"Red Racers" Blatta lateralis and superworm questions Ahoy!

[Lady Hyena]

So i ordered 1000 red racer roachs to feed my smaller leopard geckos while my bigger ones get Dubias but my pet store guy says that they can climb glass/slick plastic that i will need to get vasaline and put it around the sides, but i read they cant climb glass. True or false?
Also how high can they fly? i read Dubias can fly a short distance like red racers but as of yet none have flown. whats a good sized tub to house them in if they can fly?

As for super worms. Ive been reading up on breeding them since buying them for 7 leos(soon to be 16 when the little ones are bigger) is getting to be to expensive so I'm looking to breed my own. Is it as straight forward as meal worms? Just id have to house them in there own little container till they turn beetle. I also was told that they wont lay there eggs on anything other then wood of some sort, true or false?

any info anyone could provide would be greatlly apperated: D

 

[Tony C]

Lateralis do not climb smooth surfaces and do not fly. I have had males jump off of my hand and flutter to the ground, but it is more like parachuting than actual flight. I can't help you with superworms, I gave up on culturing them after my beetles kept dying before they could breed.

 

[Lady Hyena]

Lateralis do not climb smooth surfaces and do not fly. I have had males jump off of my hand and flutter to the ground, but it is more like parachuting than actual flight. I can't help you with superworms, I gave up on culturing them after my beetles kept dying before they could breed.

thanks for the bit of info on the red racers its super reasuring they wont escape and infest the house 8l so a simpel 10 gallon tank would be fine?(not for all them for the adult breeders) then a simple tub for the rest?(its 8 inchs high)

 

[Tony C]

thanks for the bit of info on the red racers its super reasuring they wont escape and infest the house 8l so a simpel 10 gallon tank would be fine?(not for all them for the adult breeders) then a simple tub for the rest?(its 8 inchs high)

I use tubs. If you use an aquarium you will need a barrier at the top. They can't climb glass but the silicone sealant in the corners won't give them any trouble.

 

[Lady Hyena]

I use tubs. If you use an aquarium you will need a barrier at the top. They can't climb glass but the silicone sealant in the corners won't give them any trouble.

=-= i figured as much. So tubs would be fine heated with heat tape? Also do i need to worry about ventalation? I know they need decent humidity and moist substrate but do they need alot of ventaltion to prevent this or that(mold, bacteria, and such)?

 

[Tony C]

Mine are in a closet with a water heater so I don't need to provide additional heat, but heat tape should be fine. I ventilate my tubs with a row of holes around the top. I don't use substrate, they will create their own in time.

 

[fuzzylogix]

here is a link i just posted about superworms, and there are some really good points made by other members as well

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=64781

 

[fl_orchidslave]

here is a link i just posted about superworms, and there are some really good points made by other members as well

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=64781

Thanks for posting that link Shawn The good thing about breeding supers is having small ones to feed hatchlings and babies. My juvies take full sized ones, the little pigs.

 

[T-ReXx]

So i ordered 1000 red racer roachs to feed my smaller leopard geckos while my bigger ones get Dubias but my pet store guy says that they can climb glass/slick plastic that i will need to get vasaline and put it around the sides, but i read they cant climb glass. True or false?
Also how high can they fly? i read Dubias can fly a short distance like red racers but as of yet none have flown. whats a good sized tub to house them in if they can fly?

As for super worms. Ive been reading up on breeding them since buying them for 7 leos(soon to be 16 when the little ones are bigger) is getting to be to expensive so I'm looking to breed my own. Is it as straight forward as meal worms? Just id have to house them in there own little container till they turn beetle. I also was told that they wont lay there eggs on anything other then wood of some sort, true or false?

any info anyone could provide would be greatlly apperated: D

I agree with what Tony's said about lateralis but one added note: when I first got them I kept them in those 18 gal rubbermaid bins with a slightly
textured surface and they were climbing the sides. It really has to be smooth plastic. I since moved the colonies to sterilite clear bins with very smooth plastic and have had no escapes. Males can flutter a bit, but not for any distance, and only down, as mentioned. I keep about 5-7000 in 106 quart bins. Also, the adults are a good size for adult leopard geckos, as they are pretty much large cricket sized. Only issue I have with them is the speed factor; they are FAST. :main_laugh: But they do breed extremely easily and fast. I keep mine with flexwatt on the bottoms of the bins(outside of course) and keep them at around 90F. I use egg crate, a couple of delicups with roach sized holes in them for food/water crystals, feed them progeckos gutload and some mixed veggies/fruits and they breed like crazy. Another good tip is to keep a few paper towel rolls in the bins, the roaches congregate in them and it makes it easy to pick one up and shake out what you need. I also made a size sorter, just a 5 gal bucket with 1/2 in holes drilled in the bottom, babies and smaller roaches fall through when I shake this over the bin, leaving adults to be seperated out and fed off or moved to a new container as needed.

As far as super worms go, I've had a lot of success breeding those as well. I keep the worms on progeckos gutload as well, with a piece of egg crate and use carrots for water. I use those bead containers to pupate, and once pupa hatch into beetles I move them to another bin with 1 in of progeckos gutload on the bottom covered by a piece of metal window screening. This keeps the adults from eating the eggs. I also add a piece of egg crate for them to hide under and feed carrots for water. Every 3-4 weeks I change out the gutload and move it to a clean bin, this will have eggs and small worms. From that point on it's just raising the worms to a feedable size, which does take longer than mealworms. Once you have a colony going, it's not much more work than mealworms.

 

[Lady Hyena]

I agree with what Tony's said about lateralis but one added note: when I first got them I kept them in those 18 gal rubbermaid bins with a slightly
textured surface and they were climbing the sides. It really has to be smooth plastic. I since moved the colonies to sterilite clear bins with very smooth plastic and have had no escapes. Males can flutter a bit, but not for any distance, and only down, as mentioned. I keep about 5-7000 in 106 quart bins. Also, the adults are a good size for adult leopard geckos, as they are pretty much large cricket sized. Only issue I have with them is the speed factor; they are FAST. :main_laugh: But they do breed extremely easily and fast. I keep mine with flexwatt on the bottoms of the bins(outside of course) and keep them at around 90F. I use egg crate, a couple of delicups with roach sized holes in them for food/water crystals, feed them progeckos gutload and some mixed veggies/fruits and they breed like crazy. Another good tip is to keep a few paper towel rolls in the bins, the roaches congregate in them and it makes it easy to pick one up and shake out what you need. I also made a size sorter, just a 5 gal bucket with 1/2 in holes drilled in the bottom, babies and smaller roaches fall through when I shake this over the bin, leaving adults to be seperated out and fed off or moved to a new container as needed.

As far as super worms go, I've had a lot of success breeding those as well. I keep the worms on progeckos gutload as well, with a piece of egg crate and use carrots for water. I use those bead containers to pupate, and once pupa hatch into beetles I move them to another bin with 1 in of progeckos gutload on the bottom covered by a piece of metal window screening. This keeps the adults from eating the eggs. I also add a piece of egg crate for them to hide under and feed carrots for water. Every 3-4 weeks I change out the gutload and move it to a clean bin, this will have eggs and small worms. From that point on it's just raising the worms to a feedable size, which does take longer than mealworms. Once you have a colony going, it's not much more work than mealworms.

thank you very much thats very helpful! tho the bit about the screen to protect the eggs is a bit confusing. just laying there on the bottom? I heard they did eat the eggs, and that supers will eat eachother if there isnt enough moisture@.@ what a life they live. other then that it seems pretty easy definatly gonna give it a try. thanks once again.

 

[T-ReXx]

thank you very much thats very helpful! tho the bit about the screen to protect the eggs is a bit confusing. just laying there on the bottom? I heard they did eat the eggs, and that supers will eat eachother if there isnt enough moisture@.@ what a life they live. other then that it seems pretty easy definatly gonna give it a try. thanks once again.

Yes, I just lay the screen on top of the gutload. It fits the entire container bottom so they can't reach the eggs underneath. the beetles lay their eggs through the screen.

 

[fuzzylogix]

Yes, I just lay the screen on top of the gutload. It fits the entire container bottom so they can't reach the eggs underneath. the beetles lay their eggs through the screen.

do you have a pic of that setup? that's a brilliant idea, gonna steal that one :main_thumbsup:

 

[T-ReXx]

do you have a pic of that setup? that's a brilliant idea, gonna steal that one :main_thumbsup:

I don't have a pic on atm, I could snap one if you really wanted, but it's just pretty basic: a 15 quart bin with a piece of window screen cut to fit the bottom of it. Put in an inch of bedding, put the screen on top(I sprinkle a little bedding around the edges just to be sure the beetles don't dig under it and give them something to snack on) add a piece of egg crate and some carrots and you're done. Pretty easy.

 

[Lady Hyena]

I don't have a pic on atm, I could snap one if you really wanted, but it's just pretty basic: a 15 quart bin with a piece of window screen cut to fit the bottom of it. Put in an inch of bedding, put the screen on top(I sprinkle a little bedding around the edges just to be sure the beetles don't dig under it and give them something to snack on) add a piece of egg crate and some carrots and you're done. Pretty easy.

:main_thumbsup:That's a really good idea! I too am gonna have to steal it;D With the screen there tho doesnt it catch some of the eggs? I will definatly give it a try thanks once again! ill definatly tell all my reptile friends about this(since they havent had succes with breeding theres)

 

[T-ReXx]

:main_thumbsup:That's a really good idea! I too am gonna have to steal it;D With the screen there tho doesnt it catch some of the eggs? I will definatly give it a try thanks once again! ill definatly tell all my reptile friends about this(since they havent had succes with breeding theres)

It might, and they might get eaten, but it's definately not enough to make a huge difference in production. And any that aren't eaten (and keeping a piece of egg crate in there will make the beetles more likely to congregate under it instead of wandering around looking for eggs to eat) the tiny worms will crawl and fall through the screen anyways. So far, it's worked out very well.