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Well your doing something wrong bayushi. Mine have yet to smell and haven't been cleaned yet. And I put the crix in the tubs in December. I don't know what's wrong.
Best feeder roaches
- Thread starter smokejuan
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kids...
"Well thn for replying and not being mean about it.
I don't beleive the first part though, your saying that they don't ever need to be cleaned, sorry to say but I highly doubt it.
And crix don't smell within a couple of weeks at all. I already told ya that mine don't. ANd when I said that they need cleaned every few weeks I didn't actually mean like goign outside and getting the hose and
cleaning it alland everything like that. I meant like taking out any dead crix and if ya see a mess clean it up. I haven't cleaned any of my crix enlosures at all. I have had them as is since December when I got the two big rubbermaid bins.
They don't just escape. I ahven't had any escapes yet, I always ahve the lid on and everything. Only reason they escape is because the lid is off or the bin or whatever is not setup right.
Well until I see roaches at a petstores I'm goign to still use and always have crix, their always there.
Frequent cleaning, tell me what ya mean by that. I hardly ever mess with my crix except feeding time for my herps. ANd I bet you do soem cleaning with roaches, there's now ay you just put them in their enclosure and bam their set forever."
Your never going to see roaches in pet stores, or at least not for a long time... normal invert/herp keepers, would be freaked out by roaches and they really wouldnt sell, plus roaches breed so well that people wont need to buy more from the pet store. Roaches are the cutting edge feeder, so its normal for people to be sceptilcal. I have used crickets for a few years now, and I have had escapes, even with proper housing I make mistakes like droping the feeder cup or somthing else stupid and 20 crix are loose, and they are much harder to catch than feeder roaches, I havent had any roach escapes in the 5 months that ai have been keeping them. I havent cleaned any roach bins out yet, and they do smell, but not bad, they just smell... now crickets smelll terrible and there is no comparing the two, but saying that roaches dont smell is not true, but they dont smell as bad a crickets. Anohter huge plus is life span, crickets live 2 months at best, roaches can live 2 years usaully. and you'll get over 700 nymphs from each female. They thrive on neglect.. try leaving the crickets without food orwater for a few days and they start to eat each other, roaches last at least a week without water and months wihtout food... they are way better. but its up to the individual and what they are comfortable with, but I recomend you give roaches a try, you wont be dissapointed.
"Well thn for replying and not being mean about it.
I don't beleive the first part though, your saying that they don't ever need to be cleaned, sorry to say but I highly doubt it.
And crix don't smell within a couple of weeks at all. I already told ya that mine don't. ANd when I said that they need cleaned every few weeks I didn't actually mean like goign outside and getting the hose and
cleaning it alland everything like that. I meant like taking out any dead crix and if ya see a mess clean it up. I haven't cleaned any of my crix enlosures at all. I have had them as is since December when I got the two big rubbermaid bins.
They don't just escape. I ahven't had any escapes yet, I always ahve the lid on and everything. Only reason they escape is because the lid is off or the bin or whatever is not setup right.
Well until I see roaches at a petstores I'm goign to still use and always have crix, their always there.
Frequent cleaning, tell me what ya mean by that. I hardly ever mess with my crix except feeding time for my herps. ANd I bet you do soem cleaning with roaches, there's now ay you just put them in their enclosure and bam their set forever."
Your never going to see roaches in pet stores, or at least not for a long time... normal invert/herp keepers, would be freaked out by roaches and they really wouldnt sell, plus roaches breed so well that people wont need to buy more from the pet store. Roaches are the cutting edge feeder, so its normal for people to be sceptilcal. I have used crickets for a few years now, and I have had escapes, even with proper housing I make mistakes like droping the feeder cup or somthing else stupid and 20 crix are loose, and they are much harder to catch than feeder roaches, I havent had any roach escapes in the 5 months that ai have been keeping them. I havent cleaned any roach bins out yet, and they do smell, but not bad, they just smell... now crickets smelll terrible and there is no comparing the two, but saying that roaches dont smell is not true, but they dont smell as bad a crickets. Anohter huge plus is life span, crickets live 2 months at best, roaches can live 2 years usaully. and you'll get over 700 nymphs from each female. They thrive on neglect.. try leaving the crickets without food orwater for a few days and they start to eat each other, roaches last at least a week without water and months wihtout food... they are way better. but its up to the individual and what they are comfortable with, but I recomend you give roaches a try, you wont be dissapointed.
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Well thnx Nomad for informing me. I think at time it is ok to use roaches but at other times it is ok to use crickets. LIke if someone had dart species of frogs that barly get to like an inch in length there'n no way it can eat a roach. And only thing you could feed it would be like springtails, fruit flies, and pinheads which would be using the crix way.
ANd thnx for saying that the roaches do smell, I know what ya mean by that, sometimes my crix do have a smell but it's not like it's a bad smell it's just a smell.
And when I meant by escapes, I meant like that they crawl out of the bin or or you had it open and they got out, that would be your fault. I don't mean like you accidentely drop soemthing, that just happens. I've had that before.
ANd I bet the roaches would be easier because they can only crawl and not jump.
ANd If I could get roaches I would. I can't beleive I'm saying this but I am. You have convinced me to actually try it. I think it would be cool to keep them anyways, I really like breeding any kind of insects.
ANd thnx for saying that the roaches do smell, I know what ya mean by that, sometimes my crix do have a smell but it's not like it's a bad smell it's just a smell.
And when I meant by escapes, I meant like that they crawl out of the bin or or you had it open and they got out, that would be your fault. I don't mean like you accidentely drop soemthing, that just happens. I've had that before.
ANd I bet the roaches would be easier because they can only crawl and not jump.
ANd If I could get roaches I would. I can't beleive I'm saying this but I am. You have convinced me to actually try it. I think it would be cool to keep them anyways, I really like breeding any kind of insects.
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The baby roaches are really small and they could likly be fed to a dart frog. I have a chameleon, that most people only would feed pinheads or fruit flies too, an he handle the little roach nymphs like a champ, there are roaches of all sizes, to fit almost every need. I still use crickets for variety now and then, by big bearded dragon scoffs at them though... he only will take roaches now. Check out a couple sites, like www.blaberus.com or www.bugchick.com they have fair prices.packer43064 said:
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i don't believe i am doing anything wrong... i truely feel the crix have an odor to them due to how the pet store keeps them. the smell i get from the crix is the same smell the pet store has. it's not a dead smell it's just a slight odor.
the pet store here has hundreds if not thousands stored in 20 gallon tanks. it's the only pet store i have ever been in that has any kind of foul odor to it.
the pet store here has hundreds if not thousands stored in 20 gallon tanks. it's the only pet store i have ever been in that has any kind of foul odor to it.
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Well pet stores are really bad at keeping crickets. That's probaly what is wrong and why they sort of smell.
I am still going to keep my crix, I like them and really like using them. I'll try to get some roaches though and see what happens.
I would still use pinheads for the dart species, just in case.
I am still going to keep my crix, I like them and really like using them. I'll try to get some roaches though and see what happens.
I would still use pinheads for the dart species, just in case.
Well, my P.niveas don't exactly swarm out of the container when I open it (no one has ever escaped like that), mostly because they are night-active, I'd think, but I have indeed had some escapees, found dead under flowerpots and various other items. Really makes me curious though, for I've seen both half-grown and fully-grown individuals try to escape, without success.JustBugs said:
Eventhough young adults are fast as hell, I'd much rather touch and hold these than B.dubia, or crickets for that matter.
Anyway, they are soft, and I haven't had a spider that normally eats refuse them yet (in contrast to the invincible B.dubias I kept previously), eventhough no spider seems to like the wings, heh.
To sum up-
They are pretty
They don't survive for long outside of their container (unless you happen to live in New Orleans or Cuba or some such I guess)
They are pretty
They can fly and climb, which they do as often as they dig (as adults), making them quite ideal for arboreals at least.
Last, and most importantly:
They are pretty
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I guess it's my turn.
Being one of the larger roach breeders out there and also having breed crickets and many other insects here is what I think. Crickets smell when they die. Pet stores crickets stink becasue they do not bother cleaning out the dead crickets. I personally do not care for crickets becasue it takes a lot more time and energy to breed them and keep them clean. When an adult roach dies it usually doesn't smell, but if it does it's easy to remove. When keeping thousands of crickets its much more time consuming to pick out the dead ones, and because there life spans are so short death is part of the game. I never have any roach nymphs die and usually only loose adults to old age. Most of my species live 9-24 months so I have very little deaths occur. I clean every couple of months to seperate out my nymphs, but roaches can be kept for long periods of time (1 year plus) with no cleaning and no smell. There are many species of roaches that can compair to crickets if that's what you want. For example Blatta lateralis are the smae size as crickets, maybe even a little smaller when they first hatch. This roach does not climb,fly,smell, or burrow. It will not chew on your pets if un-eaten and is easy to keep and breed. Many people have mentioned B. dubia which is another great roach. Takes a little more time to establish a colony, but they breed good, are pretty soft as nymphs, and just an all around great feeder for t's, geckos, chams, dragons, etc.. Hissers take a little more time to get going, but they produce large numbers and are good breeders. I think they are a decent food source, but not my first chioce. B. gigantues and B. craniifer are also larger roaches that are good non-climbers to use. Other roaches like lobsters breed very fast and if you have a good set-up to contain them are another great feeder. This is just a few of the many species out there and I'm finding more each month. Hopefully soon when I update the site I'll have more info on the rest. If your happy breeding crickets than I say "good for you", but most of us want something less time consuming so we have more time for our pets. Roaches are expensive, but still much cheaper than feeding the cat or dog which are fed the best foods just like my reptiles.
James
www.blaberus.com
Being one of the larger roach breeders out there and also having breed crickets and many other insects here is what I think. Crickets smell when they die. Pet stores crickets stink becasue they do not bother cleaning out the dead crickets. I personally do not care for crickets becasue it takes a lot more time and energy to breed them and keep them clean. When an adult roach dies it usually doesn't smell, but if it does it's easy to remove. When keeping thousands of crickets its much more time consuming to pick out the dead ones, and because there life spans are so short death is part of the game. I never have any roach nymphs die and usually only loose adults to old age. Most of my species live 9-24 months so I have very little deaths occur. I clean every couple of months to seperate out my nymphs, but roaches can be kept for long periods of time (1 year plus) with no cleaning and no smell. There are many species of roaches that can compair to crickets if that's what you want. For example Blatta lateralis are the smae size as crickets, maybe even a little smaller when they first hatch. This roach does not climb,fly,smell, or burrow. It will not chew on your pets if un-eaten and is easy to keep and breed. Many people have mentioned B. dubia which is another great roach. Takes a little more time to establish a colony, but they breed good, are pretty soft as nymphs, and just an all around great feeder for t's, geckos, chams, dragons, etc.. Hissers take a little more time to get going, but they produce large numbers and are good breeders. I think they are a decent food source, but not my first chioce. B. gigantues and B. craniifer are also larger roaches that are good non-climbers to use. Other roaches like lobsters breed very fast and if you have a good set-up to contain them are another great feeder. This is just a few of the many species out there and I'm finding more each month. Hopefully soon when I update the site I'll have more info on the rest. If your happy breeding crickets than I say "good for you", but most of us want something less time consuming so we have more time for our pets. Roaches are expensive, but still much cheaper than feeding the cat or dog which are fed the best foods just like my reptiles.
James
www.blaberus.com
Yep dead crix stink, dead roaches don't. And you're a lot less likely to find a dead roach in a colony than dead crickets due to their longevity. May I also add that cricket frass smells quite a bit, while most non-climbing roaches' have little to no smell. However, I find hisser frass has a slight distinctive smell, but a lot less unpleasant than crickets'.
If you keep any T species larger than 6", you can't miss out on roaches. However, I still recommend the keeping of a small cricket colony, for their speedy and "schedulable" reproduction cycle and the size of pinheads for your smallest mantids nymphs, s'lings etc.
P.S. James, did you get that PM I sent a few days back?
If you keep any T species larger than 6", you can't miss out on roaches. However, I still recommend the keeping of a small cricket colony, for their speedy and "schedulable" reproduction cycle and the size of pinheads for your smallest mantids nymphs, s'lings etc.
P.S. James, did you get that PM I sent a few days back?
noob on the rampage
ok...i have a noob question on the subject and also a noob observation...
my observation (i work @ a small pet store) is that crix are indeed treated like ...oops...crap.... in petstores, for the most part, when theres 5000 of them straight from flukers farms with none deceased they smell......badly.......
my question: i scored a breeding pair of hissers (latin name would be nice to know) today, and have read through this whole thread........what i think ive found on hissers as far as negative comments are basically because they're more of a pain to keep as feeder creatures, not that they are in any way bad for the T's nor does it seem that the t's are unable to eat them (given the sizes are right as far as T:Roach)....am i wrong? if i just let the hissers bang the days away, and dont mind having them, will the T's be ok with just eating the fruits of the roaches' loins?
ok...i have a noob question on the subject and also a noob observation...
my observation (i work @ a small pet store) is that crix are indeed treated like ...oops...crap.... in petstores, for the most part, when theres 5000 of them straight from flukers farms with none deceased they smell......badly.......
my question: i scored a breeding pair of hissers (latin name would be nice to know) today, and have read through this whole thread........what i think ive found on hissers as far as negative comments are basically because they're more of a pain to keep as feeder creatures, not that they are in any way bad for the T's nor does it seem that the t's are unable to eat them (given the sizes are right as far as T:Roach)....am i wrong? if i just let the hissers bang the days away, and dont mind having them, will the T's be ok with just eating the fruits of the roaches' loins?
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Gromphadorhina portentosa is the scientific name for madagascar hissers.
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My speculation is that any high fat concentration has more to do with the diet given to the roaches than with their natural anatomy. It wouldn't surprise me if the females have a higher fat content than males. There was a study done that shows female G. portentosa prefer protein foods (like a dog biscuit) whereas males will go for carbohydrates (an apple). The idea is that the females require more protein for reproduction, since it takes a lot to build oothecae, whereas males just need straight energy for their territorial/dominance activities. The problem is that people tend to feed their roaches cat or dog chow, which is high in protein AND high in lipids. Lipids are something insects in general are unable to convert into monosaccharides.
If you want more details on the experiment, look up "Sex-Specific Food Preferences in the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach," by James E. Carrel and Elisabeth M. Tanner, printed in the Journal of Insect Behavior, Sept 2002.
Now about those crickets, I don't have a problem with stink. I don't breed them, so I don't keep a constant supply of food or water in with them. It significantly cuts down on the poop and moisture. The crickets end up living longer that way because there's no poop or moisture to harbor deadly bacteria growth. I was under the impression that pet stores kept their crickets that way too to make clean-up easier. Smaller crickets (1/2" or less) do need more frequent moisture provided, but other than that, I only feed them when I gutload them. I get about 2 or 3000 at a time straight from the cricket farmer, so there's no smell there either. When the crickets die, they dry up instead of becoming squishy, so all I need to do is dump the insides of my bin onto the yard in between shipments. And then I wash the bin with soap and water every month.
If you want more details on the experiment, look up "Sex-Specific Food Preferences in the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach," by James E. Carrel and Elisabeth M. Tanner, printed in the Journal of Insect Behavior, Sept 2002.
Now about those crickets, I don't have a problem with stink. I don't breed them, so I don't keep a constant supply of food or water in with them. It significantly cuts down on the poop and moisture. The crickets end up living longer that way because there's no poop or moisture to harbor deadly bacteria growth. I was under the impression that pet stores kept their crickets that way too to make clean-up easier. Smaller crickets (1/2" or less) do need more frequent moisture provided, but other than that, I only feed them when I gutload them. I get about 2 or 3000 at a time straight from the cricket farmer, so there's no smell there either. When the crickets die, they dry up instead of becoming squishy, so all I need to do is dump the insides of my bin onto the yard in between shipments. And then I wash the bin with soap and water every month.
Just a point of order from someone with no knowledge of the subject, but who knows something about basic principles of scholarship.
Digby Rigby is way out of line. He made a claim, was asked to source it, and refuses to do so. Whether he's right in his claim or not has nothing to do with it. He has to put up or back down.
bayushi - thanks for helping a man who is apparently too lazy to use google...
and my feeble attempt at maximizing the proper nutrition for me roaches has me using meat based dog treats (which i'm assuming are high in protein) and using the male's food as my variable...i understand that i am in no way being scientific, but have seperated the feeding area of the terrarium to see who spends how much time where....if and when i find my female, ill report the results....
this thread is making for exceptional discussion and sharing of info, lets not let it degrade - keep the ideas flowin'
and my feeble attempt at maximizing the proper nutrition for me roaches has me using meat based dog treats (which i'm assuming are high in protein) and using the male's food as my variable...i understand that i am in no way being scientific, but have seperated the feeding area of the terrarium to see who spends how much time where....if and when i find my female, ill report the results....
this thread is making for exceptional discussion and sharing of info, lets not let it degrade - keep the ideas flowin'
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Yes, my question has gotten many good answers and ideas. Unfortunately I did buy the hissers at a killer price because the petstore was tired of them. so I guess I have alot of pet roaches now (about a 100 +) I do have one question I am sure someone can answer. I have been looking around at the suggested roach varieties. Call me cheap but why are the good feeder roaches so expensive. They seem to be prolific breeders. At least Lobster roaches have the word "lobster" in it. Don't seem to be hard to get. What warrants the price? 
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Hey bro,dont worry about so called roach fat,smokejuan said:
feed them to your animals i am,looks like everybody is grooving on them i've got 3 more females ready to drop so breeding them doesnt seem to be a issue at all.
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Hey James, just wanted to comment on that statement. While many species may hardly produce any odor at all, at least to some people... there are others which I think smell quite a lot.
My favorite feeder is Eublaberus prosticus. I love keeping them and feeding them. However I've all but gotten rid of my colony b/c of the strong odor produced. Some of the Blaberus sps. smell just as bad to me.
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No worries I just happened to be looking at care sheet when i saw you post so i copy pasted...jtablerd said:
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Expensive feeders
The reason the good feeder roaches as you call them are more expensive is because they are better, breed better, and there is a much higher demand then supply. Hissers are very slow breeders and growers compared to most Blaberus and Blaptica species and the demand for them as feeders is not as great. Also the Blaberus species are more nutritious and have a better meat to shell ratio. Also roaches as a feeder are fairly new compared to the commony available insects. Also all roaches are expensive to use as feeders when compared to mealworms or crix. You dont buy roaches as feeders you buy them as breeders then feed what they breed. You wait until the second generation has grown up and starts producing before you feed so ta you can have a self sustaing colony. Good species to use are Blaptica dubia, various Blaberus such as fusca, parabolicus, craniifer and discoids among others. I have seen a drastic drop in demand for orange head roaches due to their proclivity for protein and their stronger odor. So again people use hissers for the reasons I stated in my earlier post. People who have experience and access to other roaches and other feeders don't use hissers. There are also other nonclimbers that out produce lobsters even. And I will have more soon I just sold 2500 Blatta lateralis. For the record DR zuum (I like that DR action in your name) I do not own exoticfeeders.com.
Digby Rigby
DigbyRigby@exoticfeeders.com
http://exoticfeeders.com
My feeders are cooler than your pets!
The reason the good feeder roaches as you call them are more expensive is because they are better, breed better, and there is a much higher demand then supply. Hissers are very slow breeders and growers compared to most Blaberus and Blaptica species and the demand for them as feeders is not as great. Also the Blaberus species are more nutritious and have a better meat to shell ratio. Also roaches as a feeder are fairly new compared to the commony available insects. Also all roaches are expensive to use as feeders when compared to mealworms or crix. You dont buy roaches as feeders you buy them as breeders then feed what they breed. You wait until the second generation has grown up and starts producing before you feed so ta you can have a self sustaing colony. Good species to use are Blaptica dubia, various Blaberus such as fusca, parabolicus, craniifer and discoids among others. I have seen a drastic drop in demand for orange head roaches due to their proclivity for protein and their stronger odor. So again people use hissers for the reasons I stated in my earlier post. People who have experience and access to other roaches and other feeders don't use hissers. There are also other nonclimbers that out produce lobsters even. And I will have more soon I just sold 2500 Blatta lateralis. For the record DR zuum (I like that DR action in your name) I do not own exoticfeeders.com.
Digby Rigby
DigbyRigby@exoticfeeders.com
http://exoticfeeders.com
My feeders are cooler than your pets!
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DR zuum said:Hey bro,dont worry about so called roach fat,
Thanks DR zuum, my male blondi does not know what to think of it but he is picky anyway and has strange eating habits....lol They both just cohabitate at this point. I will try the female blondi, tonight....she will eat just about anything. Another question....what can everyone agree on food stuffs for roach diets. The hissers love apples but lobsters are not too excited about them. Hissers will eat flukers criket food...lobsters don't care much for it. I've tried high protein cat chow but man is that stuff hard to break up. does it depend ont the species or is there a general around the house food or purchased food? Sorry dont know much about roaches ang most google searches bring up pest contol...lol and people wanting to sell you their tried and true roach food but is their stuff what I need to feed.
By the way I have over 100 T's and 6 beard dragons to feed. Those one and two dollar roaches would put me in the poor house quick. It will take one heck of a colony to sustain them. I will probably never get totally away from crix :wall:
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