What species of cockroaches can be housed together?

[Pells pets]

I did some experimenting with housing different species together. I found that hissers are too aggressive but I successfully housed Dubias and Peppered roaches. Both species are thriving and are healthy.
I love having the two different kinds in a tank together and I would like to do this with other species. Has anyone else successfully done this and with what species?!

 

[pannaking22]

Welcome to the forum! It is possible with various species, but you'll want to keep their habitat preferences in mind. For example, you could keep a species that mostly burrows with a species that spends all its time aboveground. Or if you keep something tiny with a large species that could work too. I think there are a couple threads on this somewhere on the boards.

 

[Pells pets]

Thanks for the reply!
I found a different thread about keeping hissers and dubias together but that's about all I dug up so far. I'll probably just experiment and post what works here for anyone else interested

 

[pannaking22]

I think people have kept little Kenyans with peppered roaches without any issue.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Before starting any communal roach tank, please check to make sure that the species you plan to add are from different genera. There is a big problem with accidental hybrids in the roach hobby.

 

[Hisserdude]

Before starting any communal roach tank, please check to make sure that the species you plan to add are from different genera. There is a big problem with accidental hybrids in the roach hobby.

1+
Make sure each species you put in a communal tank is from a different genus, or else you might unknowingly create hybrids, which would be really bad if you ended up selling them as pure stock by mistake... (Gromphadorhina and "Princisia" are the only two genera in the hobby that can interbreed, but "Princisia" is likely an invalid genus, so that barely counts).

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

I heard that Blaberus species could also hybridize. It is hard to find Blaberus giganteus that are actually giant.

A big problem with Gromphadorhina hybrids is that only G. portentosa is technically allowed by the USDA, and it could be hard to sell hybrids since they have the genetics of regulated species and are therefore illegal to possess without a PPQ 526 permit.

 

[Pells pets]

I heard that Blaberus species could also hybridize. It is hard to find Blaberus giganteus that are actually giant.

A big problem with Gromphadorhina hybrids is that only G. portentosa is technically allowed by the USDA, and it could be hard to sell hybrids since they have the genetics of regulated species and are therefore illegal to possess without a PPQ 526 permit.

Yeah, I bought some "Blaberus giganteus" a while back and I'm pretty sure they're hybrids:/ I don't plan on selling them for that reason.

 

[Pells pets]

1+
Make sure each species you put in a communal tank is from a different genus, or else you might unknowingly create hybrids, which would be really bad if you ended up selling them as pure stock by mistake... (Gromphadorhina and "Princisia" are the only two genera in the hobby that can interbreed, but "Princisia" is likely an invalid genus, so that barely counts).

Before starting any communal roach tank, please check to make sure that the species you plan to add are from different genera. There is a big problem with accidental hybrids in the roach hobby.

Will do! I'll be sure not to add speices that can interbreed.

 

[Hisserdude]

I heard that Blaberus species could also hybridize. It is hard to find Blaberus giganteus that are actually giant.

A big problem with Gromphadorhina hybrids is that only G. portentosa is technically allowed by the USDA, and it could be hard to sell hybrids since they have the genetics of regulated species and are therefore illegal to possess without a PPQ 526 permit.

Well they are selling packaged Gromphadorhina hybrids in Petcos here, so the USDA obviously will have their work cut out for them if they ever try regulating the sales of that genus... The other Gromphadorhina species are very common in the hobby here as well, and the taxonomy of the Gromphadorhini needs revision, so honestly I think they'd either have to do a blanket ban on Gromphadorhina, or a blanket approval.

 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

I have mentioned this issue to one of the entomologists at the USDA, and I think it would make sense that if the species are similar enough to hybridize, then they should all pose about the same, minute risk to agriculture. I think the insect hobby also proves that the regulations on most mantids and roaches are unnecessary. They have been kept for decades, they are banned where they could cause problems (Florida), and there aren't infestations of Hymenopus coronatus or Therea petiveriana in the country. One of the more annoying things is that giant orbweaver spiders can be imported without a USDA permit, but mantids require a permit because they might eat pollinators. Orbweavers eat all sorts of different pollinators; at least mantids live of the plants and can eat crop pests as well as the occasional pollinator. I think the USDA should deregulate most if not all species of Mantodea, Blattodea, Reduviidae, Carabidae, Lucanidae, and Dynastinae. Obviously not all members of these taxa are harmless to agriculture and the environment (such as Oryctes rhinoceros in the subfamily Dynastinae), but the majority seem virtually harmless. The USDA should then focus on the insects that actually pose a threat to agriculture and the environment.

 

[Hisserdude]

I have mentioned this issue to one of the entomologists at the USDA, and I think it would make sense that if the species are similar enough to hybridize, then they should all pose about the same, minute risk to agriculture. I think the insect hobby also proves that the regulations on most mantids and roaches are unnecessary. They have been kept for decades, they are banned where they could cause problems (Florida), and there aren't infestations of Hymenopus coronatus or Therea petiveriana in the country. One of the more annoying things is that giant orbweaver spiders can be imported without a USDA permit, but mantids require a permit because they might eat pollinators. Orbweavers eat all sorts of different pollinators; at least mantids live of the plants and can eat crop pests as well as the occasional pollinator. I think the USDA should deregulate most if not all species of Mantodea, Blattodea, Reduviidae, Carabidae, Lucanidae, and Dynastinae. Obviously not all members of these taxa are harmless to agriculture and the environment (such as Oryctes rhinoceros in the subfamily Dynastinae), but the majority seem virtually harmless. The USDA should then focus on the insects that actually pose a threat to agriculture and the environment.

Exactly, there have been no confirmed established populations of exotic roaches in the US that came from the pet trade thus far, just a lot that came in on commerce and slave ships a long time ago, and none of those have proven harmful to agriculture, not even the more prominent pest species like Blattella, Periplaneta, etc... Same goes for mantids and a lot of other inverts which are heavily regulated, I really think that the USDA should remove restrictions on importing roaches, mantids, isopods, millipedes, etc., as well as lift bans on keeping some exotic Rhino and stag beetles, (obviously not ALL, but just some of the more commonly kept ones, that pose no risk to agriculture). We can dream...

 

[Bob Lee]

We can dream...

A sensible government? I never thought three words can be so funny.