Burrowing Roach

Heather

Arachnoknight
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Ok... so I have gotten my long awaited dubia collection and I am thrilled how the spideys love them... however, I have an issue.

What in the world do I do when the roach burrows under the substrate? I dug around for a few minutes, but I think I just frustrated the T...

Any ideas or tips on how to feed these to my T's?
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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You might not like this idea but you just grab a roach and with tweezers or your fingers pinch the head of the roach before you drop it in. This will prevent the roach from digging or hiding but it will still do a bunch of twitching. I do this with all of my Ts and they eat them all the time.
 

IdahoBiteyThing

Arachnobaron
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ahah!

Ryan, the truth comes out! You so do not have the non-burrowing dubias! You roach squisher, you. lol Also, if you place them on their backs they'll do a lot of kicking- that rarely fails to get the attention of a passing T.
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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With pokies ill put the roach on the cork bark and they seem to like to climb on that a lot. So they get noticed sooner or later.
Ts do hunt to so you could put a few in and eventually they will all get picked off even if some burrow.
 

IdahoBiteyThing

Arachnobaron
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diving for dubias

Yeah, my Chaco LOVES to bulldoze through substrate for his dubias, it's pretty entertaining actually in a sort of sick, crunchy way.
 

RottweilExpress

Arachnoprince
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I mainly feed adult dubia males to my spiders. They put up an entertaining but harmless struggle, and rarely burrows.
 

IdahoBiteyThing

Arachnobaron
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adult males

I mainly feed adult dubia males to my spiders. They put up an entertaining but harmless struggle, and rarely burrows.
That would also help keep your m/f ratio appropriate too, right? I think I'm going to experiment with the whole burrowing thing by putting some different groups (male nymphs/female nymphs/adult males/adult females) into empty KK's with substrate and see who burrows more/faster. Look what this hobby does to people- roach burrowing contests. Ha ha.
 

lunixweb

Arachnobaron
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That would also help keep your m/f ratio appropriate too, right? I think I'm going to experiment with the whole burrowing thing by putting some different groups (male nymphs/female nymphs/adult males/adult females) into empty KK's with substrate and see who burrows more/faster. Look what this hobby does to people- roach burrowing contests. Ha ha.

hahahaha :D that's funny
 

lunixweb

Arachnobaron
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Ok... so I have gotten my long awaited dubia collection and I am thrilled how the spideys love them... however, I have an issue.

What in the world do I do when the roach burrows under the substrate? I dug around for a few minutes, but I think I just frustrated the T...

Any ideas or tips on how to feed these to my T's?

Hi Heather, you could try to put the roach near to the T and It will catch faster but not always work, so, you can damage some leg or even the head like Talkenlate said. For arboreal sp. like kimber your pokie only put the roach on the cork bark. :D

I hope this can help you. ;)
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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I have seen dubia play dead at the feet of a T before, and they stay in that position for days sometimes till they feel its safe to move. Its almost like they know one wrong move and they are toast.
 

lunixweb

Arachnobaron
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I have seen dubia play dead at the feet of a T before, and they stay in that position for days sometimes till they feel its safe to move. Its almost like they know one wrong move and they are toast.
yeah I've seen that too and even with crickets
 

Merfolk

Arachnoprince
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From what I read, roaches are way less a threat when T's are molting (correct me if I'm wrong)
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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I'd say the threat is about the same. Roaches and crickets need protein and if they dont get it they will eat eachothers limbs and such, so I would imagine a roach would munch on a molting T just as readly as a cricket.
 

RottweilExpress

Arachnoprince
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I'd say the threat is about the same. Roaches and crickets need protein and if they dont get it they will eat eachothers limbs and such, so I would imagine a roach would munch on a molting T just as readly as a cricket.
I've never seen a roach take a bite out of anything alive and breathing. I'd say it's safe. Roaches refered to are B. Dubia and S. Tartara (B. Lateralis in USA?)
 

RottweilExpress

Arachnoprince
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That would also help keep your m/f ratio appropriate too, right? I think I'm going to experiment with the whole burrowing thing by putting some different groups (male nymphs/female nymphs/adult males/adult females) into empty KK's with substrate and see who burrows more/faster. Look what this hobby does to people- roach burrowing contests. Ha ha.
1. Nymph
2. Juv
3. Adult female
4. Adult male
 

RottweilExpress

Arachnoprince
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Yes, but that was also my grading. From one to four, of who burrows most, and fastest according to my experience.
 

IdahoBiteyThing

Arachnobaron
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cool

Not only do I not have to sex all those nymphs now, I don't even have to play "who burrows the fastest". Thanks for the great info, even more incentive to wait and use mature males.
 
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