Eublaberus distanti breeding

[xhexdx]

I realize this is an insect question, but I figure most tarantula keepers who feed roached would be best equipped to answer it, thus the post in this forum.

I haven't had any luck breeding E. distanti. The B. dubia are breeding great and once they get to the numbers I need I won't have to worry about it. Until then, does anyone have any suggestions to why E. distanti won't breed?

They are kept in identical conditions as my B. dubia.

Thanks in advance.

--Joe

 

[Goliath]

Joe,

My friend and I have a whole mess of roach colonies and these seem to be the last ones for us to breed. We keep them on deep peat moss substrate and feed them dog/cat food, greens, some meat and lots of citrus. There are a lot of gravid females but we are still waiting on babies. The E. prosticus have been breeding for a while, and the B. dubia even longer. From our experience it just seems like a time issue with these. Matt K or Elytraandantenna would be good people to ask about these also.

mike

 

[Matt K]

Thanks for the mention, Mike. So to address this question:

1. How many do you have in what size of enclosure?

I seem to recall that when I first got E.distanti it did seem to take a (long) while before I saw any nymphs, definately longer than E. posticus. I remember it took long enough that I was beginning to wonder if they would. Once they did, though, the nymphs began to grow quickly and then it escalated from there. I am inclined to think that they still reproduce more slowly than the orangeheads though. E.distanti are more of a "snowball effect"- the more you have the faster they reproduce kind of thing.

1.a. Try keeping them a little crowded- you might take what you have and put them in a slightly smaller container. I keep mine on cypress mulch, water them heavily and wait for it to go dry before watering again (but not to the point of them being soggy). They eat just about anything. The diet 'Goliath' mentions sounds good, though mine get fish pellets more often than the rest of that stuff. Also, dim light to darkness seems to help. Indirect light from a window or room lights on long hours definately slows the process.

Trivia: I think they are the first roach referred to as a "cave roach" as they were first discovered just inside of caves/ large hollow trees. Nat. Geo has some film footage somewhere that shows them in a cave, too. The term has long since been applied to other species.

 

[xhexdx]

Thanks guys for your responses.

I have them in a 20-long with about an inch of dry substrate and egg cartons stacked up. They hide most of the time and I feed them mainly grapefruit.

I'll try adding more substrate and keeping it moist, as well as giving them multiple food items and keeping them in a darker place.

Thanks!

 

[chris_wade]

i have only had mine a few days and never see them. there kept on damp eco earth at room temp which is about 25-27. put lettuce,weetabix,dog biscuits, carrot shavings and dont seem to be eating at all . i have 2 adult males and 2 adult females living together. really want to breed them. thinking of moving them onto sawdust like my peppered roaches.

 

[Matt K]

If you only have 4 individuals living together, they are not going to eat much at all. For some time they will eat very tiny amounts. If you want to breed them you will need to be patient for a few months. Once there are 30 or so nymphs the food will start to look eaten on. Be careful not to overfeed them as nymphs (and adults somewhat) can get overwhelmed with mites from too much uneaten food in the enclosure.

For both our roaches eco-earth mixed with dead leaves is much better than sawdust.

 

[chris_wade]

whats the problem with sawdust? i just find its easier keeping a dry and wet side and they can budy easier and it doesnt smell or produce mould as quick and a lot cleaner

 

[Matt K]

Eco-earth is safe and somewhat edible, and hardwood leaves are eaten to some extrent by most roaches. Both hold/release moisture well for humidity purposes.

Sawdust really depends on the type of wood it comes from, and if the maker (if purchased) is blending the wood with other wood types or not. Many trees produce natural insect repellants which can kill roaches, irritate roaches, stress them, or simply slow down thier production.

That being said, though, if you are using it and are satisfied with the results then its not a problem.... Generally speaking its more problems than not usually. I personally dont use any wood products *except* for cypress wood mulch, which is used in three quarters of my enclosures. Cheap, nontoxic substate for roaches.

 

[chris_wade]

well illl see how they get on. coz the guy who bred them has kept them on sawdust s they will be used to it. if any problems occur ill move them straight over. but at the min they seem to love it.

 

[olderbro34]

E. Distanti

To joe or Is there anyone here who can tell me how to know a male and a female E.didtanti because they all look the same to me. I bought 40 pcs of distanti they're like little tanks and move fast under the moss which makes them my favorite. I went to google to research about this but not much information that I needed. Is there anybody who can give me more information about this fascinating collectible roaches about from juvenile to adulthood especially on how to gender them. Thanks!!!

 

[billopelma]

You can sex them like most other roaches by the difference in the last two dorsal segments, males have two in the same space females have one. Do a search on 'sexing roaches', there are some good pics and descriptions in here.

Bill

 

[chrispy]

? If your using a substrate how do you get roaches out for feeding off and if it gets moldy, do you have to dig your whole colony out and replace the substrate? Im having trouble getting enough babies out of the frass and molts w/o a substrate and there are tons of them in there. How often do you change it out ? tips for removing nymphs out of substrate? Thanks Chris