Best replacement for commercial roach food?

[papilio]

Hi, I just can't keep spending $5 a pound for food! Started some dog food last week, they ain't buyin' it!

 

[BrynWilliams]

well washed carrots or fruit(often apples) works fine for me, gotta ensure they're pesticide free and I always peel them just in case anything is on the outside.

 

[Sathane]

50/50 mixture of Pablum Baby Formula (powdered) and fish flakes. My feeders love the stuff.

Credit goes to Dragoon for the recipe.

 

[papilio]

Thanks Sathane!

Sounds like just what I need, I'll give it a try!

 

[papilio]

BTW Sathane, what's your guess of an average price per pound of this mix?
Thanks again!:worship:

 

[Sathane]

No problem..

Thanks Sathane!

Sounds like just what I need, I'll give it a try!

 

[gvfarns]

50/50 mixture of Pablum Baby Formula (powdered) and fish flakes. My feeders love the stuff.

Credit goes to Dragoon for the recipe.

Wait, I'm confused. Baby formula and fish flakes are both *more* expensive than roach chow, aren't they?

 

[gvfarns]

If you want something cheaper you need to look to cheaper raw materials: chickenfood, dogfood, catfood, grains (like oatmeal). I always have at least two kinds of food available: something with lots of protein, like catfood, and something with lots of carbs, like dry oatmeal. I'd use chicken food if I had easy access to it, though.

Problem with roach chow, fish food, cat food, and to some degree dogfood is that they stink and cause roach frass to stink also. That's the beauty of things like chicken food and oatmeal.

I also frequently offer powdered milk or protein powder. Those are not particularly cheap, but it's not their main staple either. Give them variety and they will eat what they need/want.

 

[gvfarns]

Another thought: why aren't they eating the dogfood? I wonder if they actually are and you aren't noticing. A lot of people will grind it up (or put it in the blender) so they can get it in their mouths easier. Might try that.

What kind of roach are we talking about here, btw? if you "keep buying" pounds at a time, you must have a *LOT* of roaches. I have a few thousand lateralis and they are more roaches than I want/need. I give them a few handfuls of food every few weeks or something. In my experience other roaches eat less than lateralis (slower metabolism).

 

[Sathane]

Hmmm... Good point. I don't really pay attention too much to the cost when grabbing stuff I need.

I'm not sure if there is anything similar in the US but we have a place called the Bulk Barn that has things like powdered milk and fish flakes for much much less than you'd pay in a regular store and you can buy it in a decent volume since it won't go bad.

Wait, I'm confused. Baby formula and fish flakes are both *more* expensive than roach chow, aren't they?

 

[Sathane]

I used to feed this prior to my current feeder diet. Some roaches won't even eat the crushed dog/cat food.

Not sure what it is really, they just appear to be finnicky (sp?).

Another thought: why aren't they eating the dogfood? I wonder if they actually are and you aren't noticing. A lot of people will grind it up (or put it in the blender) so they can get it in their mouths easier. Might try that.

What kind of roach are we talking about here, btw? if you "keep buying" pounds at a time, you must have a *LOT* of roaches. I have a few thousand lateralis and they are more roaches than I want/need. I give them a few handfuls of food every few weeks or something. In my experience other roaches eat less than lateralis (slower metabolism).

 

[papilio]

Well, even ground up, I only see a few in the dish at a time.

Have about 2000 (guessing) Lobsters (incl. nymphs), and I just keep the water crystal and roach food dishes full. One tub (about 100 adults and their kids) will empty the 3 x 0.75 inch food dish in less than a day. Too much food? But the colony doesn't seem to be growing all that fast (temp in the tub 75-85F, BTW)

 

[papilio]

Also, my experience has been that both the water crystal dishes and the roach food dishes are constantly packed solid with roaches.

 

[gvfarns]

Also, my experience has been that both the water crystal dishes and the roach food dishes are constantly packed solid with roaches.

Hmm. Well, might try chickenfood or oatmeal. I can vouch for the latter. Throw some fish guts in it and you have roach chow. Bleh.

 

[Annie3Ponies]

Unmedicated poultry grower mash. 25 cents a pound at the local feed mill.

 

[papilio]

Thanks gvfarns and Annie3ponies, sounds like just what I need -- it seems agreed that poultry food and oatflakes make stuff that they'll like, and the price looks great! :worship:

 

[Sathane]

I'm going to add some of that chicken mash to my current mixture and see how it goes over.