# IS MY Roach Coleny OK (PIC HEAVY)



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

this how im dong it 










IS IT OK:blush:


----------



## loogielv (Dec 7, 2008)

i always get nervous about putting wet foods on the egg crates, as i'm worried if they get soiled, they'll get mouldy and such.

I also dont like the idea of laying the crates down flat, not just because I want the frass to fall to the bottom, but also because when moving the crates and setting them back down, I dont want to get one of my roaches stuck and then squished from the weight of other roaches on the higher crates.

edit: that is to say, I like standing them vertical


----------



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

i change the fruit every night so it dont mould but i like the idea of vertical crates i might do that : victory:


----------



## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

honestly. it looks better than mine


----------



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

spend_day said:


> honestly. it looks better than mine


:lol2: how have you done yours ???


----------



## loogielv (Dec 7, 2008)

georgieabc123 said:


> i change the fruit every night so it dont mould but i like the idea of vertical crates i might do that : victory:


it's not so much the fruit, but the wetness from the fruit that i'm worried about. obviously some juices will soak into the crates and that's where my concern is. although it's probably just me being paranoid. This roach keeping business is going to give me an early grave.











spend_day said:


> honestly. it looks better than mine





georgieabc123 said:


> :lol2: how have you done yours ???


yah, lets get some pics? Georgiabc said this thread was pic heavy, but with only one pic, we need to get some pics up before google gets us for false advertising!


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

loogielv said:


> Georgiabc said this thread was pic heavy, but with only one pic, we need to get some pics up before google gets us for false advertising!


Hey, its a big pic :lol2:
Looks fine to be as long as you change the egg crates often enough not to grow bacteria or mould.


----------



## loogielv (Dec 7, 2008)

LoveForLizards said:


> Hey, its a big pic :lol2:
> Looks fine to be as long as you change the egg crates often enough not to grow bacteria or mould.


that brings a question to mind. Do people change their egg crates alot? or is it just because of what i said regarding wet foods placed on top of them?


----------



## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

loogielv said:


> that brings a question to mind. Do people change their egg crates alot? or is it just because of what i said regarding wet foods placed on top of them?


 
You only need to chage the crates if/when they get dirty:whistling2:


----------



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

yep is there a place where you can get them


----------



## loogielv (Dec 7, 2008)

georgieabc123 said:


> yep is there a place where you can get them


me?

yah i can get 4 a day from work or so


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

loogielv said:


> that brings a question to mind. Do people change their egg crates alot? or is it just because of what i said regarding wet foods placed on top of them?


Just change them out as needed, usually every cleaning day or if you have put wet foods on top. 

You can get them from farm shops, just ask and they usally have a few out back that are broken or torn that work well. Alternatively get a few of the acrylic ones, all you need to do is take it out rinse it off in some hot water and put back in. Ensures you always have them and they are much sturdier.


----------



## loogielv (Dec 7, 2008)

oh so people do change them? bah, i didn't know that. i can get tons and tons from work, but it's such a pain. 

when you say every cleaning day, we talking like every 6 months, or the ones we do once a week or whatever. the light cleaning for wet food and stuff?


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

loogielv said:


> oh so people do change them? bah, i didn't know that. i can get tons and tons from work, but it's such a pain.
> 
> when you say every cleaning day, we talking like every 6 months, or the ones we do once a week or whatever. the light cleaning for wet food and stuff?


When ever you clean everything in the tub, like throwing out the roaches, scooping out frass, cleaning out the bin and putting in all fresh bowls/crystals/hides etc. If you have acess to them then I suggest changing them every month or so.
If you dont mind buying in bulk then these are pretty cheap, including delivery. http://www.solwayfeeders.com/ProductsDetail1.asp?stock_code=6400A


----------



## sunnyskeg (Jul 3, 2008)

setup looks fine,Regarding fresh food we cut the side off a crix box and put water gel and fresh food on it makes it easy to lift out and change daily saving your cardboard getting mouldy:2thumb:


----------



## johne.ev (Sep 14, 2008)

Thats the reason not to have lids on your tubs. With no lid they should dry out and stop any mould. With a lid on you just wont get the same amount of air inside.
Looks ok to me Georgie.


----------



## dragonsRus (Jun 1, 2008)

looks great but id have put the holes a bit higher... dont want babys climbing out


----------



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

good point i should really change that im going to puthem in a bigger tub i think


----------



## Reece (Jan 10, 2009)

Can i just ask, why would you have roaches for reptiles... ? I know they eat them but y not stick to cricks and locusts? Not having a dig, but i just dont see the point in roaches ( + Im scared of them lol ) Or do certain Reptiles only each roaches?


----------



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

there easy to breed so you dont have to buy anymore food and there better for beardies and in the long run u save a fortune :no1:


----------



## Sollytear (Aug 7, 2008)

Crickets jump, smell, bite, make noise, and get everywhere. Generally i dont like um. 
Locusts are expensive and jump, but alot better than crickets
Roaches dont jump, dont fly, cant climb, dont smell, and dont make noise, but are expensive. Roaches are better than locusts but the price is annoying.
LUCKILY they are piss easy to breed, as in, u put them in a small tub (unlike cricks/locuts where space is required) and let them do their business.


----------



## Oliver Dodds (Apr 26, 2008)

Sollytear said:


> Crickets jump, smell, bite, make noise, and get everywhere. Generally i dont like um.
> Locusts are expensive and jump, but alot better than crickets
> Roaches dont jump, dont fly, cant climb, dont smell, and dont make noise, but are expensive. Roaches are better than locusts but the price is annoying.
> LUCKILY they are piss easy to breed, as in, u put them in a small tub (unlike cricks/locuts where space is required) and let them do their business.


I dont understand what you mean about the price being annoying?
I just got 2000 lobsters for £30 including delivery. Like to see you get even 2000 micro crix for that price


----------



## RoyalPython89 (Jul 15, 2008)

i might get loads for work an put them up for sale 50 large eggcartons for £6 lol


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Oliver Dodds said:


> I dont understand what you mean about the price being annoying?
> I just got 2000 lobsters for £30 including delivery. Like to see you get even 2000 micro crix for that price


That's good, but some people don't want to be keeping 1000+ cockroaches at a time. Also if you have 1 young bearded dragon who can only take say 1cm roaches then by the time you have finished half of the order (2000) then the other half has grown too big so is not always worth it and the less you order turns out pretty expensive. Besides, why anybody would want to buy roaches when they are as easy as they are to breed is beyond me.


----------



## murinus (Jan 3, 2007)

LoveForLizards said:


> why anybody would want to buy roaches when they are as easy as they are to breed is beyond me.


it may seem strange to the likes of me and you, but i know lots of people that wouldnt be happy breeding cocroaches in their house. there is probably thousands of people with beardies that have mums that would never entertain the idea of having a colony of roaches breeding in the house


----------



## Oliver Dodds (Apr 26, 2008)

LoveForLizards said:


> That's good, but some people don't want to be keeping 1000+ cockroaches at a time. Also if you have 1 young bearded dragon who can only take say 1cm roaches then by the time you have finished half of the order (2000) then the other half has grown too big so is not always worth it and the less you order turns out pretty expensive. Besides, why anybody would want to buy roaches when they are as easy as they are to breed is beyond me.


 Its a colony of mixed sizes and i have a lot to feed


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

murinus said:


> it may seem strange to the likes of me and you, but i know lots of people that wouldnt be happy breeding cocroaches in their house. there is probably thousands of people with beardies that have mums that would never entertain the idea of having a colony of roaches breeding in the house


I meant for someone already keeping roaches, there wouldnt be any differene between keeping them and breeding them really


----------



## murinus (Jan 3, 2007)

oh definately, if your keeping them might aswell get breeding them and have free food


----------



## Grayspoon (Nov 6, 2008)

Yo rather than making yet another *is my dubai set up ok* I thaught id tag mine on here 

My house is totally freezing most of the day due to laminate floors and single glazing. I first tried having them ontop of my beardie's viv to share the ceramic but this only managed to get the tub to just below 80 and my care sheet suggests 85-95 so I went and baught a heat mat which is now under the box... tried it on the side, on the outside of the box but this didnt seem to get the temp inside the box up at all so under it went...

Here are some pics, thaughts / suggestions plx 

p.s sorry for ninja'ing my way onto your thread


----------



## loogielv (Dec 7, 2008)

I like it. i'd like to see the toilet rolls laying flat, only because i've noticed they REALLY like them when they're flat, but aren't used nearly as much when standing upright.

it's silly how we try to make roaches happy. I dont do it because I care necessarily - they're not a pet to me - but more so because it's like a puzzle to figure out the perfect setup to make them happy (and thus breeding). Keeping roaches over the past few weeks has really changed my view of them. 
Before they were this evil infestation pest filled with most vile diseases a creature could carry. Now I actually feel sorry for them and how helpless they are. When I open my bin to change the food or whatever...the way they scurry off terrified at what I might do. Huddling together with their heads buried in the cartons. And when you just touch one, it merely tries to get closer to the carton or other roaches. They're truly scared and dont understand.


----------



## Grayspoon (Nov 6, 2008)

Haha I totally agree! I got these little dudes simply to cut live food costs... I have always been a bug man myself but raoches were always that stereotype of eeuuuwww! But to be honest after getting mine... they are kinda cute  hope I will be able to let some go to my dragon!


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

I agree about the toilet roll tubes but that is only because I have seen nymphs struggle when they dropped into them to get back out. Other then that looks good, got loads of them boxes somewhere, sitting empty...Turns out they make a good roach tub :lol2::whistling2:


----------



## Grayspoon (Nov 6, 2008)

Thanks for the tip, have flattened the rolls and they are now full of roaches!


----------



## Grayspoon (Nov 6, 2008)

Hey all

thaught id update on my colony... got my first batch of babies! they are so tiny and cute  my gf hates them though  booo her... But shedding and breeding going well so far.

Thanks for all the info and advaice givin so far.


----------



## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Good good! I hate the nymphs until they are past their second moult :lol2:.


----------



## georgieabc123 (Jul 17, 2008)

i like your setup im going to do that thank you :notworthy:


----------

