Should I get roaches? (Blaberus craniifer)

[VolkswagenBug]

Oh I didn't know it!
By the way, is there still risks in december even with heat pack? I maybe want roaches but also milliped, even mantis, but I think of them as pretty 'weak' to tolerate shipping during winter.

There are still going to be slight risks if the pack turns out to be broken, but I'd say they should be fine with a functional heat pack and overnight shipping. Any other risks are standard fare and unrelated to the weather. Millipedes and mantids are more fragile with the weather, but it's still a pretty similar story.

When it comes to the food I will give them beetle jelly, fruits and maybe fish food/dog food or something like that but I don't know if those last two are safe with the salt and all (if I want to feed some roaches to my mantis after). If I was asking for the plants and wood this was mostly because I want to provide a lot of hides and decorations and I know I did it for my beetles but they sometimes crunch on it so that's why, thank you for answering!

Fish food is fine for the roaches themselves, but I don't know if it would have effects on the predator (I don't use mine as feeders). I don't think it would if you use a good brand, but I can't say that for sure.
For hides, just cork bark and regular half logs are fine. Vivariums are cool but not really required for Blaberus, or most roaches.

Oh too bad, I knew someone who had lizards in his garden but he is moving. Well I will try to find looking for some predators in the wild but also thinking about getting some as pets, unfortunately I don't see anywhere who sell centipedes but hopefully one day.

Do you not have lizards in the pet trade there?

I would love a whipspider one day, everywhere I saw them though they are about 40€ for small ones, I don't know if is it a difficult species or if it's too expensive? Another cool spider is the Phidippus reigus but same thing I only saw them to 40 to 70 €, I've heard about breeders selling them for less than a dozen but never actually saw them selling this low..

Whips are not very prolific, not popular, and mature slowly, hence the high price.

I can't get a tarantula or scorpions because I don't have the certification for those

This is the first time I've been proud of America since 2015.

I think that I will look for some arachnids that I can own without it, I think it's legal to own
Ancylometes bogotensis, Holconia insignis but not sure of the disponibiliy of those or if they can be dangerous-

They don't seem that they'd be dangerous after a cursory glance. I don't know how they are with regards to temperament. Assassin bugs are also a good option; they eat quite frequently and some can be kept communally.

I also thought about maybe if I have too much cockroaches, give them to a petstore but if I'm not a professional breeder I don't think I can (?), or maybe sell them or something.

I don't know if a pet store would take them, but you can sell them here or on Roach Forum, or locally.

 

[Crocodylidae]

Is there any places to have safe wood for my terrarium but cheaper? Because at my petstore for just one it can be already pretty high, I wanted to take cholla wood for my beetle but it's 7€ just one piece (and it's from ExoTerra), but I found some cheaper one that people sell so I was wondering it is still safe when cheaper? (like no products or anything)
There is lizards, a lot of gecko and that's a pet I would love to have one day but they live a long time so I feel like I should wait a few years and for my own house so that I can be sure to care for them for years (unless there are species who live shorter but I don't know)

This is the first time I've been proud of America since 2015.

Yeah from what I've heard it's kind of hard to get the certification here so for now I'm just looking at other people pets aha.

So I'm gonna think about assassin bugs, what is the easiest species? Are they difficult or not?
Same for whip spider, next time I see one I'll think about maybe getting one but are they hard for a beginner?

About the fish food, there is two types so I don't know: the flakes or the pellets, for fishes pellets are better but roaches.. I don't know..is it a very important thing for them or not? If I only give them fruits and vegetables can they have problems?

And so talking again about the roaches from the petstore, if I have like ten iniatilly does I risk having just about twenty babies more or really a ton? I've heard about people in just one year getting like two hundred roaches...

 

[gambite]

Well if you end up with too many you can just cull them. Scoop up as many as you don't want and toss them in the freezer for an hour.

I actually wanted to ask you guys how easy it might be to offload excess for free at a reptile show, anyone tried that? Will they usually Force you to buy a table and be a 'vendor'? And how easy is it too find takers on a couple batches of free roach tubs?

 

[Crocodylidae]

I got cockroaches and I'm confused on the species. Labelled as craniifer, but they look pretty small. When I bought them we told me that they were sub-adult but I want to be sure; are they False Death Head Cockroach or just young?

I also tried to guess who is a female and who is a male as they look all the same but I'm..really not sure?

Are those without spot at the end male? Or is that spot is totally unrelated? Is this just a questions of segment?

(Also, is there any way to catch them like that without getting scratched and scaring them...?)

 

[VolkswagenBug]

View attachment 327765
View attachment 327766

I got cockroaches and I'm confused on the species. Labelled as craniifer, but they look pretty small. When I bought them we told me that they were sub-adult but I want to be sure; are they False Death Head Cockroach or just young?

Subs can often be a good deal smaller than adults. Those look like craniifer, but I'll admit that it's kind of hard to tell apart Blaberus nymphs just from pictures.

I also tried to guess who is a female and who is a male as they look all the same but I'm..really not sure? View attachment 327768
View attachment 327769 View attachment 327770 View attachment 327771 View attachment 327772 View attachment 327773
Are those without spot at the end male? Or is that spot is totally unrelated? Is this just a questions of segment?

Looks like the second and fourth ones are male (males have an additional segment and styli).

(Also, is there any way to catch them like that without getting scratched and scaring them...?)

Cockroaches can be anesthesized or calmed by filling a container that they're in with carbon dioxide or by putting them in a cold area for a brief time (the latter is riskier, but easier for most people).

 

[draconisj4]

So I'm gonna think about assassin bugs, what is the easiest species? Are they difficult or not?

Assassin bugs are awesome. They are some of my favorite inverts. I've only had experience with one species, Pystalla horrida, but they are quite easy to care for.

 

[Crocodylidae]

Looks like the second and fourth ones are male (males have an additional segment and styli).

The last one is a female as well right?
Also can they reproduce when they are still young? Because I just kind of put them all together..

Assassin bugs are awesome. They are some of my favorite inverts. I've only had experience with one species, Pystalla horrida, but they are quite easy to care for.

I saw Platymeris for 22€, I will probably buy some one day!

 

[VolkswagenBug]

The last one is a female as well right?

The last segment looks a little weird, but it appears female.

Also can they reproduce when they are still young? Because I just kind of put them all together..

The only arthropods commonly kept as pets that can do that are isopods, as far as I know.

 

[Crocodylidae]

Okay, thanks! Can they tolerate/like the high humidity that milliped ask for ? Because I think I would like to put the two males with my milliped?

 

[VolkswagenBug]

Okay, thanks! Can they tolerate/like the high humidity that milliped ask for ? Because I think I would like to put the two males with my milliped?

I wouldn't personally do that. They'd probably survive, but it wouldn't be the best environment.

 

[Crocodylidae]

Okay, I will either put them with the females or just in another terrarium just for them. For two roaches what would be a ideal size of terrarium?
Other than that for the females I put them all together in there: (if there is a milliped in there it's because I'm doing a new enclosure for him so for making him wait I put him in here but it's not for the long-term), is the enclosure good?


They come out at night but most of the day they just stay buried and are very discreet:

 

[VolkswagenBug]

Okay, I will either put them with the females or just in another terrarium just for them. For two roaches what would be a ideal size of terrarium?
Other than that for the females I put them all together in there: (if there is a milliped in there it's because I'm doing a new enclosure for him so for making him wait I put him in here but it's not for the long-term), is the enclosure good?
View attachment 327929

It's kind of cluttered, which might make it hard for them to find food. Putting the food a little closer to the ground and removing some of the leaf litter might help them. Otherwise, it seems fine.

They come out at night but most of the day they just stay buried and are very discreet:
View attachment 327930

Yep, that's very standard behavior. I'd be worried if that weren't the case.

 

[Crocodylidae]

Hello, I had another quick question! So I made the enclosure less cluttered and I think it's fine now, but I was actually wondering: how long are these cockroaches going to take to become adults considering their current size?

 

[VolkswagenBug]

Hello, I had another quick question! So I made the enclosure less cluttered and I think it's fine now, but I was actually wondering: how long are these cockroaches going to take to become adults considering their current size?

Hard to tell; it'd depend on the temperature. I'd guess less than 6 months at a normal room temperature, but the exact length could vary.

 

[Crocodylidae]

Hello again,

One of them molted yesterday!

He's not very big, but is this Blaberus Craniifer for sure then?
He is pretty calm, more calm than the other, maybe is this because he molted recently?
So is this is 'final form' now? How long is he going to live after if he is considered adult?

 

[Crocodylidae]

The one other male molted as well! His wings are kind of messed up, but he looks cute.



I would like to try breeding them but I have no ideas how to tell if the females (who are still in another terrarium) are adults or not, they spend most of their time under the dirt and I don't see any molt but I can't be too sure.
I thought the first one who molted would darken but no, so they don't look very craniifer to me, not sure of the species anymore.​