Periplaneta As Feeders

[TheInv4sion]

I just ordered 12 periplaneta americana nymphs and was hoping to eventually start up a breeding colony to replace my red runners down the line and was wondering if anyone has any experience keeping these. Ideally was hoping to just care for them in the same way I care for my lateralis colony but with a barrier at the top to prevent escapes. Wasnt able to find a ton of info on people using for feeders so any tips would be appreciated.

(Currently have a small lateralis colony like maybe 200?)

 

[lazarus]

I've never kept them but from what I've read they aren't that great as feeders because they don't do well when crowded and they will eat their oothecas so a setup with egg crates won't work very well.

 

[pannaking22]

I don't think people usually keep them as feeders because they're great climbers and they have a definite odor that most people find off-putting. Plus the stigma that species has. They'd certainly be a big meaty feeder though once they reach adulthood though.

 

[TheInv4sion]

I've never kept them but from what I've read they aren't that great as feeders because they don't do well when crowded and they will eat their oothecas so a setup with egg crates won't work very well.

hmm was unaware of this though I could just divide them into multiple enclosures I suppose and use cork bark/substrate with leaf litter

I don't think people usually keep them as feeders because they're great climbers and they have a definite odor that most people find off-putting. Plus the stigma that species has. They'd certainly be a big meaty feeder though once they reach adulthood though.

Assuming i manage to keep them within their enclosure I think they would be a great feeder for my arboreal Ts dubias are not enjoyable to try and feed to my pokies and lats are tiny

 

[mantisfan101]

Never kept them but planning to try when I move out, from what I hear they're definitely more sensitive compared to other feeders. They need more moisture/humidity so probably use cork bark pieces, and of course use an escape proof container.

 

[Bob Lee]

My friend have a colony and he tells me that they are the best feeders he have... He's a little biased tho and here is why.
American roaches can do fine with the normal roach set up as long as you have tons of ventilation, they really need that air flow.
They will sometimes fight and even eat other but if your care is right this shouldn't be much of an issue, my friend have a big colony and he's noticed no significant fighting between them.
The American roaches like to run, it will grab the attention of any animal, down side is that they will also bite and you need to be careful with them.

So basically, they will be a great feeder if you can properly care for them, but you gotta keep in mind their unique traits

 

[schmiggle]

I've never kept them, but I think the following might be relevant to how they are as feeders:

I worked in Louisiana a couple summers back, and the P. americana there are massive. Probably 1.5"+ body length. That makes them pretty attractive as feeders, ofc. However, I once saw a large dragonfly fluttering around in circles on the ground. A P. americana ran around to its head and bit it half off to completely disable the dragonfly. I bring this up to make the point that when @Bob Lee says they'll bite, that's true--they seem to mean business. I'd imagine they're a riskier feeder than some others

 

[pannaking22]

When I was in grad school we had a few garbage cans full (seriously) in a back room of the insectary. That gave them loads of airflow, there was about 10 inches of some sort of slippery barrier, and they had these weird stacked things to give them places to hide. Plus food and water of course. Even with all that, I'd find them regularly in the insectary and just about every other floor of the building.

 

[Jesse607]

Great as a prey item, however much more of a hassle keeping them contained and they can smell very very bad! They are fast as hell and great climbers, so it can be a challenge wrangling them to give to your tarantula. They are fantastic escape artists. Did I mention they are FAST? Their pest status is way overblown, sure they are unpleasant to see, but they are not able to breed away from warm moist environments. Most of what we see in cool winter climates are ones that popped out of sewer pipes (or pipes leading to the sewer) somewhere in the building. They typically only live for a few days or weeks once outside of the pipes. In the South they live outdoors, but still don't do well inside air conditioned clean spaces.

 

[TheInv4sion]

Great as a prey item, however much more of a hassle keeping them contained and they can smell very very bad! They are fast as hell and great climbers, so it can be a challenge wrangling them to give to your tarantula. They are fantastic escape artists. Did I mention they are FAST? Their pest status is way overblown, sure they are unpleasant to see, but they are not able to breed away from warm moist environments. Most of what we see in cool winter climates are ones that popped out of sewer pipes (or pipes leading to the sewer) somewhere in the building. They typically only live for a few days or weeks once outside of the pipes. In the South they live outdoors, but still don't do well inside air conditioned clean spaces.

I have 12 nymphs of the black strain with white eyes coming in about a week so it'll be a while before its up and running as a feeder colony but if its not enjoyable to deal with in volume I can always start culling ooths

 

[Bob Lee]

I have 12 nymphs of the black strain with white eyes coming in about a week so it'll be a while before its up and running as a feeder colony but if its not enjoyable to deal with in volume I can always start culling ooths

You could always sell your excess

 

[TheInv4sion]

You could always sell your excess

Is there a market for P. americanus? I guess why not, but probably wont have to worry about that for 1+ years