shelfordella tartara

[Nikos]

some photos of this excellent feeder roach.
First is a female roach.
Second is a male roach
and in the third photo is photo of a female with a piece of a semi-finished ootheka.

 

[danread]

Hi vardoulas,

I don't know anything about these roaches. Are they fast breeders? Do the climb glass?

Cheers,

 

[Nikos]

they breed fast, I have them for 2-3 months and I got more than 100 oothekas but it seems that they require a little bit more humidity that what I'm providing them and not all of them hatched.

They do NOT climb glass and require minimal care. The problem is that they are VERY fast and I'm having a hard time catsching them when it's feeding time, but I'm developing new technics so problem solved

I keep them in plastic 2liter ice cream boxes without substrate and with eggs crates as hides. I'll add some soil for sustrate in order to have more oothekas hatch.

 

[Navaros]

Wow that's pretty cool you have colonies in 2 L containers. They must be tiny. Can they fly? I guess they are also an egg laying species which is pretty cool.

 

[genious_gr]

they are like cricket in size

 

[Navaros]

That's awesome, I want a colony. I wonder if anyone in the US has them.

 

[Nikos]

they are like cricket in size

actualy mature females are bigger than full adult crickets
they come to all sizes

 

[Navaros]

actualy mature females are bigger than full adult crickets
they come to all sizes

Even better. They look like they would be great feeders for herps.

 

[Nikos]

they have very soft shells, so they make great feeders for lizards.
A lot of people use them as frog feeders too

 

[Malhavoc's]

I can catch you that species and another I go out back when its feeding time. They eat decaying matter and are everywhere only problem is I cant get any oothica [spelling] to hatch at all..Females hang onto em for awhile then they just drop em..

 

[Navaros]

Hmmm, they are a US species? Not interested then. Not worth the risk of them escaping.

 

[Malhavoc's]

I don't know if they are US natives but They are hear or at least a roach that looks very alike..