# roaches feeding ?



## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

hi all

i have a few colanys of roachs,dubia,lobster,burrowing,
justwondering what others feed these ?

mine have a mix of bran and weetabix,and have carrots and lettice aswell 

just wondering what u guys use to feed alll your lot ?


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

I use ground cat biscuits and i put in some fruit or veg every night usualy carrot or banana ive used orange a few times. Id love to know what the perfect diet is.


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

coool i do use a bit of apple 

yea it would be good to know the best diet ?


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

I make my own mix: bug grub, high protein fish food, bearded dragon pellets, dried lentils and expired nutrobal(when it goes lumpy, still probably got high calcium etc.) aswell as fruit and veg, my colony ate a whole grannysmith in under 24 hrs the other day!


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

yea i have to say most of my colanys dont take more than 24 hours to eat an apple lol 

nice mix there what are others using now ?


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## negri21 (Oct 8, 2007)

nothing too different to the other posters .


except i occasionally mix it all up with a bit creted gecko diet , iam yet to find a feeder item who wont eat this stuff .

i usually grate a carrot , add some fishfood , break up a weetabix and mix it with some water/cgd so its moist but not wet . sometimes adding broccoli or cauliflower if i have any spare . looks mad all these wee roaches running about with little white bits in there mouths

i also add some salad leaves that i feed my beardie too if i dont have time to make a mix up


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## Tehanu (Nov 12, 2006)

Ours get 30% protein cat biscuits, orange, potato, carrot and apple slices


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

coool so we alll use petty much the same never tried cat biscuits mind ?


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

The reason I use catfood is the high protein content. When I was researching dubias I read that if they dont eat a high protein diet theyre more likely to eat the babys and chew each others wings off. Not sure if theres any truth in this though.


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## pecks (Dec 29, 2007)

roaches enjoy sugary and starchy foods. Sweet potatoe, Bananna and as with previous posts cat biscuits. Inclucde a few damp "Egg boxes" as well.


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

ahhh right cool so just things like go cat etc do you crunch them up or just whole ?


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

I just use the tesco economy biscuits. I put it through a blender until its a powder they seem to be doing well on this but Id love to improve it. the only other dry food I use on occasion is porridge oats.


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## chrislpool22 (Apr 15, 2008)

Thinking of getting a colony for my bearded dragons. Are they easy to keep and breed and where did you get yours from


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

ummm i have 4 different groups i got 3 of them from ebay and 1 from classifieds 

i have to say the lobsters and dubias are so easy to breed and care for i think the burrowing are a little harder ?


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## chrislpool22 (Apr 15, 2008)

do the dubais make much noise


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

na mate no noise


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## chrislpool22 (Apr 15, 2008)

What would you suggest lobster or dubias


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## negri21 (Oct 8, 2007)

dubias are a little bigger and slower to reproduce .

lobsters breed and mature quicker but can climb 

both are pretty noisless and dont smell too bad . there is a smell but nothing like masses of crickets do . 


both get eaten as readily as the other ,

if you have a lot of reps you might need to build up a huge colony with the dubias to keep them self contained where the lobsters breed quicker 

i have two big tubs of each , have spare lobsters if your interested


edited to say that dubia are usually more expensive too


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## gazza1591 (Jul 14, 2006)

as above reallly mate


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## chrislpool22 (Apr 15, 2008)

Think im gonna try the dubias, anyone know of any care sheets that tell how to breed them eg do they need laying sights and separate tubs for the babies


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## Tehanu (Nov 12, 2006)

The colony can be left to run itself with all sizes being perfectly happy, females give birth to live young 
You'll often lift a piece of old food and find a guilty looking female who dashes off abandoning a pile of new babies :flrt:

Make sure you offer something for moisture and high protein otherwise they can struggle, keep them at a good temperature (30-32C) or they're very slow to reproduce. 

Lotte***


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

I keep mine in a rub in the airing cupboard I always have cat biscuits in there and I put fruit or veg in overnight. I dont even bother to spray them and theyre doing great. Id say that these are almost as easy to breed as crickets are to maintain.


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## negri21 (Oct 8, 2007)

Rico said:


> I keep mine in a rub in the airing cupboard I always have cat biscuits in there and I put fruit or veg in overnight. I dont even bother to spray them and theyre doing great. Id say that these are almost as easy to breed as crickets are to maintain.



i would say they are easier . if you can keep crickets alive then you wont have any problems with a roach colony


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## Rico (Jan 5, 2007)

I fed mine a parsnip which was slightly past its best last night they loved it.


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## mummybear (Nov 5, 2007)

Link to Dubia care sheet : victory:

CARESHEET


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