# Escaping roaches!!!



## soniadpw

Has anyone had any experience with escapee Turkish cockroaches?

I recently bought a small colony of red runners and have so far not used them to feed to my lizards but my daughter has found two running loose in the house over the last couple of weeks and I do not understand how they could of escaped. 

They are housed in a plastic lidded tub with decent size air holes cut in the lid, and have egg boxes stacked inside on a slant, the only time I have needed to clean them out I did so in the garden.

It is my understanding that they cannot fly and cannot climb the walls of a plastic rub, am I correct in thinking this? 

I am now very concerned about how they can be getting out, how to stop them and whether the already freed roaches will be able to live and breed in my house:gasp:

Any advice is most welcome...


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## Galactic Mushroom

I believe they are the ones who can climb? dubia roaches can't climb but the adult males have wings and can sort of flutter a bit and fly maybe the same with Turkish. I read to smear Vaseline all along the top near the lid will stop them from escaping


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## soniadpw

Oh no!!! I was told they couldn't climb when I bought them :bash: but they have to be getting out somehow.

Thanks, I'll try Vaseline


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## Galactic Mushroom

I read they climb rough surfaces so if it's totally smooth they cant climb (I guess glass would be good) but another method is to get some of that brown tape (the kind they tape cardboard boxes with) and tape it all along the top it's smooth and they can't climb it. Then just wipe it down once a week


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## soniadpw

Yes I think someone else mentioned they use the town tape, I think I will be also putting their tub inside a larger tub just for good measure, the last thing I need is a breeding colony loose in the house :gasp:


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## Dee_Williams

stupid question: how big are the air holes? if they are bigger than the roaches they'll need ot be covered in mesh. curtain net will do. 

They can climb rough plastic, so can dubias. 
The males can also flutter a bit for both species although they are pretty rubbish at it.


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## soniadpw

I did wonder if they escape through the air holes but they are only about 5mm and only on the lid.

My daughter actually found one in her bed last night, so I'm not in the good books :lol2:


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## AilsaM

I have a colony of Turk roaches for my spiders and being honest I haven't had any issues at all with them escaping, I have put a line of vasceline just under where the air holes are on the rub just in case they do decide they want to try and climb lol, I did have a male on the loose in my spiders/snakes room for ages, everytime I went to try and catch the little blighter it jumped of the wall it was climbing up, I eventually caught it and chucked it into one of my spiders who swiftly munched it :lol2:


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## soniadpw

Well I've had the Vaseline out and put their tub inside a larger tub so they've now got two to escape.

I'm wondering just how many have gotten free as we have probably found about six in the last couple of weeks.

Does anyone know if Turkish roaches would potentially thrive and breed loose in the house, I'm worried :blush:


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## AilsaM

soniadpw said:


> Well I've had the Vaseline out and put their tub inside a larger tub so they've now got two to escape.
> 
> I'm wondering just how many have gotten free as we have probably found about six in the last couple of weeks.
> 
> Does anyone know if Turkish roaches would potentially thrive and breed loose in the house, I'm worried :blush:


Just now with the temps outside warming up then there's every posibility but come winter then they'll die right off.


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## Meefloaf

Was thinking of sticking my tub (when I get em) inside of a wooded box that had been varnished and maybe even put fly paper on the base, just incase. 

My other theory was to use expanding foam around the top and Vaseline this, this may stop them from easily getting out of the gaps and if vaselined under the foam ledge , make it a lil harder to grip


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## soniadpw

Thanks Ailsa yes that's what I was thinking, I might have to selectively spray insect killer here and there as a precaution as I don't want hundreds of the little suckers running free round the house :gasp:


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## Galactic Mushroom

Should stick with dubia roaches there great breeders and can't climb


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## soniadpw

Meefloaf said:


> Was thinking of sticking my tub (when I get em) inside of a wooded box that had been varnished and maybe even put fly paper on the base, just incase.
> 
> My other theory was to use expanding foam around the top and Vaseline this, this may stop them from easily getting out of the gaps and if vaselined under the foam ledge , make it a lil harder to grip


I have mine in a lidded plastic tub with air holes in the lid and they've escaped from that! 

I have now smeared Vaseline all round the inner near the top, and then put their tub inside another tub with the top inner vaselined. I'm determined they are not doing a runner again :devil: lol


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## soniadpw

Galactic Mushroom said:


> Should stick with dubia roaches there great breeders and can't climb


The Dubai roaches grow a bit too big for my critters, even my dragon spits them out once he gets a taste. If I can't contain these red runners I'll be going back to the crickets :2thumb:


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## sharpstrain

soniadpw said:


> The Dubai roaches grow a bit too big for my critters, even my dragon spits them out once he gets a taste. If I can't contain these red runners I'll be going back to the crickets :2thumb:


 
feed the smaller ones and keep the adults for breeding


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## ReptileGary83

I have a large amount and i've never had this problem, you should check them holes.


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## A111

AilsaM said:


> Just now with the temps outside warming up then there's every posibility but *come winter then they'll die right off.*


I had around 20 mixed adults last winter that I left in a RUB in my room while I was away at uni. My mother moved them into the garage (no heating, well ventilated) and when I came home a few months later some of them where still alive and there where tiny babies walking around.

I doubt the winter in a heated house will kill them.


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## soniadpw

Well so far so good, since I have used Vaseline and put a tub inside a tub, I don't think anymore have escaped (that's assuming they can't climb past the Vaseline) if they can I'll be overrun with them shortly :blush:

They must have gotten out of the air holes, but it was the only way I could think of to remedy too much humidity. I am going to get some fine netting as an extra extra precaution, and I have sprayed insect killer in a few select places that I dare spray, so hopefully I have now learned a valuable lesson in containing roaches :bash:

I just hope between the dog and cat they catch any remaining escaped prisoners before they multiply and do not die in winter :gasp:


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## Meefloaf

just read somewhere roaches dont like catnip (well catmint as its also known)


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## soniadpw

Oh that's interesting, I'm hoping that I've got all of the escaped prisoners but you never know


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## mrhoyo

They're hood at escaping, I once walked in the reptile room one night and found about 6 males climbing the walls. They can glide a fair distance too as I found out when trying to catch them that night.
Don't have lateralis anymore. 

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## vukic

soniadpw said:


> Oh no!!! I was told they couldn't climb when I bought them :bash: but they have to be getting out somehow.
> 
> Thanks, I'll try Vaseline


No they can't.climb smooth plastic and glass.. But I do find with mine the climb to the top of the egg crate on top of others and "flutter" to the side... I knock them back in when I see em but I know a few have escaped from they're dead bodies.here and there.. I want to get an insectivorous bird like a raven or crow to "help" me with feeding time.. Lol.







Galactic Mushroom said:


> Should stick with dubia roaches there great breeders and can't climb


I find they're alot slower too which helps... 

Tiger

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