which feeder roaches?

[Gwegowee]

I have a ton of N cinerea- Lobster roaches. they always seem to be breeding and I always have a more than adequate selection of size. however when I am feeding my burrowing slings (varying sizes, smaller than 1.5 inches) the cockroaches dig and burry themselves which is quite annoying because the spiders cant find the roach. when feeding I now use a red lamp so they are not as inclined to hide from the light, but the roaches still dig, just not as much. this is quite annoying. most people dont like the climbing... the climbing doesn't bother me at all. I have found there to actually be some bennefits to the climbing.

so now I am looking into other species of roaches. something that breeds well like NC does but doesn't have to be quite as prolific as NC, just one where I could estabolish a feeder colony relatively quickly and cheaply. ability to climb matters not. but quick digging nymphs is annoying. any ideas as to which roach species would be a good candidate for me??

 

[becca81]

Just crush the heads of the roaches with a pair of tweezers before feeding - problem solved.

 

[Gwegowee]

Just crush the heads of the roaches with a pair of tweezers before feeding - problem solved.

lol... HMMmm I never thought of that one... sounds like a good idea! thanx.

 

[Skypainter]

Blatta lateralis. This is what I use and they don't burrow. They can't climb glass either and they multiply fast.

 

[Juraki]

lol... HMMmm I never thought of that one... sounds like a good idea! thanx.

For slings I feel that's the best way. If you place it close to them they'll get to it if they want it. If they don't, it's right where you put it so it's easy cleanup. I also don't have to worry about feeding them something too difficult to overpower, or them not having enough room for a struggle. I have yet to see any species of tarantula refuse prekilled prey.

 

[ShadowSpectrum]

Blatta lateralis. This is what I use and they don't burrow. They can't climb glass either and they multiply fast.

I 2nd B. lateralis, they are just a great roach. The only downside I can think of them is they don't give live birth, but it's not really a problem. This can be a good thing though, if you happen to feed a gravid female and she isn't eaten right away, it's much easier to remove an ootheca instead of a bunch of baby roaches. They don't hide or burrow like some species, they are very active, so they'll catch the attention of your animals easier, they're as prolific as N. cinerea and the same size too.

 

[Takumaku]

Dubias would be my recommendation. While they have a slower maturity rate than lobsters, once the dubias start breeding, they surely make up for it.

I wouldn't recommend B. lateralis because of your location since they are more than able to become a pest specie.

 

[Gwegowee]

I 2nd B. lateralis, they are just a great roach...
... it's much easier to remove an ootheca instead of a bunch of baby roaches...

so wait... why would you remove an ootheca? or a bunch of baby roaches? will the adults eat the young? using NC I do not remove any baby roaches. unless feeding them to spiders or my orther pets.

I wouldn't recommend B. lateralis because of your location since they are more than able to become a pest specie.

Oh yes, I very much agree... lateralis already is a pest... I find a few every day in my house... and literally Billions outside. one time I walked outside and thought that there was a pile of dead leves that Maintenance had left (I wasn't paying too much attention to the shape of the leves of corse). I started walking through because I love to walk through leves... and then the leves started scattering... a few ran up my leg and... it was a horible experience... just remembering the sound of 150 roaches being crushed every step I took... :: shivers :: you could see my foot prints of roach guts on the cement. it sounds exactly the same as crushing leves... but it's different after you find out that they were roaches.

so... I already have a negative Bias against lateralis. even if they are a good feeder roach, I dont think I want them.

but anyways... the crushing of NC heads works well.. they don't dig.
since diging is nolonger a problem; (thanx Becca!) and because I was already planning to get a second species of roach... I decided to get some Eublaberus prosticus--orange heads. this way I can give a bigger variety of food in my pets diets. I got 40 roaches all sizes and am looking forward to starting my new colony. does anyone have any suggestions and tips? I know they are bad about eating eachothers wings... what are the best ways of keeping them happy so they wont do so?

 

[ShadowSpectrum]

so wait... why would you remove an ootheca? or a bunch of baby roaches? will the adults eat the young? using NC I do not remove any baby roaches. unless feeding them to spiders or my orther pets.

I said if you feed off a gravid female and it gives birth in the tarantula's tank, you wont have to deal with a bunch of baby roaches, just an ootheca. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Vys]

Just crush the heads of the roaches with a pair of tweezers before feeding - problem solved.

I remember someone else mentioning that it might be worthwhile to pull all their legs off. Reportedly they poo when you do this, but they won't be able to dig.


Seriously, does anyone have a link to an article describing B.lateralis invading a residence? I know they appear to have the potential, and I've read about 'close encounters', but no full-blown house infestation.

An alternative is P. nivea . The nymphs do burrow to a certain extent, but they seem to climb just as often, and the adults burrow very rarely (and also fly =) ). They're grand because they don't have hard shells, and the nymphs are small enough for the ittiest of spiderlings. They likely don't breed as fast as B.lateralis, but they are certainly not as slow as B.dubia.

Another species (which I've just begun to keep) is Schultesia lampyridiformis (Firefly mimic roach). Neither nymphs nor adults seem the slightest inclined to burrow.

 

[Takumaku]

Vys,
I'll find the document I was reading about turkistans becoming an introduced pest specie and post it.

Cliff note version: turkistans have become an introduced pest/non-pest (depends on how you what to look at it) in alot of the southern, mid-western states (New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Florida, etc.) much because of the military bringing stowe aways back while traveling abroad.

While turkistans aren't likely to become a pest specie like the german roach except in most southern states, they more than able to become a nuisance specie (like southern wood roach, american roach, skunk roach, etc).


It's nice to hear someone is working with Schultesia lampyridiformis. I have been thinking of added a small colony to my collection for a while now.

 

[Gwegowee]

I said if you feed off a gravid female and it gives birth in the tarantula's tank, you wont have to deal with a bunch of baby roaches, just an ootheca. Sorry for the confusion.

Oh ok, no need to be sorry.. I am sorry... I was probably reading to fast or something.

Seriously, does anyone have a link to an article describing B.lateralis invading a residence? I know they appear to have the potential, and I've read about 'close encounters', but no full-blown house infestation.

Um yes!!!
right here. they just about infest this city, or really this area of the city. they say that if you see one cockroach, then he has 1000 friends and family. I see atleast 2 a day in my house sometimes up to 10 and Billions outside. doe sthis mean I have 2 to 10 thousand more cockroaches than I knew about living in my home? (rhetorical statement) I kill them most of the time. but it doesn't help the cause... and outside... there are billions os them!! if any got out, there is more than enough of the same species to mate with.

also this species is not native to the area, it was introduced in the last few years or so, and has seriously TAKEN OVER!

 

[Vys]

I was thinking house-infesting. I've read the accounts regarding it spreading via the military and so, but not that it has infested houses (reproduced and spread in houses).

*Shrug* , you don't have to use B.lateralis though. You can dismember impractical larger roaches, or you can get one of the above mentioned species.

 

[Gwegowee]

I was thinking house-infesting. I've read the accounts regarding it spreading via the military and so, but not that it has infested houses (reproduced and spread in houses).
*Shrug* , you don't have to use B.lateralis though... you can get one of the above mentioned species.

Well they invade many homes all the time here... this morning, I killed 8 cockroaches just last night... a 3 nymphs a 2 juves, and 3 adults... and they say if you see 1, odds are he has 1000 buddies. does this mean I have 8000 living in my home 400 square foot apartment??? if so... I'd call that an infestation!

as to the species of roach I get... I already decided, and ordered. since NC is so cheap, easy to take care of, and fat... and with the new info of crushing heads etc, so they dont dig... I decieded to keep my NC... and instead of replacing NC... I would add to my selection of feeder roaches. and I got the larger Orange heads....
eh well... 730 AM... must go to sleep now.

 

[Vys]

I don't know the exact conditions for where you live, but chances are you have other insects in your home as well as B. lateralis, then? Either way, I wouldn't call it more than an occasional (regional) nuisance insect until it has been declared as a house-infesting species.

As for crushing heads and keeping boring species..some like it, others don't

 

[Juraki]

As for crushing heads and keeping boring species..some like it, others don't

Oh I don't just have "boring" species, I do the head crush for slings in vials. How f'ing exciting can it be watching a sling in a vial eat? I'm really not missing out on anything by killing the roach first. Some of you guys are just too damn elite for the rest of us. Sorry we're so boring.

 

[Gwegowee]

I don't know the exact conditions for where you live, but chances are you have other insects in your home as well as B. lateralis, then? Either way, I wouldn't call it more than an occasional (regional) nuisance insect until it has been declared as a house-infesting species.

As for crushing heads and keeping boring species..some like it, others don't

Uhm..... occasional??? its not an occasional nuisance. trust me. even if its not infested here, it's not merely occasional. occasional is maybe seeing a few or so a week or maybe every few days. yes there are other insects... those insects are occasional. house/wild spiders are occasional. but finding 5 - 10 roahes of the same species in the home every day is more than occasional.
as for crushing heads, boring species... are you looking for a rise? or are you just trying to be insulting?

 

[Vys]

To explain myself: My opinion is this: The less you have to dismember prey before you feed it to your tarantulas, the very better. Plus, I like diverse, somewhat unusual food Juraki: If you feel I am elitist because I happen to spend the time to find a roach I don't have to cut up alive before feeding my slings because it doesn't serve very well as food otherwise: then YES I AM.

I'm just expressing my distaste for unneccessary cruelty, as I see it. Though of course I'm hardly to call the cops over anything, anyway Because after all is said and done, to each his/her own.

 

[Juraki]

I'm just expressing my distaste for unneccessary cruelty, as I see it. Though of course I'm hardly to call the cops over anything, anyway Because after all is said and done, to each his/her own.

You're right I have niether the time nor money to spend searching for the perfect exotic food for my t's. but here's one for ya... I watched my B.auratum take 20 min to kill a sub adult roach. My forceps did it in less than 5 seconds. If given a choice which death do you think a roach would prefere? Cruelty? LOL, right...

So here's the part I think some of you long time pros need to think about, not everyone has the experience to raise more exotic feeders, many of them are young, in college, or working in jobs that earn them more karma than cash. Or they are plain and simply too BUSY. When someone posts asking advice and implies they are on a tight budget, or lack the experience for more exotic choices, why not base your response on those guidlines or simply do not respond at all.

This thread could have happily ended at Becca's post, after all the OP expressed their gratitude for finding the info they needed. She answered the question quite nicely. When the OP has become as bored with everything as you have they'll likely find more interesting game. Till then let it take it's course.

 

[Vys]

First: It isn't exactly hard, or expensive, to find most available feeder roaches in the U.S. (But this is of course..subjective)

Secondly: Did he mention experience? More time-consuming...'more advanced feeders' ..we are talking about roaches; you do realize you are splitting hairs? (heads )

Thirdly: Yes, it could have ended 'quite nicely at Becca's post' but I sought to give the threadstarter some more options anyways, since that's what he asked for (something that doesn't burrow).

This isn't 'arrogance of experienced keepers' because I'm hardly a very experienced keeper (when it comes to number of species anyways), I simply dislike messing with prey before dinnertime.

If you want to speak about the relative cruelty and Lol about it, think about if you or the T have a choice. Besides, you don't really kill it immediately when you squish the head.

But Meh. Good that the OP found his way anyway, I suppose.