do believe they are more arboreally-inclined. Basically, they like to have a vertical or leaning bark to climb on every now and again Mine have only burrowed, but I have seen others climb when adults. They breed VERY slowly too. Even in perfect breeding conditions, they usually give 2-3 litters of maybe 10-20 babies a year. For size, maybe a 9x9x9" for three adults or juvies. They get huge. Honestly, I would go with E. javanica if you plan to breed, but A. tesselata if you just want pets. I am partial to hissers though, and really want some javanica too My hissers are certainly out more, were cheaper, and are a better display colony than my tesselata.

 

[Chris52]

I think I'm going to go with some hissers, because they're cheaper, and I think more what I want. My only concern would be temperature. Apparently they won't breed at room temperature? (Although I suppose I could just avoid this completely by seeing if I can get three males.) Also, would they do okay at a little below room temp? (I keep all of the bugs in my basement, which stays fairly cool- about 70 degrees if I had to guess.

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

I think I'm going to go with some hissers, because they're cheaper, and I think more what I want. My only concern would be temperature. Apparently they won't breed at room temperature? (Although I suppose I could just avoid this completely by seeing if I can get three males.) Also, would they do okay at a little below room temp? (I keep all of the bugs in my basement, which stays fairly cool- about 70 degrees if I had to guess.

If you plan on breeding, I would say no. My G. oblongata have ooths in them, but my house stays around 72 F, so they may not even drop babies. If you can, you could buy a heat pad or basking light and use that to heat it up. If possible, a good temp is around 75-80 F

 

[Chris52]

If you plan on breeding, I would say no. My G. oblongata have ooths in them, but my house stays around 72 F, so they may not even drop babies. If you can, you could buy a heat pad or basking light and use that to heat it up. If possible, a good temp is around 75-80 F

I think the plan as of now is to keep them from breeding. Just wondering if that would affect their overall health.

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

No, they wouldn't be affected health wise They may grow a little slower, but other than that hissers are very hardy.

 

[Chris52]

No, they wouldn't be affected health wise They may grow a little slower, but other than that hissers are very hardy.

Cool, thanks.
Final questions-
How much moisture do these guys need? Online I've seen people say from really moist to almost completely dry.
How often should they be fed? Should there always be food available? (Obviously replaced so it doesn't get gross)

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

First, I'll go humidity wise. I have never kept them , so I can't speak from experience. However, on the Roachcrossing site, it says they like it dry. So, in my mind, don't moisten the sub. Just, maybe every few weeks, give the sub a very light spray that will dry up within a few hours-a day. For food, hissers IME should always have some sort of protein. Whether that is dog food, chick feed, or another source, they like to have it. Maybe every few days, put in some fruit. Only enough that they can eat in a day or two though, as it will mold. Mine seem to like summer squash, sweet potato, and other fruits/veggies. There are lots of threads here and on other sites which have great info on diet Btw, I don't mind questions. I am a noob though, so take my info with a grain of salt

 

[Chris52]

First, I'll go humidity wise. I have never kept them , so I can't speak from experience. However, on the Roachcrossing site, it says they like it dry. So, in my mind, don't moisten the sub. Just, maybe every few weeks, give the sub a very light spray that will dry up within a few hours-a day. For food, hissers IME should always have some sort of protein. Whether that is dog food, chick feed, or another source, they like to have it. Maybe every few days, put in some fruit. Only enough that they can eat in a day or two though, as it will mold. Mine seem to like summer squash, sweet potato, and other fruits/veggies. There are lots of threads here and on other sites which have great info on diet Btw, I don't mind questions. I am a noob though, so take my info with a grain of salt

Ok thanks!

 

[craze horse]

I mist mine whenever i feel.like it. In the forest its humid and damp. Sometimes they get a drenching and seem to love it, other times just a mist over. I feed them baby corn, salad leaves which last no time at all, fish flakes and peppers. Also always have jellies available which vanish quickly. I've often found my bidders in there bug gel bowl which I spray as well. I've need stacks and currently have at least 50 3rd instant +

 

[aphono]

Got a few A. tesselata small-medium nymphs from somebody on here. I'm surprised at how fond I've become of those. They are pretty active, even if you don't see them directly, the dirt is shifting around.. or they come right out for some kinds of food- banana, corn on the cob, oranges whoa hello everybody! They seem to be very non-fussy eaters- fish flakes, dog biscuits, whole grain bread were all readily accepted. I went for this species as they seem a bit wider than most species. Just attracted to that.

They are in half eco earth, half topsoil with dead leaves mixed in. I think they prefer or handle cooler temperatures very well- if that's correct, then they would do well in your situation. Early in the year, the room went down to 61 degrees at nights several times.. as far as I can tell they didn't care nor were bothered much. The nymphs are supposed to be sexable, so you could try culling or perhaps dividing them into all-male, all-female boxes as population control?

 

[Chris52]

Went ahead and ordered 3 "regular" Madagascar hissers, along with some beetle/roach jellies. Should be here tomorrow or Friday. If they do breed, it shouldn't be very fast at all, so it should be fine. Looking forward to seeing and keeping these guys. Thanks for the help!

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

No problem! Post some pics in a thread, would love to see them Ths hobby is very contagious, before I knew it I went from 1 to 4 colonies in a few months. Good luck, hope they do well for you

 

[Chris52]

No problem! Post some pics in a thread, would love to see them Ths hobby is very contagious, before I knew it I went from 1 to 4 colonies in a few months. Good luck, hope they do well for you

Will do I'm sure I'll end up with more in the future. Thanks!

 

[Chris52]

The hissers came this morning. They're a lot smaller than I expected (about as long as a quarter), but still cool. How fast do these guys grow?