Lobster Roaches on the way

AudreyElizabeth

Arachnodemon
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Feb 10, 2003
Messages
741
Well, according to my husband I've got a giga-billion lobster roaches coming home from the reptile show today.
Wonder how many that is honestly? LOL

I didn't really want lobster roaches, due to their speed and ability to climb, but I'm in a pinch and need a prolific food source. My dubia colony just can't keep up with seven geckos and eighteen tarantulas. I need to give them a LONG break to get the numbers back up strong.

I've spent the past hour or so running searches and watching videos. They look pretty cool, especially when swarming food, but I'm a little apprehensive.

Especially when I find posts like this
Im liking the B. boliviensis, they are nice roaches. Very clean, fast breeders, very meaty, overall just really nice to keep.

The best way to take care of a lobster roach colony is these 3 steps....

1.) Get a 10 gallon enclosure, put petroleum jelly on the sides about 2" wide all along each side of it making a continuous stream so they cannot escape. Throw in some egg cartons, etc.

2.) Buy a gallon of gasoline and take them outside.

3.) Pour gasoline all over them, throw a match on them. Light a cigarette over their burning roach bodies, then go buy some good roaches!
:eek:
 

presurcukr

Arachnolord
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May 17, 2008
Messages
646
Well I think you need more things to feed them to .My colony feeds 206 T's 40scorps 11 pedes 2 geckos and a chameleon.And they can climb out of anything.You have to line whatever you keep them in with petroleum jelly.
 

AudreyElizabeth

Arachnodemon
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Well I think you need more things to feed them to .My colony feeds 206 T's 40scorps 11 pedes 2 geckos and a chameleon.And they can climb out of anything.You have to line whatever you keep them in with petroleum jelly.
Ha! I love this! I always need an excuse for more tarantulas. That is a lot of critters to be feeding out of one colony. How many do you have? (Rough estimate of course.)
Six of the geckos are tokays, surely they can help keep the numbers thinned out.

Went out and bought a jar of Vaseline when I found out what was coming home. I have an empty 18 gallon tub too.
 

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
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I keep mine in an open Sterilite bin with about 3" of Vaseline smeared around the upper rim. I have never had any escapes with this system.
If you feed them too much dog or cat food their frass will stink to high heaven. Feeding them with fruits and veggies will be much healthier for whatever you're feeding them too and the colony will not stink. Ventilation is also key with controlling any odors with this species, hence why they're my only colony out of 60 or so that I keep no lid on.
 

Vfox

Arachnobaron
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Sep 1, 2007
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I keep mine in the same setup as ZephAmp but I cut the lid away leaving just the rim of the locking lid. I then hot glued wire mesh on the lid rim and put it back on the container. Mine CAN and DO crawl over a 3 inch Vaseline barrier and trust me, I've tried all kinds of variations from thick to thin on the application front. The mesh lid works great though and honestly the only time they crawl off the cork hides are when I disturb them. But it can be somewhat unnerving when 50+ roaches all run to the container brim all at the same time lol. I've never had an escape though (that wasn't my fault lol) and I have several hundred of them. They are honestly a fantastic little roach, I really like having mine around. Good luck and have fun! :D
 

Mister Internet

Big Meanie Doo Doo Head :)
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Well I think you need more things to feed them to .My colony feeds 206 T's 40scorps 11 pedes 2 geckos and a chameleon.And they can climb out of anything.You have to line whatever you keep them in with petroleum jelly.
My estimate is maybe 8,000 I have a 55 gal tank full of them
You might think about being less cavalier with this information... they are strictly and totally prohibited to own in Florida.
 

presurcukr

Arachnolord
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646
I bought them from a LPS did not know they were prohibited. Well Looks like I have to feed them off.Looks like Ill just keep the green banana roaches.
 

Jam Reptiles

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Nov 28, 2010
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Try Lats there cool...If you want I can scoop you out 100-200...


Contact me by PM or call me at (603) 660-9151
 

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
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Mar 8, 2008
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I believe that Nauphoeta cinerea is introduced widely around the Caribbean. I'm sure that a devoted hobbyist could discover enough to make a colony in the southernmost regions of Florida.
 

Mister Internet

Big Meanie Doo Doo Head :)
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I believe that Nauphoeta cinerea is introduced widely around the Caribbean. I'm sure that a devoted hobbyist could discover enough to make a colony in the southernmost regions of Florida.
The problem is that they are not considered by the State of Florida to be a "native species". Florida allows you to possess "native" roach species (and possibly some others with the arthropod permit), but lobsters are on the list as prohibited/non-native, so even if they happen to exist in the wild in small pockets, it would still be illegal to own them, even if you collect them from the wild... the purpose being to prevent further introduction to other habitat.
 

ZephAmp

Arachnobaron
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Ah, I see. I'm sure someday soon they'll end up just like all the other Florida roaches (Periplaneta australasiae, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, Blaberus discoidalis, etc); That is, all over the place. :p
 

MauricesExoticP

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Jan 14, 2011
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I can't agree with lobster roaches being a bad thing, highly productive and easy to house in giant numbers is exactly why I like them so much.

As for being able to escape over a rim of petrolium jelly, if the cage they are kept in is too cold and the jelly is allowed to solidify or is allowed to collect lots of dust sure you'll have some get out.

For the record I feed off lobsters in huge daily numbers, I expect my production is about 6500 a day on lobsters alone, of which I might have 1000 or so excess per month to sell off.

If they don't sell that's ok too, we have the black throat monitor that can take up the slack.

Maurice Pudlo
 

AudreyElizabeth

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
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Feb 10, 2003
Messages
741
Maurice-

First off, nice to see you here!

The Lobsters are doing great, they seem to be very prolific, I've already noticed an increase in the size of the colony. I've had no trouble with them escaping the barrier, however, they are quick little things, and when I am selecting feeders they keep me on my toes lol.

Pretty neat to keep in their own right though, and I'm thinking about purchasing one of your vented roach bins for the convenience; also some of the food that you will be offering.

You'll have the hissers at the show tomorrow?
 

dtknow

Arachnoking
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Aug 18, 2004
Messages
2,239
These guys are quite hardy-hardier than some pest roaches IME(they survive longer than blatta lateralis for me). I used to have a colony but got rid of them partly due to that fact.
 

MauricesExoticP

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2011
Messages
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Maurice-

First off, nice to see you here!

The Lobsters are doing great, they seem to be very prolific, I've already noticed an increase in the size of the colony. I've had no trouble with them escaping the barrier, however, they are quick little things, and when I am selecting feeders they keep me on my toes lol.

Pretty neat to keep in their own right though, and I'm thinking about purchasing one of your vented roach bins for the convenience; also some of the food that you will be offering.

You'll have the hissers at the show tomorrow?
Yes I will Audrey its going to be one heck of a drive and I'm just now getting to packing up the bugs, thanks for the warm welcome I'm a long time Lurker, fresh member.

Maurice Pudlo
 

AaronP

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 29, 2007
Messages
47
Lobsters

Just thought i drop in and say something about lobsters... they were the first roach i ever had... and now if I needed to I could feed my black-throat monitor exclusively lobsters and still sell some.

A great affordable colony that will feed all of your critters within a few months.

Yes they climb use vaseline or other available bug barrier, do not use a textured bin! some bins like the blue sterlite 45 gallons have texture on the plastic and it can render the vaseline somewhat ineffective.

Also I have had the vaseline slide down in sheets on the clear sterlite bins if the temps hit in high 90's
 
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