What is the trick to keeping water in your roach colony?

[Kathy]

I just can't figure that out. If it is too big, they drown in the water, then I have it small, but it evaporates really fast and they get thirsty. Too tall and the small ones can't climb it.....What do you guys use for water dishes? I keep reading on here about the cricket gel things, but it sounds like they are not good for the t's because of the high calcium level. Any suggestions?

 

[xhexdx]

If you use a low water dish with aquarium stones in it, they can climb back out if they fall in.

If you feed them stuff like oranges and other juicy fruits (har har), you can pretty much eliminate a water dish altogether.

 

[Travis K]

I don't use water dishes for my roaches.

 

[Kathy]

Travis, so what do you do? I will try the idea with rocks.

 

[moose35]

fruit kathy.......fruit

or just plain water crystals with nothing added to them

moose

 

[Galapoheros]

No water dish here either. They get enough through fruits and veggies, sometimes if I have the water bottle in my hand I will spray everything down in there. ..dahh, you beat me moose!

 

[moose35]

haha your too slow Gala.

i also do what todd does with the spray bottle
if i remember i spray them down real good every once i a while

moose

 

[matthias]

since no one else asked, what kind of roaches?

Some need a little more moisture in the environment, some are just fine with fruit.

All of my have water crystals. (I'll occasionally squeeze some oranges over the crystals and they go nuts).
But they keep event he babies from drowning and don't dry out too quickly.

 

[Kathy]

I have b. lats. These water crystals, where do you buy them? I only see gel type things at the pet stores around here. I would like to go that route but I guess I am not sure what you are talking about.

 

[arachnochicken]

Kathy I have the same roaches you do and in the year or so that I've had them I have never once given them water or water crystals . As mentioned above they get enough from the fruits and veggies they are given . I mostly feed mine oranges and they have been thriving on them just fine .

 

[moose35]

http://watergelcrystals.com/order-crystals.htm

-or-
you can google water crystals

the ones you find for plants are the same stuff but cheaper

but i don't use them. just fruit and an occasional spraying

moose

 

[Kathy]

The thing with fruit is that I've tried that and by the next morning it just stinks so gross, but I haven't tried oranges. I will try that too. Thanks all.

 

[Falk]

You dont need water crystals, just give them wet fruits like oranges.
I have had huge colonies of Therea olegrandjeani, Blaptica dubia, Gyna lurida, Gromphadorina portentosa and i have never used water crystals

 

[BakuBak]

easy way to suply watter (beside fruits) is to make a holl in kinder surprize toy container , put inside a spong and fill it with woter till the spong soak all , ( part of spong must to be outside the holl little bit )

then you glue it to the side of container and roches drings from the spong

 

[andy375hh]

Use Water crystals, I take a Deli cup and cut holes big enough for the roaches to climb in and out of fill it with water crystals there ya go. I put a top on it also so the crystals dont dry out so fast this lasts almost a week, I do it for Lats, Dubia's and Hissers.

 

[Falk]

easy way to suply watter (beside fruits) is to make a holl in kinder surprize toy container , put inside a spong and fill it with woter till the spong soak all , ( part of spong must to be outside the holl little bit )

then you glue it to the side of container and roches drings from the spong

Yeah and make a bacteria colony to

 

[Kathy]

I just ordered some water crystals from the site Moose gave me. And I will get some oranges tomorrow. Might as well do both. I have been feeding them cat food and oatmeal mainly.

 

[Galapoheros]

I have b. lats. These water crystals, where do you buy them? I only see gel type things at the pet stores around here. I would like to go that route but I guess I am not sure what you are talking about.

They will easily get by if you put something in there they will eat in a day. They can go several days without eating anything. Sometimes I put a quarter of a potato in the containers. The don't seem to like it a whole lot but it is a source of moisture when they want it and slow to rot, typical tuber!

 

[Falk]

Use Water crystals, I take a Deli cup and cut holes big enough for the roaches to climb in and out of fill it with water crystals there ya go. I put a top on it also so the crystals dont dry out so fast this lasts almost a week, I do it for Lats, Dubia's and Hissers.

Totaly unnecessary if you use oranges

 

[presurcukr]

I use watermelon and oranges