Feeder Roaches - Your Choice?!

[Stylopidae]

crickets may be loud, messy and smelly, but it's because of that you can't develop an affinity for them and enjoy seeing them get killed. i don't feed roaches to my Ts yet, but when i do, i guess B. dubia of whatever i can find nearby. i live in a bad spot for diverse inverts, pet or feeder.

is there any real distinction in terms of if they're not feders? like i know you wouldn't give a T an M. rhinocerous and but it's pretty hazy beyond that.

If it grows and reproduces slowly or is hard to raise (hey...they're roaches, but this applies to any animal)=bad feeder for inverts.

Hissers are debatable because they're thick shelled, high in fat and tough as nails.

Lobsters totally have a defensive smell BTW...but I kind of like it and I'm guessing my culture isn't different from anyone else's so...yeah. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Molitor, if you PM me I'll give you a great roach dealer. I just used him for a deal and his prices are great.

Does anyone use glasswalkers for arboreals and non climbers for terrestrials/obligate burrowers?

Does anyone notice if their Ts (or other bugs) have personal preference over different species of roaches?

 

[Scolopendra55]

N.cinerea all the way!!
As for my larger T's I have a sickeningly fast breeding hisser colony

 

[Spider Tyrant]

I have no problems with my T's eating Hissers. I am waiting for the next batch to pop out...

How long is the gestation period on those?

 

[Scorpendra]

i meant like if there's any roaches kept exclusively as pets.

 

[Stylopidae]

i meant like if there's any roaches kept exclusively as pets.

You know...I don't really know the answer to that. Lobsters for me are just as much pets as feeders.

Hissers are more pets than feeders to me, but aussie rhino roaches are definitely pets.

I guess it depends on how you personally see them, as well as cost.

 

[pinkfoot]

Blaberus hybrids or Blaptica dubia as primary and Blatta lateralis as secondary for small specimens.

Cheers, Michael

Michael

Is this your general choice, or specifically for your arboreals?

 

[Lorgakor]

Anyone else notice that their B. latteralis stink? Mine smell horrible! I just got them, and they have stunk ever since I openend the shipping box. Anything I could feed them to reduce the smell? Or something?

I have discoids and they have no smell whatsoever. I am a little disgusted by the smell. I haven't even fed any of them to my spiders yet so I can't say if they like them yet.

 

[IguanaMama]

my lateralis don't stink. They are feed roach buffet from blaberus.com, fresh organic fruit and vegetables (apple, carrots, melon, banana, orange) and whole grain nut bread. I keep them on organic potting soil with spagnam moss, oak leaves and cork bark.

 

[Mechanical-Mind]

N. cinerea is my roach of choice. They breed faster than I can use them, and they do so with little to no food, all while at room temperature. That means, at least at this point, I could keep as many theraphosids as I have time to feed, and space to house.

I have found, though, that some scorpions have trouble catching them, whereas theraphosids show no trouble at all.

As for smell, I do believe that most animals have an odor of sorts; however, even a mildly ventilated room would remedy the stench of the strongest smelling colonies of N. cinerea.

-Matt

 

[Galadriel]

My lateralis have started to smell a bit like amonia since they've started reproducing. I cleaned thier bim this past saturday and by sunday evening, the smell was back. Not horrible, but certainly noticeable when I open it.

 

[IguanaMama]

My lateralis have started to smell a bit like amonia since they've started reproducing. I cleaned thier bim this past saturday and by sunday evening, the smell was back. Not horrible, but certainly noticeable when I open it.

Are they on a substrate? I think substrate absorbs smells. I have mine in a fairly small container for the number of them, and still no smell. They are reproducing like crazy too.

 

[Lorgakor]

I tell yeah, mine smell so bad I am thinking of turning the whole lot loose in a field somewhere!

 

[bugmankeith]

Yeah ammonia smell is very bad, if it's bad enough it can feel like your suffocating.

 

[Taceas]

I have two species so far, Blatta lateralis & Nauphoeta cinerea living in the same container.

I used to have Lobsters when I had my bearded dragon. I just can't get good quality crickets locally (30mi drive) and ordering in bulk was such a waste, half died before I fed them off. I will NEVER do crickets again.

So when I got into tarantulas I was pleased to discover a lot of folks breed their own roaches as well. So I invested into a new colony of Lobsters and one of Turks.

After experiencing both, I really like the B. lateralis better. The Lobsters climb glass and smooth plastic and they also put off a defensive liquid that stinks. When stressed on the way to the tarantula cage for meal time, my Avic. metallica has stopped eating them due to the smell I'm guessing. It'll only consume the lateralis roaches. Most of my other spiders could care less and eat either.

The roaches do have their own odor, but they still don't hold a candle to the stench of crickets. I used to use a substrate with the roaches, but it made it hard to clean out without tossing out quite a few nymphs. And I've been worried about their feces molding on a dirt based substrate. So mine have just been in a plain bottomed container for the most part.

I feed mine the pre-prepared roach food from Blaberus.com as well. Its similar to what I used to make a few years ago when I had my own roaches, just cheaper and easier for now.

My only question is, how long does it take for the egg cases of the lateralis to hatch out? I seem to have a ton of egg cases but relatively very few nymphs. :?

 

[GoTerps]

I got rid of all my roaches (had 5 species) except my good ole N. cinerea, which is now the only roach I use. I feed other things, but don't keep other roaches.

Eric

 

[Stylopidae]

I'm planning on getting a larger blaberus species for my larger spiders...

...any reccomendations? I'm thinking B. fusca.

 

[padkison]

Can someone comment and contrast B. dubia with Discoids re: feeding?

 

[Aquanut]

I had both. The dubias seem to have a softer shell and more meat. Its easy to tell males from females as adults. For me they seemed more prolific. I recently sold off the Dubias and kept the Discoids only because I'd had the Discoids for much longer and 2 colonies were to much. They were my first roach and i have a special place in my heart for them, i also think they are cooler looking. I got the dubias with the idea of replacing the Discoids since the Dubias seem to be more of a favorite with the hobby and would be easier to sell off. I still think the Discoids are a great roach for feeding.

 

[Arlius]

The diet of the roach seems to have an effect on the smell of the container. I noticed when feeding my B.l's ground catfood, they started to smell. Once off it, they have been gradually smelling less (far as I can tell... they dont smell that bad either way). If the food by itself can smell when warm and moist in an enclosed space, then it will make the roaches smell also.
Im curious about the egg casings too... I have about 50 casing and 0 nymphs. Im thinking something in my setup isnt quite right, but I dunno what it is. The humidity is high, the temp is high, they have food. I have found only 2 case shells, and no nymps in sight. Did they get eaten by the adults? Did they somehow escape?? (high improbable, but not impossible I guess)

 

[Lorgakor]

I just don't get it. I feed mine fruits an veggies and roach food from cricketfood.com. Same as I feed my Discoids.
But these guys stunk from the moment I got them. And the smell has just intensified. It is in no way shape or form a pleasant smell.

I live in British Columbia, do you think these guys would pose a threat if I let them go? Seriously, I don't want them in my house. I don't even want to stick my hand in there. It smells that bad.