Blatta lateralis Egg Case Question

[Taceas]

I've got several hundred B. lateralis roaches, they lay lots and lots of egg cases...but relatively few hatch. Why?

Most of them look shriveled. Are these infertiles, that just dessicate away?

Or do they only lay eggs once bred, so they really don't expend energy laying eggs that won't hatch, and these are in fact fertile cases I'm killing?

Is there anything I'm doing wrong to make them not hatch?

They're kept in a 4 gallon Sterilite, with a screen lid. They've got an inch or so of coco bedding. Average room temp in here is around 72* F, relative humidity 40-50%. They're fed pre-prepared roach food from blaberus.com, and drink water crystals or slices of fruit/vegetable.

They seem to be really fat and healthy, but they eventually dwindle due to few of the cases actually hatching to sustain the population, and I have to buy more.

What am I doing wrong? :wall:

 

[IguanaMama]

I am NOT AN EXPERT HERE! Howeverr, I have a layer of damp sphagnum moss on the bottom and I keep mine in a jar so the humidity is a bit higher.

 

[DavidRS]

First, I think the temps are too low. I keep mine around mid 80's. I don't use a substrate, but I keep a smaller container filled with slightly damp peat. Some of the egg cases will fall into the peat-filled container, and every now and then I gather up as many cases I can, then put those in the damp peat also. I seem to have pretty good luck with them.

 

[the_frog_kid]

higher humidity and higher temp
i keep my roaches at 90
i have a inch of soil on the ground that is vary moist at one end and semi moist at the other end
i use a 55 gallon rubbermaid
i put my own roach food in a bowl and water crystals on the substrate in a big pile
i have had a 99% hatch rate
but i have very good genetics to mine are over 1.25 inches long and very fat as adults
i have hatched 14000 in 7 monthes




thanx froggy

 

[Dom]

The temp is definitely too low for hatching. As mentioned the eggs really like to be above 80 and closer to 90F for fast hatching.
The humidity is a bit low too. Don't get it too high though or they will get mold on them.
If the egg cases look good when laid you should get very high hatch rates.

 

[Arlius]

Once they start to dimple/shrivel, they are dead. I had extreme difficulty getting em to hatch for the first couple months I had em, but now I have over 100 (only had 8 females and 2 males)
Like said, humidity and temp. Mine were warm enough, but since I am raising em all in same container (not recommended, I am short on space) I didn't have enough humidity. When I finally put a shallow deli cup of substrate in there, plus the water crystals I was previously putting in, it was enough (substrate was wet, I water it down once every week or so)
I have them in a rubber-maid rectangular container, with a few holes drilled in the top.

If you have the space and time/energy separating the egg cases will probably give the best results (and allow a setup that prevents immediate inbreeding)

 

[Skypainter]

If the egg cases are shriveling it's because they need some moisture. I had the same problem myself until I began to use substrate. Get rid of the coco fiber and put down a 1.5 inch thick layer of potting soil for your roaches and keep it damp but not wet and your problem will be solved.

 

[Taceas]

Well to be honest, I did try slightly moist peat based potting soil initially when I first began the quest of actually using substrate in my roach box. But it molded everything terribly. Their feces on the floor would mold, the feces and dank stuff on the egg cartons would mold, their food in a bowl would mold...it wasn't a pretty sight nor a sight that smelled well either.

Their container I believe has more than adequate ventilation too, as it's worked wonderfully for lobster roaches for the past year. I got away from the lobsters due to the smell and the fact that only 2 of my tarantulas would eat them surprisingly enough. Everyone seems happy with the B. lateralis's though.

Pic of Roach Container Lid

I've found the semi-dry coco bedding actually keeps what odor there is, to a minimum. When I refill their water crystals when I'm doing tarantula maintenance as well, I will mist down their cage, then replace their food bowl with fresh food.

But the temp thing isn't going to be helped I don't think. I live in a temperate climate and neither my husband nor I like an overly warm house. There isn't any place I can think of that's got temps in the 80-90* range. Would a small UTH work if placed on/under the container?

I could probably collect egg cases every couple of days or so, put them in a pickle jar with moist peat, in one of my snake's cages over the heat tape to get them to hatch, and transfer them to the adult container. That might work.

 

[musihuto]

i've recently been picking egg cases and putting them in a seperate small container which i keep relatively moist, and i'm seeing a fair number of nymphs...
its kept at around 72*F - 76*F.. my understanding is that this is fine, unless you're in some sort of hurry and you need them to hatch asap, in which case you might want to put them in a small tank/container with a heater perhaps. i personally, am the patient type.

cheers!
- munis