Roach-trouble

[Vys]

I got my shipment of roaches today, thinking they had to be the best food for my 1-year-old-but-not-quite-mature L. Parahybana..hah, don't know exactly what species they are, only that they're from Argentina, meaning south america, mostly because I haven't seen any adults yet. Just ..what do you call them...teenagers?

Looking here , http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/Roaches/
They very much look like either Blaberus Giganteus tennagers, or Blaptica Dubia.
Either way, the first one I threw in roared in glee and dug itself down and disappeared immediately in 6 gallons of peat. What do ? :/

 

[Jesse607]

I usually rip half of their legs off with tweezers, so that they cannot dig, but still attract attention to themselves. just hold the roach in one hand using a napkin(because it will poo all over you if you don't), and with the other hand use the tweezers.

 

[Vys]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I won't do that.

Now, what about the one that's already in ? :/ Shall I clean out the whole tank and get it, or let it emerge by itself, if ever ?

 

[Vys]

Oh, and one other thing : Would it be possible to place the roaches in a bowl of somekind and place it in the enclosure? Something they couldn't climb out of?
But wouldn't Potato chip her teeth if she struck them in the bowl ? :/

 

[Wade]

I've also experienced this problem, especially with Blaberus.

The bowl idea would work if it's deep enough. I'd use a smooth plastic. I suppose there's some off chance that the T could injure a fang, but I've never heard of this happening because of a bowl. Many keepers who use mealworms offer them this way for exactly the same reasons.

Annother option would be to offer the roach from forcepts or long tweezers. My more bold T's will take them this way.

Then, there's the pre-killed option. You can put them in the freezer. I usually just crush the head (roach continues to twitch afterwards). I leave the roach in front of the burrow/retreat. You might not like this method, but it's probably feels a little less tourturous than pulling the legs off =D

Also, the proper word for immature roaches is "nymph".

Wade

 

[Vys]

Ah, ok, thanks Wade!

Hm, I suppose I shall have to try the bowl-method. A plastic one would be better I think, not as hard, but would the little roach rascals gain purchase on that? Perhaps.
Forceps/tweezers I shall have to try.

Anyway. the thing nagging me now is whether I should dig the thing submerged up , or if I can just leave it be, and it won't do any damage, and eventually reappear ? :?

 

[Wade]

If its a Blaberus species, they shouldn't be able to climb smooth plastic.

You might want to dig it up if you think the spider is approaching a molt. Cockroaches are said to be less prone to attack a molting t than crickets, but I'm not sure if I'm buying that. At the very least, I'd say it depends on species. Some species seem to need more protien than others, and they may be more prone to attack other vunerable species. One species I keep, Eublaberus posticus, will devour pinkie mice like piranah!

Wade

 

[Vys]

Hah, hmm.... :/
Well, I think it's Blaberus Giganteus, since they can't seem to climb their petpal, and I don't think Potato is nearing a molt, since the bold part of her adbomen is rather white/yellow, not dark grey or so. Plus, she moves around alot. I'm just worried the little roach will rot and cause an infestation of maggots or something else picked straight out of a paranoid imaginaton

But, do they generally reappear, or do they stay burrowed forever ?

 

[Wade]

Alot of times, the nymphs will stay burried for along time. They may not come up until they mature, especially if they're finding adequate moisture and food in the substrate. If you're using potting soil or other organic material, they may actually survive in the T cage for a very long time. Mature Blabs don't spend quite as much time burried, however.

I should probably mention that the pinkies that the E. posticus ate were dead, previously frozen and had been refused by snakes. Other than that, they get the same chick mash my other roaches get, plus a little trout chow for protien.

Wade

 

[Jesse607]

I am sorry my suggestion above sounds a little vile. To coax the roach out of the substrate, put in a small piece of lettuce,banana,or bread, and observe for up to 20 minutes under dim light. if the roach is hungry, it will come right out. the longer it remains in the cage the more hungry it will be. be sure not to leave the food in there if doesn't work, take it out and try again another day. they can go more than a month without food. this also works for mealworms sometimes.