I think it's roach time.

[Rain_Flower]

Well, I'm really getting sick of crickets.
I think it's time for me to start a roach colony
Where can I get some good feeder roaches? What kind should I get that is easy for a beginner? Aaand how many should I buy to ensure a good/healthy colony?

Thanks guys!

 

[Rochelle]

B.dubia - without a doubt.
Start with at least 50. Keep them around 85'F.. Feed them citrus on a regular basis.
They breed VERY well but aren't "buggy" like the lobster roaches. They also don't climb or smell. Very high meat/shell ratio. You won't be sorry.
We do not use any substrate. Easier to find and keep clean...
Water bowls should be stone or the like (can't climb plastic); we use the drip bowls from under the terra cotta pots. Cheaply bought at any florist or Micheal's type store.
Go to Allpet Roaches or ask OldHag. That's where we got ours..!

 

[Rain_Flower]

Awesome, thank you very much

 

[arachnocat]

Dubias are great. They breed really fast! The other thing that's cool about them is once you get your colony going, you will have all different size feeders. I'm able to use my colony for my tiny slings and my big Ts. Sure saves time and money trying to get the right sized feeders for my spidys. Now I can get them all from one bin an never have to buy any feeder insects again

 

[Rain_Flower]

Plus crickets are evil and smelly.

 

[P. Novak]

Plus crickets are evil and smelly.

Yes they are!

Yay for Courtney getting roaches! Definately go with B.dubia because well... the reasons have already been listed.

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

What are you feeding them to? That can be a very imporant part of your question.

 

[sidguppy]

I keep mine at a substrate, but I cannot find the English word for it and all the online dictionaries suck balls

it's this stuff: you get grain and it's the "peel". stuff is sold as horsefodder.
it's dry, it's clean and it contains a load of vitamine B. people can eat it (it's an ingredient for muesli and gruel too).

but I couldn't give you the English word for it on a hot rack.......Dutch word is "zemelen".

anyway; this "horsefodder/grainpeel" substrate is about 1-2" thick. i add a few handfuls of cornflakes and oats. then eggcartons.
there's a rough pottery disc in it for "wet food" like veggies or fruit (the horsefodder can fungus when it gets wet), and next to that I feed tropical fish food, the flaky stuff. and the cheapest brand of dry catfood; the brands without conservatives in it. and the occasional slice of bread.

as for fruit and veggies: lettuce, apple, carrot, grapes, melon, cucumber, oranges, strawberries, berries, green coleyflower, broccoli etc etc. just small portions, they don't need much.

what they DO need is warmth. I just put the big plastic box on a heaterpad so that half the bottom is warmed. and I leave that on all the time. the roaches crawl in the eggcrate and they're easy to catch; I just shake one of those over a bucket and pick out the size I need to feed.

I harvest from time to time, I have to, because if I didn't overpopulation would cause a lot of dead roaches, and then mites and then it's exit bredery.
i replace the eggcartons and the substrate every few months.

 

[Rain_Flower]

Yay thanks guys I'm going to be feeding them to the T's mostly and whoever else wants to eat them. We have alot of animals.

 

[spartybassoon]

If these roaches can't climb, are they not very good for arboreals? Or do they climb up the wood in the tank?

 

[arachnocat]

I have a p. ornata in an exo terra tank. The roaches are able to climb up the back wall and also on her log. Although I think if an aboreal is hungry enough they will come down to eat. She always grabbed pinkies when I put them on the bottom of her cage.

 

[Rochelle]

If these roaches can't climb, are they not very good for arboreals? Or do they climb up the wood in the tank?

B.dubia's will burrow very quickly if allowed to do so...
We only use MALE dubia's for the arboreals - if a female gets past you and the T. it was supposed to feed....well then you'd have a whole new colony in your poor T's tank!
We normally watch to make sure the arboreal in question snagged it's dinner, as we don't want loose roaches to bother or harm our eventually molting T.
As mentioned before - an established colony of B.dubia is almost the perfect feeder. Any size you need - anytime you need it! YAY!!!
And yes.....crickets are evil. I'm positive that they are all re-incarnated terrorists....:evil:

 

[Digby Rigby]

starter colony sizes

There are a few basic questions to answer to help you determine what you will need. You want roaches as a replacement for crickets yes? Do you also use other insects as feeders? Here is what you need to determine how many roaches are suitable:
1. Do you want to use roaches as a total replacement or an additional item in your feeding repetoire

2. How many feeder insects do you use a week. The answer to this question is the most important to help determine colony size.

3. The birth rate of the roach species in question. Some are more prolific than others.

4. How long do you want to wait before the colony becomes usable? THis will also determine the starting size of the colony.

When roaches are referred to as climbing or not it refers their ability to climb smooth surfaces such as glass or smooth plastic surfaces. All roaches can climb matte finish plastics or porous materials such as wood and othr things that give them a foothold. They can even climb glass and plastic if you mist with hard water over time or dust accumulates on the surfaces. The minerals from the hard water when it dries gives them the ability to climb at that point.

If you would like a more specific answer you can email me or send a private message with your phone number and a good time to call. We llike to talk not type.;P


Digby Rigby balboa28279@mypacks.net

My feeders are cooler than your pets!

 

[skooma_addict]

I too am joining the roach bandwagon. I hate crickets, that's all I'm going to say.

 

[ShawnH]

Lets have an anti-cricket rally. Maybe burn some egg cartons.

 

[Rain_Flower]

Lets have an anti-cricket rally. Maybe burn some egg cartons.

Hahaha yes. Burn the egg cartons! :worship:

 

[Stylopidae]

Feeder roaches are only a good idea if the whole bug thing is long term for you.

Lots of people like B. dubia. For terrestrial Ts, they work pretty well. They have a tendancy to burrow as soon as they hit the substrate. I use Blaberus hybrids (or will when my colony matures) for my centis. For my spiders, I'm planning on using lobster roaches and blaberus hybrids.

Either way, roach colonies will take a very long time to mature. My lobster colony matured in about 6 months or so. My Blaberus hybrids will take much longer than that. It's been about a year since I've had Blaberus ssp and Blaptica dubia and it's just now getting to the point where I'm confident enough to feed out the smallest nymphs and not worry that I'm draining the colony. Roach colonies require you to be very patient, but once they're established they're worth every cent. My colony of lobster roaches will pay for itself in a year and a half after they mature.

Many people like B. dubia, but I think they're over-rated. They're decent breeders and don't climb but I've heard that many arboreal tarantulas will ignore them. This isn't a problem with centipedes and other terrestrial invertebrates, though.

I'm planning to use H. flexivatta and N. cinerea (giant lobsters and normal lobsters) for my arboreals and blaberus hybrids and dubia for my terrestrials.

N. cinerea are my primary feeders and probably will always be. The blaberus and blaptica are secondary.

I usually try to give myself a mix of nymphs and adults for my first culture. If you just get a bunch of nymphs that are the same age, it will take much longer for you to have a mix of proper sized roaches.

As for the climbing factor...olive oil or vasoline should be sufficient to keep them in line. I've found that most roaches can traverse vasoline if they really want to (like if you suddenly remove ALL hides in the enclosure), but for the most part they won't cross that barrier.

 

[arachnocat]

My dubias are breeding like crazy. I had to get rid of 30 or so to keep the population down. B. lateralis are good feeders too. The nymphs are small enough to feed to tiny slings. The nymphs and adults don't burrow.

 

[Stylopidae]

My dubias are breeding like crazy. I had to get rid of 30 or so to keep the population down. B. lateralis are good feeders too. The nymphs are small enough to feed to tiny slings. The nymphs and adults don't burrow.

Blatta lateralis is now known as Shelfordella lateralis due to a taxonomic revision.

S. lateralis are the roaches most likely to infest your home. They can breed in spaces in your house that are constantly warm with a bit of humidity. Behind your refridgerator is a good example of this.

I know of people who have had success keeping them bone dry...so moisture isn't as neccesary as people think.

 

[arachnocat]

I had a few escape but they just ended up squished under the bath mat. Infestation is probably not a big problem if some escape. I think they would rather live outside than in your house.
Also it helps if you have cats. I found a headless one in the laundry room the other day. lol.