# So these roaches everyone seems to be using..



## Natonstan (Aug 9, 2008)

Are these roaches easier than crickets, do they fly/jump? and are they easy to breed, mite start using them myself :notworthy:


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## exoticsandtropics (Mar 11, 2007)

they seem okey. i think they are pretty easy to breed i just chucked some fish food in the tank and they have survived ages. easy to catch. and obviously they get to a good size so should be ok.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Natonstan said:


> Are these roaches easier than crickets, do they fly/jump? and are they easy to breed, mite start using them myself :notworthy:


They dont smell as bad, they are quiet, they cant climb plastic tubs = less escapee's, they jump (usually males have wings but they hardly fly) but not far and yes they are VERY easy to breed. Put some adults in a big RUB with some places to hide (egg cartons, kitchen paper rolls etc), water gel and food and you will have a colony in no time.


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## Juzza12 (Jun 12, 2008)

Definately get roaches, much easier to breed. Just stick a heat mat on a tub, whack some egg carton in and feed them fresh veg. Far more nutritious than crickets


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## CWD (Feb 11, 2007)

lobster roaches are the easy to breed like juzza12 said put them in a tub on a heat mat feed and bingo 

good link to help ya out  

Pro Geckos - Lobster Roach Care


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

very easy to breed keep them dark warm and well fed and they breed like crazy once they get going. Better than crickets in every way no chirping low odour and I think theyre better nutritionaly as well.


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## snowyj99 (Feb 28, 2008)

Im starting my own colony, they are supposed to be better than crickets! :2thumb:

But us rep keepers must be the only people on earth that like cockroaches apart from entomologists. :lol2:

Quite sad really. But If my reps like them Im all for it. lol:notworthy:


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

Easy to keep, easy to breed, no noise (slight bit of rustling round at night), a fair few stages to adulthood so a variety of sizes.

Most cant climb sides (lobsters can but easily fixed by putting vaseline around top of enclosure. Adult males do have wings, they cant fly (ive neva seen them fly anyway) but they seem to use them to glide/hover to the floor if dropped :whistling2:

Put them in a storage box ontop of a heat mat, add egg cartons, toilet roll tube etc. Feed on bran/weetabix and some fruit veg. Then leave them to multiply.


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## zemanski (Jun 15, 2008)

takes about 3 months to get a colony going, longer if you have more or larger reptiles


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## lero (Jan 15, 2008)

Being thinking about starting a colony of roaches for my monitor too, but what happens if they escape???


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## RoyalPython89 (Jul 15, 2008)

then they escape lol


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## lero (Jan 15, 2008)

apart from the absolute obviouse lol. 

What i meant was do they infest?


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## NXSmiggy (Oct 29, 2008)

got my colony on thursday (5 males 25 females ) and got in from work 2 hour ago to be greeted with ~30 babies. they have some cardboard , crushed cereal and water. i dont even have a heatmat atm as to skint to buy one, there in a cold kitchen and STILL manage to crank out babies lol

easy enough for ya


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

lero said:


> apart from the absolute obviouse lol.
> 
> What i meant was do they infest?


The roaches used as feeders are tropical species that can't breed at room temperatures - they've got to be kept warm to breed. So no, _Blaptica dubia_ (Orange-spotted roach, Dubia roach) and Lobster roaches (sorry, don't know the scientific name, I don't keep them) should not be able to breed in the average UK house if there's no heating.


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## Javeo (May 4, 2008)

Ssthisto said:


> The roaches used as feeders are tropical species that can't breed at room temperatures - they've got to be kept warm to breed. So no, _Blaptica dubia_ (Orange-spotted roach, Dubia roach) and Lobster roaches (sorry, don't know the scientific name, I don't keep them) should not be able to breed in the average UK house *if there's no heating*.


So they will breed in the majority of homes? I have both dubia and lobsters in a warm reptile room, if they escape they will breed.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Javeo said:


> So they will breed in the majority of homes? I have both dubia and lobsters in a warm reptile room, if they escape they will breed.


How "warm" is "warm" ?

I keep mine in a reptile room and although we get a couple of escapees, they don't mature let alone breed.


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## Javeo (May 4, 2008)

Its about 20c, I dont like the cold and it keeps viv temps from swinging too much


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