Mold in roaches

[Pepper]

Alright..I'm having a problem..I ordered 1000 large and 1000 XS turkistan roaches about a month or 2 ago...I don't have a sense of smell, but every time I lift the lid off the containers, my friends are like...OH MY GOSH, and the smell drives them out of the room...once the lid goes back on, no smell..At first it just smelled bad, now they say it smells like mold..I know Turks need a bit more humidity so I have a glass of water in with the breeders, and a shallow dish of water crystals, and water crystals in the tote with the XS which are now much bigger. But it seems like it's so humid, moisture collects on the sides and the top of the tubs....

How do I clean the containers?

I'm using a heating blanket to heat the tubs, what temp should I have it on? It has a Low setting, then 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

I don't have any babies yet, although there are egg cases EVERYWHERE.

Any tips??

Thanks!

 

[LeapinLizards]

All I do is have the egg crates vertically positioned above the heat pad, with the water crystals and food bowls on the opposite end of the tub (where no heat is at). I have never had a problem with mold in the least, nor have I had to deal with condensation in the tub. It smells just like what they eat, and nothing else. I also haven't cleaned it for almost a year.

You have a glass of water? Is that really necessary? That could be what is sending the humidity over the top.

As far as temp, you will just have to play with the blanket until it reaches the correct temperature inside the tub (measured via temp probe).

 

[Pepper]

Do you have Turks?

Well Alaska has no humidity whatsoever, so I was worried the cases wouldn't be able to hatch.

What's a good temp for them? It must be about 80-90 in the container, as it's a lot warmer than room temp when I put my hand in the container..it feels like a sauna, but not as hot.

The tub without a glass of water also gets condensation on the sides..maybe it's because the gel crystals are on the heated side...

Okay well, I'll change everything around, but how do I clean it? I'm pretty sure I have too if it smells like mold. I don't want to throw away a lot of the egg cases, I guess I could just pick through the poo to get them all...

 

[Pepper]

Alright I cleaned the breeder bin outside haha..I have an extra 10 gallon so I transferred everything in to the tank, cleaned the tub, and put all the adults back in with fresh egg crates, and put gel crystals on the cool side. I must say, it was much easier than cleaning cricket bins, as the roaches don't jump off of the egg crates when you lift them up lol

Thanks!