# Why I love roaches.



## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

I don't really LIKE bugs. I've just never quite gotten into bugs-as-pets. They're all leggy and have funny eyeballs, and when they escape, they go EVERYWHERE.

Except these guys. 








Yup, that's a few pieces of egg crate stacked on top of a plastic tub small enough that any moderately athletic cricket could fart and escape from... sat on the bed in our spare bedroom. Bugs? I see no bugs here. No bugs at all. They must be elsewhere. So I go downstairs for five minutes to find the camera, then have to return to find the memory card. Camera now in hand... I pick up a piece of egg crate.









Now, here's the thing. Each piece of egg crate had about that many on it. While it was sat cheerfully stacked on top of the little plastic tub. While I wandered off downstairs. 

They don't GO anywhere! They just want to hide under the egg crate and stay where they're put! They don't jump, they don't fly, they don't climb and they don't stink! They don't even go all panicky when you pick up the egg crate and take photos!










_Blaptica dubia_ female with a couple of babies. I can't wait until I've got enough that I can start phasing out crickets and start phasing in roaches.


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

Oooo they are quite cool....I have a chuffin cricket out at the moment, sounds like the opening bars of 'club tropicana' in my kitchen


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

mmmmmm think i will get me some of tehm : victory:


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

how do they not freak you out!


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> how do they not freak you out!


Easy. They don't leap on me like crickets do. They don't bite me like crickets do. They don't stink or cannibalise like crickets do. They don't fly like locusts do. They don't go squirming around in your palm and biting you like morios and mealworms do. They don't climb, either, and they're not invasive.

They just wander around slowly and look for dark places under the egg crate to hide. 

They're about as inoffensive as bugs get!

And looking at them up close, the young ones look like woodlice (which I've always liked for some reason) and the adults don't scream "invasive roach" to me.


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## Aquilus (Feb 22, 2007)

Mealworms bite? Urghhhghh... horrid horrid horrid. 

Why does that freak me out more than the prospect of being bitten by an 11 foot python?


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

Best of all the lizards adore them leaving locusts out in the cold when given the choice.

Once they get going on the breeding front there's no stopping them babies everyday in the colony with each female giving you upto 40 once a mth, downside they do take a while to get going unlike some of the others like the P Zebra's also an non climbing roach that will live and breed happily with the B Dubia's.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

I do not doubt there goodness for lizards, in fact I see the reasons why they are 100x better than crickets but they still give me the heeby jeebies!

:lol2:


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> I do not doubt there goodness for lizards, in fact I see the reasons why they are 100x better than crickets but they still give me the heeby jeebies!
> 
> :lol2:


Have you ever lived in a house that was honest-to-goodness infested with roaches?

I spent a couple years in high school and university living in a house where you could open the microwave and have roaches scuttle out from under the glass tray, where they flung themselves out of cupboards at you (and those buggers could FLY) ... so if I can get used to roaches as feeders, anyone can.


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## Deadeye (Mar 31, 2007)

I HATE! bugs  but meh! I am getting a Beardy so I will have to get used to them


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## Duzzie (Dec 22, 2005)

Ssthisto said:


> I can't wait until I've got enough that I can start phasing out crickets and start phasing in roaches.


Ammen to that. My colony of dubia is nearly ready too. Bye bye cricks, Hurrraaaayyyyyy


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

Ssthisto, I have started my colony of cockroaches. I have about about 15 Blaptica dubias and 15 Blaberus Fusca. Most turned into adults about a month ago but dont seem to be producing young. Do I need to wait longer? What do you keep your temps at. maybe mine are to cold. I keep them at about 80 deg. fer. How many did you start off with? and How many do you have now? and how long did that take?


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

here are some pics of mine. Not that its much different from yours.


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Tort said:


> Ssthisto, I have started my colony of cockroaches. I have about about 15 Blaptica dubias and 15 Blaberus Fusca. Most turned into adults about a month ago but dont seem to be producing young. Do I need to wait longer? What do you keep your temps at. maybe mine are to cold. I keep them at about 80 deg. fer. How many did you start off with? and How many do you have now? and how long did that take?


I started with about 300 Dubias - of various sizes - which I got... well, probably close to eight months ago - and the babies you're seeing are the first ones I've gotten so far. I'd say I have around 150/200 large juveniles and adults now (we did have some die off when I made things a little too damp by mistake).

I keep mine quite warm - half of their tub is on a heat mat going about 100F. If you've got adults already, I'd recommend heating them up a bit more, that might help. I've also heard that they breed better in larger groups.


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

thats really good to know. I will be getting a heat mat and few more roaches to make them feel like breeding. Did you get adults 8 months ago? or they just turned to adults recently?


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

One more question, sorry, What do you use to keep your roaches hydrated?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

I've only really had my adults for about ... a month or so. They seemed to take a while to want to finish their final shed  

I tend to spray the top layer of egg crate now - I had the die-offs when I was offering a lot more green vegetable matter, oddly enough.


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

well not I know not to give them too many veggies. So they just suck the water out of the soaked egg crates. so, do you litely spray the top crate or give it a good soak?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Light spray, and let it dry out pretty well before the next spray.


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

I've had these for a yr or so now and have used the water gel crystals for fluids and only given orange/apple pieces 3 times a week, they live on a substrate of porridge oats and only really started breeding big time when the colony hit a good size AND their conditions became more cramped.

Seems me putting the PZebra's in with them gave them the nudge and courage they needed to really go up a gear on the breeding front, I'm now feeding 10 lizards with them every other day. I asked Dave Messer about this and he tells me they like to live in tight spaces makes them feel safer ergo more breeding.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

Ah crapped conditions thats good to know...

A few of us have just ordered 300 lobster roaches to get a colony going. So reading through this thread again I've picked up on teh following....

1) Feed otas, wetabix or something simular
2) Bits of carrot, apple say 3 times a week
3) Lightly dampen the cardboard they are on and don't dampen again until dry.
4) Small spaces and lots of roaches encourage breeding
5) keep one end of the box under a heat matt to keep them warm

????


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

1) Feed otas, wetabix or something simular
2) Bits of carrot, apple say 3 times a week
3) Lightly dampen the cardboard they are on and don't dampen again until dry.
4) Small spaces and lots of roaches encourage breeding
5) keep one end of the box under a heat matt to keep them warm

Just about right but I don't even dampen down the egg trays and I also feed with 'Bug Grub' mixed with an equal quanitity of tropical fish food so that they are pre gut loaded for my lizards. I buy the Bug grub in 1 KG packs from as they are the cheapest on the net I've been able to find and a sister site to the frozen food direct for my mice/rats etc. Word of warning in the summer when it gets hot try to keep them a little cooler to avoid loses I lost a few a while after the big heatwave last year so now they live in a box in my cellar which maintains an even temp all year round.

http://www.faunology.co.uk/shop/home.php?cat=345


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

Eeeewwww! 


Seriously though...can you feed these to BDs? I think i could almost handle roaches,but probably not crix. And I really want BDs or frills at some point this year.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

skimpy said:


> Seriously though...can you feed these to BDs? I think i could almost handle roaches,but probably not crix. And I really want BDs or frills at some point this year.


Overall they are probably much better than crix!


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> Overall they are probably much better than crix!


 
great! I may not get lizards after all. i dont think i could live with these bugs, and i know for sure my OH would leave me if i brought them into the house . but BDs are so cute, and seem a bit more of a challenge for me.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

skimpy said:


> great! I may not get lizards after all. i dont think i could live with these bugs, and i know for sure my OH would leave me if i brought them into the house . but BDs are so cute, and seem a bit more of a challenge for me.


You want a challenge that doesn't involve bugs get a King Cobra :lol2:

Gotta be honest I got my reservations about roaches myself... They just look dirty but r probably cleaner than crix tbh. I got no problem with crix and locusts so guess I'll get used to them.

Got my 300 colony coming soon!


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## Paul Chase (Mar 7, 2007)

Can any one tell me where you can order these from. I have looked on several live food site and cant find any
Thanks


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/rept...572-lobster-roaches-yummy-special-offers.html

There you dude!


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> You want a challenge that doesn't involve bugs get a King Cobra :lol2:
> 
> 
> 
> Got my 300 colony coming soon!


 
:lol2: No king cobras for me...not into hots at all!

Eewwww! you gonna have all them bugs! will you keep them in an outhouse or shed or somehting?


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

Actually they are going to be kept indoors and upstairs in the house...


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## skimpy (Nov 22, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> Actually they are going to be kept indoors and upstairs in the house...


 
yOU ARE KEEN!! :lol2:


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

well at the end of the day what they gonna do!? Infest my house and then I'll just let the dragons loose, they'll soon be gone!


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## Emz118 (Nov 22, 2006)

Our livefood all lives in the bedroom... doesn't bother me until we have big locusts for the wonder gecko because all night I can just hear them scrabbling and jumping against the plastic. YUK!!!


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## Paul Chase (Mar 7, 2007)

welshgaz said:


> http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/rept...572-lobster-roaches-yummy-special-offers.html
> 
> There you dude!


Cheers mate


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## sexyslither (Feb 12, 2007)

cool im gonna get some of these roaches, sure all my 8 beardies will enjoy chasing them around, and there will be no smell ahh heaven,lol


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## Tort (May 20, 2006)

yay! one of my roaches finally has eggs sticking out her backside and she is sooooo fat! I can wait for them to start multiplying.


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## Magpye (Jan 26, 2007)

I've started to keep red runner roaches, and to be honest they started breeding within about a month of ordering a starter colony off of rickazee. I keep them in a 9l Really useful box with about 10 holes punched into each side just below the lid using a soldering iron. Half of the tub sits on top of a heat mat. They have a plant pot base filled with water crystals (I top this up with water when it starts to dry out, the crystals last ages), and a plant pot base filled with a mix of ready brek, bran, fish flake food and dry cat mix - basically any random spare food I had available that was high in vits, minerals and protein that was blended together. They also have a handful of egg-crate things from cricket tubs to hide in.

Easy peasy.


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## miffikins (Feb 25, 2007)

These roaches are soundin pretty damn good to me! No noise, no smell, no jumping, no escaping!! I'm def goin to try them with my ackie but will they be to big for leo's??

Cheers


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## BADGERS MUM (Dec 5, 2006)

well after reading all that i was gonna ask the same question,will they be too big for leos:smile: i dont know if its the angle maybe the photo is taken at but they look huge,im not afraid to admit they terrify me,i cant stand crix and dont feed my leo them unless i really have to,i can just about do hoppers with 10 inch tweezers and i know for sure i couldnt handle these now ive seen them but im sure the kids will..........so a good feeder for leos or not?


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

You feed them at the right size I use any of my 3 species for my curly tails just depends on which colony has the most of the right size at the time.


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## Piraya1 (Feb 26, 2007)

Will you post to ireland??


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

Right mine have been cooking on gas for a while now but how the hell do you clean them out???

Transferring 300+ roaches is a pain in the ass!


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## Issa (Oct 13, 2006)

miffikins said:


> These roaches are soundin pretty damn good to me! No noise, no smell, no jumping, no escaping!! I'm def goin to try them with my ackie but will they be to big for leo's??
> 
> Cheers


Yep. The ones I ordered off Rick, the leos adore. I'm considering turning an old 3ft fish tank into a roach breeding tank and ordering a colony off him.


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

do beardies eat red runner roaches ??


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> Right mine have been cooking on gas for a while now but how the hell do you clean them out???
> 
> Transferring 300+ roaches is a pain in the ass!


From what I've read, generally you're supposed to LET them build up a layer of frass and food, because that helps the babies find food. 

That said, when I was cleaning out, I mostly got them to cling to pieces of eggcrate before lifting the eggcrate out into another container; this might not work with species other than Dubias.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

Yeah but you always get a handful that don't grab the egg cartons and its getting them out and into another tub thats going to be the problem...

Its going to be a pain in the arse to clean them when they are bigger and all breeding!


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

well just accidentally found another way of introducing water... if you spray the sides lightly with water the roaches will suck the water droplets off the sides when thirsty... 

I've been dampening the egg cartons & providing some lettuce for water but spraying the sides every now and again seams a good way of getting water to them all. 

Also I've found out they really like cat food, get the jelly pouches and it disappears right before your eyes. Good source of protein as well.. mine are growing quite nicely now...


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## monkeygirl (Mar 4, 2007)

so dubias cant climb???

can they be kept outside on the balcony? i have not problem with crickets or locusts i find that escaped and are running round my flat but if i saw one of these out id screem and run away.

so can i leave them on the balcony outside??


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

i believe they are a tropical species so they'll need heating... winter you'll probably find they will die quickly


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

ok heres a few piccies of how mine are getting along.. they have outgrown there current cage so will be transferring them to a bigger one later hence the pictures lol


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)




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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)




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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

There was one in there mind that had a long cylindrical yellow'ish tube sticking out of the back of him/her. What the hell is that ? I don't think they are big enough to breed yet ?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> There was one in there mind that had a long cylindrical yellow'ish tube sticking out of the back of him/her. What the hell is that ? I don't think they are big enough to breed yet ?


Those look like adults to me... in which case it was almost certainly an egg case.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

I thought they grew bigger that that ?

Couple more pic's when I've transferred them into a bigger tub...


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

welshgaz said:


> I thought they grew bigger that that ?


Depends on your species - do you have Lobsters? They ARE smaller than, for example, my Dubias.

The winged pale brown ones are definitely adults - and I'd assume the similarly sized unwinged brown ones are adult females.


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## welshgaz (Dec 12, 2005)

well you could be right this is my first crack at them.. but egg sacks ? I though lobsters were live bearing ?


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