Roach food & heat Q's

[Meer]

I have two questions about keeping roaches.

I've read that some brands of cat and dog food have insecticides or insect repellents in them. Does anybody know the names of these ingredients so I can read labels and make sure not to give my roaches food that contains them.

What is the best/easiest way to heat roaches? Heat Tape? Heating pads made for humans? Heat mats made for reptiles? Ceramic heat emitters (the kind that fit in light fixtures but do not emit light, only heat)? I'm thinking mostly in terms of cost and how often they might need to be replaced.

I know that many people have had success breeding roaches at room temperature, but the only place I really have to keep them is in my basement where it's about 70-72F in summer, much cooler in winter. So I will need provide heat.

 

[scottyk]

My suggestion based on the cooler than normal temps you have:

Any of the methods you suggested will work. In your situation I'd just go with a glass aquarium and a reptile heat mat that covers 1/2 to 2/3 of the bottom. Put your food and water over the area where there is no heat.

The reason I suggest glass is that you can just put the heat mat under it at full strength without worring about needing a thermostat or melting plastic. The roaches can then move vertically and horizontally to find a preferred temp. Also, the herp heat mats are cheap to run and last for years.

The above setup is exactly how I did my first dubia colony, and it worked great. I would just unplug the mat in the hottest part of the summer, but you can skip that in your situation. Also, if the basement is lit up at all, tape some black paper around the aquarium to keep it dark inside...

Good luck!
Scott

 

[Meer]

Thanks for the suggestion! But I'd really rather not deal with a heavy glass tank. Plastic storage bins are so much easier to move around for cleaning (and cheaper!) Would the heat mat be safe if I elevated the plastic bin over it a bit to avoid melting? Would that let too much heat escape?

And I would really like to know where I could find more information on insecticides in dog/cat food.

 

[scottyk]

Standard heat mats work much better with direct contact. they do make radiant mats but they are more expensive and suck a lot more energy.

How big is your collection? I was keeping a Dubia colony in a 10 gallon tank, and it was producing many more feeders than I needed for almost 30 spiders. Remember that you are only putting cardboard and insects in there that weigh almost nothing. The entire 10g setup will weigh less than 5lbs.

If you are set on plastic, then you are looking at buying a thermostat as well, and the cheap ones are prone to failure. Getting stuck either on or off. I don't know if using the mat without one or a thermostat failure could actually cause a fire, but I personally wouldn't try it.

Another option for something strong enough for your cold basement would be rigging a dome with a ceramic heat emitter into a plastic tub. However, this will also wind up costing more in supplies and electric than the tank would. This may be worth it if you really think you are going to eventually have a very large invert collection to feed.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress...

Scott

 

[scottyk]

PS- I feed a prepared roach chow in small amounts, and lots of healthy table scraps to my roaches. The folks who feed dog/cat food usually recommend the really cheap stuff (too cheap for insecticides), or the pricy organic boutique foods (too pure and snobby for insecticides).

Maybe someone who actually uses them can help you out with some brand names.....

 

[Andrew273]

I don't feed mine dog food but after working in a pet store (dodges rocks) I can tell you: Cheap dog food is your best bet and steer clear of most cat food, I think it's too high in calcium (I forget...).

 

[Meer]

Well even if it would cost more I think I'd rather have a ceramic heat emitter over a plastic tub than have a glass tank. But really I was hoping a heat mat would work with the plastic if I elevated it. Maybe I can find a place to keep them upstairs so I don't need heat. But then I have to lug the thing downstairs every time I need to clean it. And here I thought getting roaches was going to make things simpler LOL!

I would really like it if I could feed the roaches the dog food I already have for the dog. But I have no idea if the brand I have has insecticides in it or not since I don't know what the insecticides would be called on the ingredients list, or if they would even bother putting it there. (It's Pro Pac)

Perhaps I should go with chicken feed or something else anybody could recommend? I haved seen many sites that sell roach food and I'd prefer something cheap.

But now I have two more questions I forgot about!

I have a very small collection to feed. Currently two tarantulas (but hopefully more soon) and a tree frog. How many B. dubia would be good to start with and how long until the colony is established enough to start feeding off?

Where is a good place to buy egg crates? I've seen some sites that sell roaches and/or invert supplies sell them, but they seem kind of expensive considering they'll need to be replaced periodically. Could they be bought at feed stores?

 

[Meer]

Well since they had them at the show I was at I went ahead and bought 100 dubia and a ready made plastic storage box fitted with a screen lid and supplies. For now I'm keeping them in my bedroom because it's the warmest room in the house. Most of the time it's dark and quite in there, unless I'm watching TV. I hope the roaches like Sci-Fi.

Still interested in answers to my questions about buying egg crates and how long it might take for the colony to be established enough to feed from.

 

[PsychoSpider]

It matters how many adults you have and what the heat is. If it is a hundred adults then probably a couple of months if something smaller expect it to take a while. Also we can give you a better answer it you give us the heat.

 

[No One]

i use a plastic storage Tub, And what i do with my heat mat, i Put it under a ceramic tile and then the plastic tub ontop of the Tile. I have had this for awhile and haven't had any problems...
If anyone thinks this could cause a problem, like melting the plastic, please let me know and i will change it.

 

[pinkfoot]

You get different wattage levels in heating mats, No One, so if you have a 14w mat, you can have it directly on the plastic tub if you like. I take it you are using a standard Rubbermaid-type bin from Game or Mica in Edenvale?

 

[scottyk]

Different wattage ratings on heat mats are due to varying sizes, not temps. A lower wattage mat will put out the same high heat, just over a smaller area.

The ceramic tile thing is a good system, and has been used by herpers for years as a bargain alternative to thermostats. It works best if you don't have much year round change in room temps. The reason I didn't suggest this to the original poster is this statement:

I really have to keep them is in my basement where it's about 70-72F in summer, much cooler in winter

Based on a bin, and really cool winter temps I don't think a mat buffered by a ceramic tile is going to provide enough heat.

 

[Matt K]

www.roachforum.com

 

[pinkfoot]

Different wattage ratings on heat mats are due to varying sizes, not temps. A lower wattage mat will put out the same high heat, just over a smaller area.

News to me...thanks! :worship:

Still safe to use that specific mat on the plastic bins we have in this country, without any concern of melting, though obviously the pad should have ventilation...

 

[No One]

You get different wattage levels in heating mats, No One, so if you have a 14w mat, you can have it directly on the plastic tub if you like. I take it you are using a standard Rubbermaid-type bin from Game or Mica in Edenvale?

Thanks.. Yeah i got those big clear storage tubs (47cm x 68cm x 38cm)
from Hyperama there in edenvale for R100.00 They have wheels on so the Pad wouldn't be directly on the Tub.. Would it be safe to put the pad in the Tub ? Or is this not advisable.

 

[pinkfoot]

Perfectly fine.

Once you get more colonies, though, this will become an inconvenience, as you have to keep hauling the pads out at cleaning/feeding time, but it's no biggie.

Don't forget to visit the Exotic Pet Expo on the first weekend in Sept. Lots of good things on offer...

 

[No One]

Cool thanks.. Yeah at the moment i only got P.pallidas. But am looking for Dubai's and Maybe Lobster roaches, to start A colony.. Maybe somebody at the show will Have some . Definately will not miss it.. hopeing to get something special..

 

[pinkfoot]

P. pallida are superb little feeders!

B. dubia and N. cinerea will be great additions to your collection, and I may well have some for sale at the show...

 

[Galapoheros]

I don't think you have enough to feed the roaches to. But maybe you could work the adults so you don't get too many babies, and you could always get rid of the extras. I get the dog food for roaches at a health food store. I don't mind spending the extra money. Since I don't have a dog, it lasts a long time.

 

[Meer]

I'm not worried about having too many. I can always sell or separate the extras. My collection is always growing besides.

I am going to have to work out some way of heating them. I don't like having them in my room anymore because they smell. And I don't think it's warm enough in my room without extra heat anyway, and the whole house will be cold in the winter. (I can't help it, my dad is crazy about the thermostat :wall: )