Lobster Roaches!!!!!!!!!!1

Alonso99

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
537
I will be getting a starter colony soon, can anyone help me out with them I hear from galeogirl that they can do fine on eggcartons. Any other advice is well appreciated
 

Botar

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
1,441
Well I got mine, and rearing advice, from Galeogirl. I have mine on a couple of inches of dry potting soil and two egg cartons lying on top of that. Temps in my spider room range from 74 - 80 F, on average. A small water dish with polymer crystals in it and a small food dish with dry cat food, hamster mix, and an occasional apple or cucumber slice. They don't seem to grow very fast, but they multiply quickly. I've probably got a couple hundred nymphs burried in the substrate. I started with 15 to 20 adults/sub-adults around 10/01/02. The number of alduts has remained the same, hence my opinion on slow growth rate.

Botar
 

jwb121377

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 20, 2002
Messages
905
Are they hard to keep contained? I've been looking for a good roach species to make a colony with. I don't want something that easily escapes.
 

Botar

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
1,441
They are glass climbers, but easily contained with a band of vaseline along the top of the tank. I have a colony of blaberus giganteus that do not climb glass, but I've not had any escapes from either type.

Botar
 

jwb121377

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 20, 2002
Messages
905
Thanks Botar boy that was fast! I may very well buy a starter colony soon. Thanks for the help. :)
 

Botar

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
1,441
Not a problem. Galeogirl is the expert on the Lobster Roaches, IMO, but she'll be out of commission for a while. The B. giganteus are awesome roaches, but quite large. I haven't had them long enough to speak of their growth or reproductive abilities. Code Monkey also keeps a non-glass climbing species, so you may want to check w/ him or his old posts on the subject as well.

Botar
 

krucz36

Chelcirator
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
296
hey botar
i've got a small colony of lobsters, and haven't seen any nymphs yet. are they super-sensitive to temps?
g
 

Botar

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
1,441
If you've got any substrate in there, chances are you've got lots of nymphs. Try lifting your food bowl/dish. I've got at least a hundred under there every time I lift it up. I don't know how sensitive they are, but at the temps I've got them, they're going strong. I think Galeogirl keeps them warmer than I do though.

Botar
 

krucz36

Chelcirator
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
296
i just fed one to one of my beardies. boy, do they stink when they're afraid!
i think i may have 'em on the wrong sub, theyre in vermic right now, maybe some potting soil will do them better.
i'll dig around in there and see whats what, in any event. i like harassing my pets, and harassing their food is even more fun.
 

Botar

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
1,441
I've got mine on potting soil, but that's just because it was what I had on hand. Since they are "roaches", I don't think it really makes much difference.

Botar
 

bwhatch2

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 6, 2002
Messages
43
no substrate for my lobsters

thought id add my 2 cents. i keep 4 species of roaches to feed about 80 tarantulas, and the lobsters are by far the biggest pain in the ass. they are nervous and scatter at the least disturbance, and they are quick. most "roach people" will tell you they couldnt survive in your house if they escaped but i absolutely would not believe it. i think these things can and would survive and thrive in any environment. anyway..........your question was about how to keep them. heres how i keep mine and they are breeding like CRAZY MAD FAST. i dont use substrate, ive found it only makes the smell worse, the tank harder to clean, the roaches dont need it, and you cant ever tell how many you got. i just throw a bunch of paper towel rolls or egg flats in, they love it. i keep cat food available at all times and give them some fruit once or twice a week. if your giving fruit they will get there water from it, no need for a water dish, it just makes a big mess. 80+ temp and humidity and they breed fast, below 80 they slow down some. also, they are really a pain in the ass to feed out since they are so fast, but i have most of my tarantulas happy to eat them dead (i kill em by freezing then thaw before feeding) lottsa people will tell ya t's wont eat dead food, not true. it took awhile to condition them, but it wasnt that hard. my fingers are tired, im done
bryan
 

galeogirl

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
1,198
I'll have to try freezing them. I've just been crushing the heads of the adults and tossing them into the cage with the ts that will eat pre-killed.

I like keeping them off substrate myself for easy cleaning and the ability to do a quick count and see if I need to get rid of some by either selling, trading, or feeding them off. Mostly I use the nymphs unless I have more than 20 adults, then I cull them a little.

Mine breed like crazy (my t room is usually between 75 and 85 degrees, though I've cooled it down a bit for winter) and I've had to move them to cooler rooms in the house to slow them down when the population was booming.

I'm hoping to add some different roaches to the collection next year. Maybe some of the larger "pet" species.
 
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