roaches

[Mark Shingleton]

hi guys,
i was thinking of getting in some roaches cuz people say they last a bit longer then crikets and breed well, i was just wandering how do i go about starting a colany? do i just stick em in a pet pals tub wi food and leave em tio it or is their more to it then that? any advice on starting a colany would be appriciated, what size/type tank if not a ptpals, do they need temp humidiyt etc,
thanx

[MarkPorter]

If you cantact Alan Edwards, he will run through everything with you. He is also selling small starter colanys at the moment.

AlanEdwards_InvictaArachnids@Hotmail.co.uk

[Paul Arnold]

Hi Mark.
I keep Blaptic Dubia roaches as food for my T.Blondi so I can give you a few pointers. I keep mine in a small fish tank with plenty of small holes in the lastic lid and 5" of damp substrate, this is so they can burrow to avoid the heat. I use coir substrate. I mist every now and again but normally just keep the substrate damp. Ive not had a problem with this. For them to breed you have to use a heat source,an overhead lamp is better than a mat ive found. The temperature neeeds to be 30-32 C for breeding, they can be kept as low as 18 C but they wont breed .You buy a starter colony which has enough roaches in order for them to start breeding and expand the colony. If fed a good diet and kept at the right temp they breed like mad! The bonus of blaptics is that they cant fly,climb and dont smell either. Theyre fast moving and really grab a hungry T's attention. Hope that helps

[Jamie Cooper]

Hi Mark. Starting a roach colony was the best thing I ever did. It's dead easy too.

I started out with about 10 Blaptica dubia adults almost a year ago. Now I have so many I've lost count. I've upgraded their housing from a small kritter keeper to a 70L container! It does take them a while to get going. Mine took a good month before I noticed some babies. Since then my colony has exploded! I've literally lost count! There must be at least 300+.

It's a good idea to keep at least a 3/1 ratio - females/males. Some say 4/1. Males will attack each other if the competition is stiff.

Temps have to be high if you want them to breed. I keep mine at around 30C and my colony is exploding!

I don't use any substrate. It makes it so much easier to clean up after them and they don't burrow out of sight. I use egg boxes for housing.

My food items consist of ground dog biscuit and oranges. I put 2 orange quaters in every 2 days and they completely devour it!

Jamie

[Peter Roach]

There many many ways to keep and breed feeder roaches and everyone thinks their way is best

My way is of course the bestest of the best

Any medium to large plastic container will do. (the bigger the better sez I )
Using tape or dark card or plastic sheeting make sure the sides and top are dark so that the roaches are in permanant darkness. Drill or melt small holes in the top only.
As it will always be dark, the roaches can eat and breed with no distractions . . .like avoiding the light ! ! !

No substrate

Use egg flats standing upright. cut them to fit approx 3-4 inches less than the height of the container. (buy on ebay, I've just bought 30 for £6.50)
The reason that stacked vertical egg trays are used is that the roach poop (for some reason called FRASS) will fall to the floor and not be collected in the egg cup thingys. DO NOT clear out the poop for at least 6 months and NEVER clear it all out. I read somewhere on a scientific website that the newborn roaches eat the frass to get their gut fauna started. I have tried a very basic mini experiment about this and it seemed that there was more newborns alive when there was poop about than not. As the heat is from the bottom of the container the frass will dry out very quickly.

Place one egg tray flat on top of the vertical trays (more on this later)

Place a small heat mat underneath the container. If possible place heatmat and container on polystyrene sheeting to reflect the heat up. Dont forget that heatmats radiate heat from both sides ! ! ! No thermostat needed

Buy as many roaches as you can afford to start with. I would recommend a very basic minimum of 50. I've just started a new colony of Dubia with 250 and a colony of Turks with 300-400.
NEVER NEVER NEVER use adult females as food otherwise you just wont get enough breeding without them. Feed adult males or juvs instead.
The more you get as a starter colony means that you can use them earlier rather than later.

When you first set them up check on the temps for the first fews days, try and get the temps between 90F and 100F. If it is hotter than 100F just make a few more holes to let so of the heat escape, if less than 90F just tape over some of the holes . . . . . simples eh ?

No spraying or any of that wasting of time. Just pour 1 small cup of water onto the egg tray that you have hopefully laid flat on top of the stacked vertical egg trays.
Do this once a week, this will provide the humidity and moisture needed.

Feed them anything you like. I use dried cat crunchies, pond sticks, fish flake food, cheap cereals, carrots, apples, oranges, cooked rice. Some people use water crystals for moisture but they should get enough from the veg and the once a week cap of water but it wont do any harm if you do use them.
If you check on the internet there will be squiilions of food types that people use.

DONT fuss with them, the more that you mess about the less they will breed.
I wouldnt touch them for the first month apart from feeding/watering to get them going.

As pictures speak louder than a thousand words i've managed to find a few old pics

[Jamie Cooper]

I read somewhere on a scientific website that the newborn roaches eat the frass to get their gut fauna started. I have tried a very basic mini experiment about this and it seemed that there was more newborns alive when there was poop about than not.

Very interesting! I learned something new today. Great post, very informative.

Jamie

[SylviRigden]

That's really informative Pete I'll leave the poop in from now, I tend to keep mine pretty clean. What about the flat tray on the top?

'Edit' oh I see, you damp it a bit to provide humidity.

I feed mine anything, they compete with my rats for the kitchen scraps and are excellent at clearing anything that has grown on too far in the veggie patch.

[Mark Shingleton]

wow thanks guys, some good info their. just one thing tho... how do i tell the male from female with roaches?? knowin me ill feed all th females and the breeding will never happen.
thanx tho, some great advice their.

[Jamie Cooper]

Males and females are easy to tell apart once they are fully grown. Males have wings and are more slender in appearance. The females are a little wider. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bandung...dubiacare.html

Jamie.

[Peter Roach]

An old thread but thought that I'd add a few new pics



Roach containers






Red Runners.
I've only been using these for about 4 months but they are the best feeder I've ever used in 30 years.
They dont climb, smell or make any noise and are as soft as or softer than any cricket.
They are the fastest breeders I've ever used, the juvs are small enough for even the smallest slings. I'm seriously thinking about getting rid of my dubia colony as they are almost redundant now as I only use them for T's over 6 inches and I've only got about 8-9 of that size.

The small brown things on the floor is not substrate, they are egg cases. There are thousands of them, some hatched and some not. I've got an idea of removing them and hatching them seperately from the adults as I can see there being a problem soon cos there is so many of them and getting more every day























Dubia

[Ed Pope]

Sorry for resurrecting and old thread, but I thought it better than starting a new one. I’ve a couple of questions on using roaches as feed.

If these species don’t climb much, are they any good as feed for arboreal species?

Also, how many spiders should one have in a collection before starting a colony becomes worthwhile?

Thanks in advance.

[Leon Lane]

Hi Ed

I keep about 50 spiders and have a colony of "Red Runners" (B.lateralis, the Turkistan roach)

They are essentially free food. They have a huge lifespan compared to crickets, do not climb (glass/smooth plastic) do not sing, and do not smell anywhere near as bad as crickets.
Don't worry about their suitability for arboreals - they will easily climb bark/leaves/webbed surfaces - it's just smooth stuff they cannot cope with.

I'd say anyone with more than 10 or even 5 spiders would be a fool not to have a roach colony. Mine go through a £1.50 box of cat crunch every 3 months or so, and a handful of bug gel a week (buy it dry form - loads cheaper!)
I don't bother with fruit or anything like that and they seem none the worse for it.

Keep them hot (and I do mean hot) and you will be amazed at how quickly they start breeding. I have more than I know what to do with.