Blatta lateralis roach colony

[biomarine2000]

I just acquired 50 Blatta lateralis roaches. I was curious to find out how you guys were keeping them. I have some idea but I'd like to go to the proven methods. What should I keep them in? What kind of lid should I use? Any help or pictures would help. Thanks

 

[Travis K]

You'll want to get some bug stop. Personally I don't like these as much as lobsters or dubias. They smell and I have found that they are just as finicky of eaters as Hisser's are. Lobsters and Dubia will just about eat anything and with those two species you cover the smallest slings to the Largest T. blondi, as well as terrestrial and arboreal. Turks, IMO, are just yucky. The one thing they have going for them is they are very hyper and run around more, but this is a draw back as they can be difficult to capture if you need them or they get away from you while you are trying to feed them off. I have had them run up my arm and around my body to end up on the counter and bam, they are gone. They work, but they aren't as good as lobsters.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

B. lateralis care sheet, here at AB

The basic egg-crate-in-a-storage-bin route is perfectly acceptable for raising these guys. They do not climb smooth surfaces but I'd suggest a vaseline barrier anyways just to be on the safe side. Males can fly a bit but aren't inclined to; they run first as a response to threats and really only take wing if they fall or are thrown. Desite this many people advise having a (well ventillated) lid on the tank just in case.
Because this species lays egg cases, you may want to provide some kind of substrate or humidity source to prevent the egg cases from dessicating. I'm fortunate enough to have a very humid room so even those laid in the egg crate do not dry out, but a shallow layer of substrate covering the bottom of the bin or even a large shallow dish of substrate on one end of the tank will do. Several folks in the topic I linked had luck even in fairly dry conditions so long as dietary moisture needs were met. Similarly, preferred breeding temps are above 78-80 degrees but myself and others have observed plenty of breeding at lower temps (mid 70's).
They'll eat just about anything but are prone to cannibalism without a good protien source, so definitely include dog/cat/fish food or meat in the diet. Mine seem to have an affinity for meats and fruits, but they'll chow down farinah and oatmeal like any other roach as well.
Also remember that these guys are FAST and in some states allegedly have infestation potential - it may be a good idea to give their heads a little crunch before feeding them out, particularly if you do not tong feed or keep any of your T's in enclosures that a roach could climb out of.

Personally I prefer these guys to lobsters since they do not climb glass, are extremely prolific, have great sized nymphs for slings and great sized adults for T's/Scorps, and I find them less smelly than my lobster colony. Haven't had issues with food acceptance. I also like the nice soft exoskeletons, but then again I am also keeping amphibians. Preference from keeper to keeper I guess; every time I see a feeder species suggested, I see a counter suggestion. Ah, inverts; never the same from person to person eh?

 

[Moltar]

I like my lateralis just fine in spite of their smelliness and escape prone speediness. I keep mine as dry as I possibly can and generally at or below 70 degrees just to slow down their breeding rate yet they still breed fairly prolifically. There has never been any issue whatsoever with acceptance, bar none. All of my t's love them.

The biggest hassle is their speed. I've had to develop some "safety first" procedures with feeding that I definitely don't feel necessary for B dubias. I have secondary temporary feeding bins with lids because basically if you drop one it's gone, they are that quick. They do stink a little too.

 

[Travis K]

yeah I just dump a few in an empty smooth container I can fit my hand in and then toss or shake in what I need.

 

[scottyk]

Stress free lat feeding ala' Scott:

Start with a glass beaker or wide mouth jar. It's important to use glass as the nymphs can climb plastic.

Working over the thier tub, pull out a flat and just knock some lats right into jar by tapping a flat on the jar rim.

Viola! You now have a jar of mixed lats that are easy to handle and take over to your tarantulas. Use a pair of 12" forceps to take them out and feed. Thier speed is no longer an issue when they are crowded into a 3 or 4" diameter glass bottom.

When you are finished, take the leftovers and dump them right back into the tub...

Enjoy!
Scott

 

[gvfarns]

Stress free lat feeding ala' Scott:

Start with a glass beaker or wide mouth jar. It's important to use glass as the nymphs can climb plastic.

Working over the thier tub, pull out a flat and just knock some lats right into jar by tapping a flat on the jar rim.

Viola! You now have a jar of mixed lats that are easy to handle and take over to your tarantulas. Use a pair of 12" forceps to take them out and feed. Thier speed is no longer an issue when they are crowded into a 3 or 4" diameter glass bottom.

When you are finished, take the leftovers and dump them right back into the tub...

Enjoy!
Scott

That's a really good method. I'm starting up again with lateralis and I'm going to try this.

 

[gvfarns]

I prefer lateralis to lobsters and dubia. The former climb to the top of the tarantula enclosure and can remain there for a long time (tho this might be good for arboreals) and I'm always afraid they will escape from the T enclosure. Dubia are great little roaches but insufficiently active to attract the attention of finickey T's and I don't like trying to damage them to get them to move around. B bolivensis is better if you want a big roach in my opinion...much more active it seems to me (though the nymphs are very given to burrowing).

Anyway lateralis grow fast and eat a lot in my experience. I kept my former colony on no substrate, along with water crystals, oatmeal, and catfood. And some roach chow too, actually. They definitely got stinky but that was because of my extreme neglect (I got married and moved out, leaving them for several months with no care to speak of and their dead bodies built up in the frass). They don't seem to live real long when compared with other roaches.

This time around I'm going to put them on substrate. It will make keeping humidity up easier and I'm hoping it will absorb some of the smell. Later I'm going to throw in some composting earthworms to see if I can reduce my cleanup duties. The other plus of substrate is the humidity apparently helps with the egg cases hatching.

They are definitely fast little dudes, but T's love them because they are super active. They don't climb or dig, which is great. The downside is that they are really small. They look like they are the size of a cricket but they weigh much less. They can wriggle out of your hands much better than a cricket can so be careful if you use your hands to hold them.

 

[biomarine2000]

Thanks for all the responses guys. All the info really helps. If I was to use a substrate, what should I go with? What about maintenance? Cleaning out the dead and empty exo skeletons?

 

[Nerri1029]

Cool info ..

I'm going to get some SOON

 

[Moltar]

By the way guys, I have many, many extra B lateralis (B dubia too) so if you want to buy some at a very reasonable price send me a PM... You'll have plenty of probably gravid adults in the order along with a range of nymphs.

 

[biomarine2000]

B. lateralis care sheet, here at AB

The basic egg-crate-in-a-storage-bin route is perfectly acceptable for raising these guys. They do not climb smooth surfaces but I'd suggest a vaseline barrier anyways just to be on the safe side. Males can fly a bit but aren't inclined to; they run first as a response to threats and really only take wing if they fall or are thrown. Desite this many people advise having a (well ventillated) lid on the tank just in case.
Because this species lays egg cases, you may want to provide some kind of substrate or humidity source to prevent the egg cases from dessicating. I'm fortunate enough to have a very humid room so even those laid in the egg crate do not dry out, but a shallow layer of substrate covering the bottom of the bin or even a large shallow dish of substrate on one end of the tank will do. Several folks in the topic I linked had luck even in fairly dry conditions so long as dietary moisture needs were met. Similarly, preferred breeding temps are above 78-80 degrees but myself and others have observed plenty of breeding at lower temps (mid 70's).
They'll eat just about anything but are prone to cannibalism without a good protien source, so definitely include dog/cat/fish food or meat in the diet. Mine seem to have an affinity for meats and fruits, but they'll chow down farinah and oatmeal like any other roach as well.
Also remember that these guys are FAST and in some states allegedly have infestation potential - it may be a good idea to give their heads a little crunch before feeding them out, particularly if you do not tong feed or keep any of your T's in enclosures that a roach could climb out of.

Personally I prefer these guys to lobsters since they do not climb glass, are extremely prolific, have great sized nymphs for slings and great sized adults for T's/Scorps, and I find them less smelly than my lobster colony. Haven't had issues with food acceptance. I also like the nice soft exoskeletons, but then again I am also keeping amphibians. Preference from keeper to keeper I guess; every time I see a feeder species suggested, I see a counter suggestion. Ah, inverts; never the same from person to person eh?

I just got done reading this thread and it is filled with information that was very useful. I live in Texas so the possiblity of infestation if some get out is pretty high. I want to make sure the little buggers dont get out. It sounds to me like if you live in a few areas, Texas being one of them, they will pretty much do the work for you. All you need to do is feed them.

 

[biomarine2000]

Need help roaches climing vasoline barrier

I got a colony set up in a 30 gallon tank. The silicon is coated with vasoline to prevent climbing but it doesn't seem to be working. Need help ASAP.

 

[scottyk]

The only solution I know of is to switch to a plastic tub. Some species can climb those siliconed corners even with vaseline.

You may also try the Bug Stop boundary product. It works great on my tubs, but I'm not sure about aquarium seals.....

 

[gvfarns]

I bet you could scrape out the silicone with a razor blade without your tank coming apart. They put a ton on there because it's meant to hold water.

Or use a plastic tub from walmart. Cut a big hole in the lid. hot glue window screening over it, and you are good to go.

I love lateralis. They smell dusty and they are ugly and scary, but the T's love them.

 

[burmish101]

Also for feeding lats off to spiders in little vials I prefer to knock babies off the eggcrate into a glass bowl. Then I scoop up however many I need in a straw I cut to about 1 1/2-2in. in length with my thumb over the other end and turn it rightside up so it cant climb out. Then dump them in, its allot quicker to do than explain lol but its really easy, never have to chase them around. Also it helps if you angle the bowl to the side so theyre all stuck in the same spot makes for some easier scooping.

 

[gvfarns]

Yeah I thought this might happen, btw. Vaseline seems to be a great barrier for lobsters but many other types of roach don't seem fazed by it.

By the way, I can't tell exactly by the picture, but I think you used way too much vaseline. Think more like the amount you'd put on your lips. The idea with vaseline is to render their static pads useless. But if it's thick enough that they can get their hooks in it (and turks are really light so they don't need much) then they will climb right up it.

Also if this was a lobster roach tank and I was advising you I'd say the swath at the top needs to be wider (and, as I mentioned) less thick.

 

[gvfarns]

I have a couple of other suggestions as well for your setup. It looks like you are using plastic cups of some kind as food and water dishes. They can't climb those very well. I use disposable styrofoam cups. They can climb it really well, it's cheap, easy to cut to the right size, and it holds water.

It also looks like your egg crates are suspended off the floor. Are you sure they can get up on them easily? Probably they can but you might check it out anyway.

 

[gvfarns]

Another suggestion regarding the food and water. If you use water instead of water crystals (I prefer water) be sure to have the top of the water cups a little ways above the substrate. If any substrate falls in it will wick the water out annoyingly quickly.

 

[biomarine2000]

Thanks for the quick responses. I think its the thickness of the vasoline. I piled it in there because I dont want them getting out. I live in Texas and dont want an infestation. I will thin out the vasoline. As far as them getting onto the egg crates, I have one laying on the substrate that leads up to the ones above the substrate. They are all in there now. The little dishes im not crazy about. I didn't even think they wouldn't be able to get out. duh :wall:. I'll correct my mistakes. Trial and error always does the trick. Thanks everyone.