How do you feed roaches to your leo?

[Designer Geckos]

I have a leo that will only eat roaches, and I hand feed him with tongs...what a pain. I can't put them in too shallow of a dish or they escape and run for cover under the PT...another pain. Feeding with tongs is fine but there must be a better way or type of dish. Input appreciated......

 

[T-ReXx]

On roach days I just remove the paper towel so they can't hide under it. Cleaning day is also roach day for that reason(I clean tubs twice a week and feed every other day, one day I just clean and leave out the PT, feed roaches that day, and next cleaning day put PT back in). I've also just kept the geckos on bare plastic(no substrate) and used a shop vac for spot cleaning(I do this with a few leos who insist on tearing/digging up paper towel and for my AFTS, who eat roaches exclusively) so you can go that route as well. I've also used half pint deli cups that are jammed between the moist hide and the wall. The cups are too tall for the roaches to climb out of, and once the geckos realize thats where the food is, they just climb on top of the hide and snag roaches in the cup.

 

[MichaelJ]

We've found that using tongs is the only thing that works. It's the most effective way, unfortunately the most time consuming.

 

[Keitone]

If you maim them as you are feeding so that they can't move as fast but can move enough that they still attract attention to themselves. Works for my "slower" or "fatter" geckos.

 

[Designer Geckos]

We've found that using tongs is the only thing that works. It's the most effective way, unfortunately the most time consuming.

Yeah, me too. I'll try the empty tub method. With tongs, I flip the roach over and grab them by the legs and feed them that way. It is a pain especially at 6am when I'm half asleep! But the one leo that now eats roaches exclusively is one of my most valuable so he gets what he wants.

Thanks for the input.

 

[steve905]

Couldn't you put them in a "Roach Motel?"

 

[RadReptiles831]

I use these ikea candle holders for my leopards and they work great they're not too tall but tall enough and they are glass so my Leos see them easily and always find them. They are also cheap. I think I paid $2 for 6 and $3 for 12 of the smaller one which I use for hatchlings. If you do have an ikea near the name of the candle holders are glimma. They have Swedish names for everything lol. Hope this helps with the 6am feedings. Good luck.

 

[Tony C]

I toss them in just like any other bug, the geckos find them sooner or later.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

i just throw them in the cage LOL

 

[GeckoGathering]

Roaches, ahh yes.

I toss them in just like any other bug, the geckos find them sooner or later.

:main_thumbsup: :main_thumbsup::main_thumbsup:
I just did start including roaches.....
but without releasing :main_thumbsup: them for the chase....
you might as well stick to mealies or catfish doughball
Toss them in and watch the race.......
You'll be renaming your gecko Gordon, Stewart, Petty, or ?
Also good gecko exercise workout....
Take care. HJ

 

[jermh1]

I use clear deli cups, the small dubia roaches cant climb them. for hatchlings ill cut the cup to about 3/4 in high the smaller roaches still cant climb out. for larger roaches I use a cup with the lid on, I take a hot nail and burn out the center of the lid leaving around an inch all the way around so they cant climb out.
as for attracting attention Just keep each one loaded with roaches and a piece of dog food. I swap out all the roaches on Fri and keep reloading during the week. I have been throwing in some mealworms too which helps keep the roaches moving. I find each time I fill with fresh roaches, most of the geckos come out, presumably from the sound of little roach feet.

 

[Imperial Geckos]

I use clear deli cups, the small dubia roaches cant climb them. for hatchlings ill cut the cup to about 3/4 in high the smaller roaches still cant climb out. for larger roaches I use a cup with the lid on, I take a hot nail and burn out the center of the lid leaving around an inch all the way around so they cant climb out.
as for attracting attention Just keep each one loaded with roaches and a piece of dog food. I swap out all the roaches on Fri and keep reloading during the week. I have been throwing in some mealworms too which helps keep the roaches moving. I find each time I fill with fresh roaches, most of the geckos come out, presumably from the sound of little roach feet.

this is a great idea!!! :main_thumbsup:

im stealing it! oliceman:

 

[Chestersmom]

I use a mealworm dish to feed roaches to my leos

 

[Syris71]

If you maim them as you are feeding so that they can't move as fast but can move enough that they still attract attention to themselves. Works for my "slower" or "fatter" geckos.

+1

 

[serialzombie]

I feed off adult male dubia with tongs. Each of my geckos really only needs one per day to bulk up, so it's not that much of a pain.

I feed off smaller nymphs in the same dish I offer all other feeders in. Ceramic cat food dishes. Escapees are exceedingly rare.

 

[Vegas_Eric]

First off, when I catch the roaches (I use lobster roaches and dubia for feeding my leos), I throw them in a dusting cup with a shallow layer of calcium. This coats the lobster roaches feet with calcium so that they cannot climb the sides of the tub. When I throw them in I only put in 2 per tub and they get eaten pretty readily.

I usually just thrown them in but once and a while I will remove the gecko's hide and this makes it easy for them to catch the roaches.

I usually feed them every other day and the roaches never make it long enough to hide under the paper towel.

I also like to keep the paper towel just lightly moist to keep the tub just a little humid for my leo's. I think pat it flat to the bottom of the tun and this makes it all the more difficult for the roaches to hide under it.

I'll take a video to show you what I mean...

Get into this pattern and you wont have to worry about the roaches to much... LOL

 

[thegeckoguy23]

:main_thumbsup: :main_thumbsup::main_thumbsup:
I just did start including roaches.....
but without releasing :main_thumbsup: them for the chase....
you might as well stick to mealies or catfish doughball
Toss them in and watch the race.......
You'll be renaming your gecko Gordon, Stewart, Petty, or ?
Also good gecko exercise workout....
Take care. HJ

this is a great idea!!! :main_thumbsup:

im stealing it! oliceman:

LOL luv the cop smly

 

[Stl_Greaser]

I use the short mealworm tubs. My geckos know exactly when I pour the roaches in. As soon as they start scurrying around the geckos come running over for dinner! I usually keep 2 or 3 in there so the geckos will never go hungry.

 

[jermh1]

I usually stock each tank with enough for a week incase something happens, all my geckos are at the school I work at. I generally keep an eye on them during the week for empty cups.
my actual procedure is
I grade my roaches through 5 gal buckets with holes 1/4, 5/16, and 3/8
what makes it through the 1/4 is ex small, through the 5/16 is small and so on, what makes it through the 3/8 is around 3/4-1in and that is as big as I go, I find the geckos eat more than when I offer the bigger ones, and some will just kill the bigger ones and leave them there. I can get a few to eat the larger males but its not worth it.


I shake out a few hundred of each size into empty bins, then just pull handfulls out of each as I work my way through almost 80 geckos. the starved roches left over from the previous feeding are dumped back into the container they came from, to rejuvinate.

Time wise I couldnt even think about picking for size or individual feedings, as each time its over 500 roaches (not counting topping off during the week).

O and I think I have figured out a roach feeding and drinking hopper ? or whatever you would call it. I am still working on the best design:
square, round, how tall, and what to use for base if anything.
What I have now is a box made of folded and stapled aluminum window screen its around 5x5x5 which holds around 1 liter of either water crystals or dog food. The roaches can climb all over it and you dont have to worry about mixing watercrystals, poop and food. Plus you can hose it off and run it through the dishwasher if you wanted. I only thought of it last week and have it in a few of my tanks, so far I think its a ringer, I will refine and repost in the next few weeks.

 

[RoninSTi]

I just drop them on their backs. The insanity they put themselves in trying to right themselves attracts the beasts and they get eaten up in no time.