# Turkistan Roaches whats the truth



## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

I've come across 2 different views of these roaches

view 1:

there fast running pace makes them good visible feeders
they cant climb smooth surfaces 
easy to breed 
but cant breed in our climate 
dont fly


View 2:
do fly
often escape
will infest house 



now I dont mind the odd one running around (like I dont mind the odd cricket) but at the same time I dont want an infested house, so whats the truth are they the perfect feeder for reptiles that like there food active (my green anoles aren't that impressed with dubias.) or are they the bane of roach keepers everywhere


also could I minimise escapes by feeding them in a dog bowl?


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## Jim2109 (Mar 30, 2009)

none of them can fly. the males have wings and can jump and float, sort of. so basically so long as their housing is at least 6" taller than the tallest climbable point then they cant escape by jumping.

they cant climb smooth surfaces, but it depends on your definition. for example, they cant climb clean glass, they cant climb clean smooth plastic (e.g. perspex, RUB's, etc). they can however climb most wood surfaces (including hardboard, which is quite a smooth surface), and ive found can climb small distances on contiboard, but not more than a couple of inches before falling.

they are incredibly easy to breed, just feed them and give them water, maintain a decent heat and humidity and thats it. mine have gone from 300 to about 10,000 in less than a year and ive barely had to do anything at all.

they can definitely breed in the UK climate under the right conditions. the same as crickets can. unless you get a lot of escapees though then chances are you wont have problems. their egg cases require high humidity to hatch, with lower humidity they take months. in winter with the heating on there are plenty of warm moist places for them to live. if enough escape they could cause problems, but the same applies to every type of roach, including Dubias. the simple answer is dont let any escape. i had quite a few get out when i first started keeping them, and aside from about half a dozen adults ive found crawling around the house, ive never seen any babies and i havent seen any at all since i changed them into a glass tank. so that would suggest they arent able to breed that well in a UK house or we would be overrun by now!!

if you want to limit them escaping from inside the viv then youll want a dish with vertical smooth sides, and at least 4" deep. personally i let them run loose and have sealed the viv up so that they cant get out anywhere.


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## lottus321 (Oct 16, 2007)

i would say the first quotes is correct, occassionally they will get out but no more than crickets.

an adult male turk are able to glide for a short time which has been deemed by a few people to be flying. I have never witnessed one glide or fly and ive chased them around the tank and room when one has got out.

The worst case senario would be adults escaping and finding there way to the back of the fridge or freezer where the heat generated from the motor will keep them alive for a while but i personally do not think this would be warm enough or constistant enough for them to breed.

most of the websites that make reference to infestations are american where the climate is different.


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## Dynamos Dragons (May 23, 2009)

Agreed with both of the above, i have seen a few flutter but in my opinion it was more a case of preventing itself from hitting the floor hard so it flutters down to land. If the escapees were to find a warm humid part of the house to breed they will also require food, so again in my opinion if you keep a clean house you should not have any problems. If you read my blog on turkistan roaches (see below) it explains how i keep mine. I to this day have not had any escape from the breeding pod, so i say it is escape proof. I have had a few get out of the vivs from between the glass doors tho :bash:


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## ExoticInsectsUK (Nov 15, 2008)

*Turkistan Roaches-Blatta Lateralis roach*
*Some people sell Blatta orientalis as these too & adults do climb, there are many species that look like Blatta Lateralis roach.*
Some people dont know what there buying or selling they just go buy what the last person said.
So that may be why someone has said that view 2
But if someone sells them for a living on here then you should be fine.
These are not like lobsters & die with a bit of cold these are a hardy species that breed like mad & dont smell, & cant climb,
A great roach.
If you need any more help on picking roaches just give me a pm.


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## pete-vtr (Sep 16, 2009)

i keep these, TURKISTAN roaches!

-they cannot climb smooth surfaces...
-they cannot climb out of the dog bowl in my viv, however they do tend to stand ontop of each other and get out that way...
-they are VERY fast...!
-they DO smell, whoever says they dont is lying!

and finally they cannot breed in the average UK household, they originate from a very hot climate...

i also to prolong and restore the roach population only feed males... so i have and never will have an infestation... after all females lay all the eggs and make the colony grow!

hope this helps


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