feeder cricket/online purchasing

[Jones0911]

the flukers site won't allow me to order crickets, either I'm doing it wrong or they're out of crickets.

---------- Post added 04-04-2014 at 12:52 PM ----------

Wait a second, didn't you order 4week + MW?

I knew I wasn't crazy, it was supposed to be 250 of EACH MW and crickets:

"Sir you placed an order for the mix. 250 crickets and 250 mealworms. They should have been in the same box.

---
Sincerely,
Betty"

---------- Post added 04-04-2014 at 01:22 PM ----------

While dubias can be a good feeder, I might suggest looking into B. latteralis (Turkish Redhead/Runners) instead. The dubias kit the ground, go straight under the sub and stop moving. For many T's that's not enough to get their attention. I couldn't tell you how many slings I buy at shows, rehouse, and upon dumping the deli cups discover one or more dubias alive but motionless buried in the substrate. The B. lats move in the same manner as crickets, minus the annoying freakin jumping.

Ok so this what I just ordered and what I'll probably order from now now but of course 100 roaches for 8 or so Ts i won't need any more roaches for a long while lol:

Blatta lateralis a.k.a Rusty Reds 100 $10.00

 

[Jones0911]

Ok for my rusty reds I'm going to use this for an enclosure, the paper towel roll I'm going to cut into two section and use those as hiding places as well as the zip lock bag holder I'm going to use and cut the top off it as another hiding spot.

I have a blender now so I need to know what kind of homemade roach food mixes everyone uses for their feeder roaches.

Does anyone use wet dog/cat food for the water and the food ? If so how does that work for you?

Anyone use dry pet food? if so how does that work?

Also I live in GA and the roach enclosure will be kept in a shed so the heat should be good to encourage growth & reproduction.

Can I just spray the walls for humidity and drinking water?

And yes I'll be putting three holes on the long sides from top to bottom and holes from top to bottom on the short sides and a few in the lid.

Does all this sound sufficient?

 

[pyro fiend]

Ok for my rusty reds I'm going to use this for an enclosure, the paper towel roll I'm going to cut into two section and use those as hiding places as well as the zip lock bag holder I'm going to use and cut the top off it as another hiding spot.

I have a blender now so I need to know what kind of homemade roach food mixes everyone uses for their feeder roaches.

Does anyone use wet dog/cat food for the water and the food ? If so how does that work for you?

Anyone use dry pet food? if so how does that work?

Also I live in GA and the roach enclosure will be kept in a shed so the heat should be good to encourage growth & reproduction.

Can I just spray the walls for humidity and drinking water?

And yes I'll be putting three holes on the long sides from top to bottom and holes from top to bottom on the short sides and a few in the lid.

Does all this sound sufficient?

lets start from the begining. the box is ok id say save your paper towl rolls or some egg crates tho it works better..
2 skip the blender. i did this at first and it seems to be a bigger mess with dubias like i have i could hardly tell frass[poo] from food. and thye kicked it all over [just in my experience i may not be doing it right] PLUS it dulls the blender...

3id advise against wet. unless you have like 200k roaches. wet food dries, and smells up the room quick ever layed it down for your dog and they not eat it? not pretty. and some brands have like gravy in them... to me this all yells mold. and bad idea..

4 i use dry dog food. no i dont cut it. i feed my feeder rats the same stuff. when i see my dubias are running low grab a scoop and dump it in. i get one of the harder brands too [for rats teeth] and they still can eat it. and rather fast too im refilling a 1.5pint bowl every week-week and half. i throw in some of my actual dogs food every now and then when i get a ton of babies in the bowl [softer but would harden over time with as few as you have]

5 your heats fine mine stay at 80deg in winter and i turn heat off and let nature take its course late spring till early/mid fall no problems for me.. but youl want water crystals. i myself dont like the jello cube types that look like fluckers so i buy some ment for plants off of amazon [its rly fine grain and doesnt seem to dry as fast] i also find if humidity is a problem the smaller crystals raise it a bit too

6 holes in the bottom? probably bad idea sence your getting lats. pinhead lats r tiny youl get excapees... id say put holes in the lid and if your realyw ant maybe around rim. not quite in the bottom. and with a big tub like that it means you can stack paper towel/toiletpaper rolls higher which youl want if you get more T.s so again probably good not to put holes far down...

 

[Wildenthusiast]

I agree on all points. A for ventilation, a several decent sized (1/4"-3/8") holes in the lid and about an inch or a bit more down from the top should be perfect. Provides some ventilation, while upping temps and humidity just a bit.

As mentioned, stack leftover egg crates and paper rolls. I have both, and the lats seem to prefer the rolls. However, extracting a specific feeder from the rolls is near impossible (hence the egg crate bits).

Good advice on the food as well. I am rehousing my lats today, as they are expanding past the large KK sized colony. Currently have a custom roach chow spread out as substrate, but going to a feeding dish instead. Plan on using up the blended feeder chow, and then just providing dry cat food and fruits/veggies.

Water crystals are a must have, and can be purchased online for next to nothing compared to how long they will last you. As a reference, I put just over three tablespoons in a two-liter bottle and gradually added water. Almost filled the bottle after expansion. This stuff goes for about a buck an ounce (approximately 6 tablespoons), which makes a gallon of prepared crystals. Image how long it will take even a large colony to go through a gallon...

Good luck. I expect you will have great success! Adults will lay oothacas (egg cases) right away, so you'll have tiny white nymphs in a about a week.

 

[Marijan2]

I'm having great success without water crystals, they are not a must, if you give fresh fruit every second day and mist occasionally they go absolutely fine. Also, oothecas don't hatch in a week, it's more like 2-3 weeks from my experience on 33°C(~90°F), if temps are lower i'd expect it being over a month. I'd advise separating oothecas too because they need slightly higher humidity if you want them all to hatch, and its easier for practical purposes, having a box full of lats with all sizes makes very difficult time to pick ones the right size

 

[Jones0911]

lets start from the begining. the box is ok id say save your paper towl rolls or some egg crates tho it works better..
2 skip the blender. i did this at first and it seems to be a bigger mess with dubias like i have i could hardly tell frass[poo] from food. and thye kicked it all over [just in my experience i may not be doing it right] PLUS it dulls the blender...

3id advise against wet. unless you have like 200k roaches. wet food dries, and smells up the room quick ever layed it down for your dog and they not eat it? not pretty. and some brands have like gravy in them... to me this all yells mold. and bad idea..

4 i use dry dog food. no i dont cut it. i feed my feeder rats the same stuff. when i see my dubias are running low grab a scoop and dump it in. i get one of the harder brands too [for rats teeth] and they still can eat it. and rather fast too im refilling a 1.5pint bowl every week-week and half. i throw in some of my actual dogs food every now and then when i get a ton of babies in the bowl [softer but would harden over time with as few as you have]

5 your heats fine mine stay at 80deg in winter and i turn heat off and let nature take its course late spring till early/mid fall no problems for me.. but youl want water crystals. i myself dont like the jello cube types that look like fluckers so i buy some ment for plants off of amazon [its rly fine grain and doesnt seem to dry as fast] i also find if humidity is a problem the smaller crystals raise it a bit too

6 holes in the bottom? probably bad idea sence your getting lats. pinhead lats r tiny youl get excapees... id say put holes in the lid and if your realyw ant maybe around rim. not quite in the bottom. and with a big tub like that it means you can stack paper towel/toiletpaper rolls higher which youl want if you get more T.s so again probably good not to put holes far down...

Thanks for all the help, I'm bad with math how big in roach terms is 1/4 -3/8? will these be big/small enough for my juveniles and slings?

 

[pyro fiend]

As mentioned, stack leftover egg crates and paper rolls. I have both, and the lats seem to prefer the rolls. However, extracting a specific feeder from the rolls is near impossible (hence the egg crate bits).

hah its hard to get them out of the egg crates too especially when theres 20 dif sizes in one cell XD

---------- Post added 04-05-2014 at 08:37 AM ----------

Thanks for all the help, I'm bad with math how big in roach terms is 1/4 -3/8? will these be big/small enough for my juveniles and slings?

pff im prob worst person to ask i was trying to feed newborn dubias to my slings at first with no avail XD but i use pinhead lats for mine they are all 1"~ i like to go with the "if it fits it ships" type of thing. now that iv seen mine eat. if it looks big as there bum i give it a shot if to big i dont but thats just my opinion [iv found out i hate slings because of ow fast blats are lmao]

 

[Wildenthusiast]

I'm having great success without water crystals, they are not a must, if you give fresh fruit every second day and mist occasionally they go absolutely fine. Also, oothecas don't hatch in a week, it's more like 2-3 weeks from my experience on 33°C(~90°F), if temps are lower i'd expect it being over a month.

Thanks for the input, buddy. Wasn't quite sure as I just housed this colony a few weeks ago, and started seeing tiny nymphs just over a week later. The dealer did give lots of oothacas, however, so they are probably from there.

 

[Jones0911]

Thanks for the input, buddy. Wasn't quite sure as I just housed this colony a few weeks ago, and started seeing tiny nymphs just over a week later. The dealer did give lots of oothacas, however, so they are probably from there.

I was putting holes in the roach motel and seen these two stuck together, (already both dead probably from the cold) I know one is a wasp and one is a roach.

However I'm not sure exactly of the species for either insect but most likely the wasp was in the middle of carrying away the roach.








These are the smallest holes I could make because I'm using a soldering iron I currently have a total of 8 holes in the top do I need any more?



Ok here us how I made the inside that open area on the left I'm going to use for the food dish, I'll get more of the egg carton pieces when I get more eggs in my house lol.

 

[Marijan2]

put a lot more vent, a LOT more, stagnant air isn't the thing you really want in your roach enclosures

 

[Jones0911]

Even after a short time dealing with crickets as feeders, I highly suggest to go roach. I'm getting a colony set up when the weather is warmer. Crickets just really irritate me to the point of where I want to eat them out of frustration(mainly when they drop legs, and are extremely difficult to get with my feeding tongs). Lately I've been beheading them with scissors for my sling and smaller scorpions, but I still want to go roach. Besides, I sort of like roaches as long as they are not infesting my home

can I use outdoor substrate?

I was thinking about using leaves and pine needles as a natural substrate is this ok?

 

[catfishrod69]

Personally i wouldnt put anymore air holes in. With lateralis, the oothecae will not hatch out unless the humidity is around 70% or more. Use a bowl of water gel crystals to provide humidity and water. You can get them dirt cheap from watergelcrystals.com. And you should add alot more egg flats into the tub. The more room you have, the more roaches youll have. If they are cramped up, they wont produce as much. Take whole egg flats, or whatever size you can fit in, and stack them side by side, with the flats vertical. This will allow frass and oothecae to fall to the bottom and not lay in the flats. Also for substrate you dont really need any at all. Over time the frass and hatched oothecae will create a substrate. I keep my roaches like this in a 110 quart sterilite, and it works quite well.

 

[Jones0911]

Personally i wouldnt put anymore air holes in. With lateralis, the oothecae will not hatch out unless the humidity is around 70% or more. Use a bowl of water gel crystals to provide humidity and water. You can get them dirt cheap from watergelcrystals.com. And you should add alot more egg flats into the tub. The more room you have, the more roaches youll have. If they are cramped up, they wont produce as much. Take whole egg flats, or whatever size you can fit in, and stack them side by side, with the flats vertical. This will allow frass and oothecae to fall to the bottom and not lay in the flats. Also for substrate you dont really need any at all. Over time the frass and hatched oothecae will create a substrate. I keep my roaches like this in a 110 quart sterilite, and it works quite well.

I have to wait until I get more eggs I don't know any places giving away egg cartons lol

 

[just1moreT]

I try to keep 4 different feeders on hand all the time .I raise 2 differnt sp, cricket with no smell and many thousands of them .my excess is traded off to my local pet store.crickets can be easy to raise and cheap feeder with no smell or losses.and even the smallest t will take a pin head and a juicey cricket there size or bigger as well. Dubias are a good big meal for grown T's there usally a all night meal for my big girls, they do hide and sometimes for months lol ,I find they are easier raise than lateralis.lateralis are a nice medium size food source and get pretty good feeding responce from them had them for years never a house infestation. I was always skeptic about feeding meal worms but really do like them now they are a great thong feeder and I find slings really do like them and they give a good tussle till the venom takes effect lol ,i dont raise them there cheap enough to buy and live for good while all in all I have more fun using crickets at feeding time they just dont know what hide means

 

[catfishrod69]

You can order them on ebay for fairly cheap.

I have to wait until I get more eggs I don't know any places giving away egg cartons lol

 

[CrystalRose]

I have to wait until I get more eggs I don't know any places giving away egg cartons lol

If you have any "farm supply" stores near you then you can probably find some there. Tractor Supply I know sells empty egg cartons for around 50 cents each.

 

[Jones0911]

If you have any "farm supply" stores near you then you can probably find some there. Tractor Supply I know sells empty egg cartons for around 50 cents each.

I'll have to Google that I'm new to the area but the roaches I received today came with 3 more so I have all four so I'm set.





I love these Blatta lateralis a.k.a Rusty Reds they came today, a good size never burrow but very fast. I need to find another vial (threw out my other ones) to catch them in when its feeding time. Other than that, they're better than the dubia I used to have that always buried themselves upon entering the T enclosure so frustrating lol.

 

[catfishrod69]

You need like 20!

 

[Poec54]

I raise 2 differnt sp, cricket with no smell and many thousands of them .my excess is traded off to my local pet store.crickets can be easy to raise and cheap feeder with no smell or losses

What kinds of crickets? No smell?

 

[just1moreT]

What kinds of crickets? No smell?

These are my main ones ( Gryllodes sigillatus banded cricket ) they are smaller than these (Gryllus assimilis ) which are the big ones neither of these stink my room up and I have people that come to look at T's now and then and I actually asked them if there is a smell lol just incase im used to it ,my wife would let me know if it was a stinking ,my T room is by our bed room ,out of the last 3000 raised from egg to adult unless they ate the dead I might have picked out 10 total, im planning well over 10, 000 this go around so it might get stinky if so I move them to the shed since warm weather here