Thinking About Taking the Plunge... Roaches

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

I have not fed crickets for a couple years now, I just won't do it anymore. They smell and are loud as h*ll. Been feeding a staple of mealworms for awhile now, but roaches sound intriguing. (wtf, did I just say that?)

So on to roaches...

The first factor is determining what species of roach would best suit my needs. I'll be feeding leopard geckos of all sizes. Non-flying/climbing is a must.

I understand that you do no feed the adults, as they are intended to be breeders, so what techniques/methods do you guys use to make sure that you have roaches of appropriate size available at all times?

Thanks.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

I breed Blaberus discoidalis. These guys live a LONG time, therefore the breeding cycle takes considerably longer than your cricket or mealworm. The 2 keys to keeping a good colony is to keep plenty of breeders, and have a good dose of patience.

Sa far, I've found the best thing to do is get a large number of adults (and large nymphs) and leave them alone for awhile. Give them at least 2 months of you doing nothing but feeding them. Don't worry about the poo...it's really not smelly, and the nymphs will hide in it. You can go several months between cleaning. I just make sure the food and water bowls are kept clean. When you do clean, you should find a lot of nymphs, and it can take awhile to separate them from both the adults and poo. Once you're done separating them, toss back several dozen nymphs to mature into breeders. it takes some time, but eventually you'll reach a sustainable colony.

I separated mine into 3 categories last time I cleaned. One for large nymphs/breeders, one for nymphs that are a good size for feeding adult leos, and one for feeding baby leos. I still have a ton of small roaches, but I'm having to ration out the large feedable one to just once or twice a week. I still don't have this down to an art yet. I'm working on it! See the pic below....I'm would be completely out of the larger size by now if it weren't for rationing.

It all depends on how many geckos you're feeding. Once they get a taste for them, the leos go crazy (at least my guys do). Again, you have to keep in mind that they take a long time to mature, so you may find yourself with a TON of babies, but not much that would be a good size for feeding adult geckos. You just have to set some aside and let them grow.

It is WELL worth the work. I also hate crickets...I haven't bought any in at least a year. The difference in the growth and health of a leo that's eating roaches and mealies is HUGE compared to those raised only on mealies.

 

[John N]

Roaches are deffinally the way to go!

I use Lateralis an Dubias. Dubias are just the same as discoidalis, but are easier to sex when adult. Lateralis are my favorite. They stay fairly small ( less than 2 inches) very productive, are fast runners and stay active (unlike the dubias that sometimes are inactive). Only down fall to them imo is that they are egg layers, but like I said very productive.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

EWWWWW!!!

 

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

Are you guys having any trouble with geckos not taking them?

Do the leopards seem to prefer the taste of a specific species?

What stage/age in life cycle are good for hatchling/juvie/adult leos?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to soak it all in.

 

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

EWWWWW!!!

Hehe... You big weenie!!!

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Are you guys having any trouble with geckos not taking them?

Do the leopards seem to prefer the taste of a specific species?

What stage/age in life cycle are good for hatchling/juvie/adult leos?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to soak it all in.

I have 24 leos, and only 2 won't eat them. Several of them go NUTS and will eat the roaches to the point that they'll get sick...so I have to watch them!!

I've never tried other species, but if I was going to, I would try the dubias.

When the roaches are nymphs, they go through several molts before they reach adulthood. You just pick the right size for your gecko to handle! It's similar to crickets in selecting size, you want to keep them a bit smaller (across) then the width between the leo's eyes.

Check out www.blaberus.com they have a TON of good info there.

 

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

Roaches are deffinally the way to go!

I use Lateralis an Dubias. Dubias are just the same as discoidalis, but are easier to sex when adult. Lateralis are my favorite. They stay fairly small ( less than 2 inches) very productive, are fast runners and stay active (unlike the dubias that sometimes are inactive). Only down fall to them imo is that they are egg layers, but like I said very productive.

Curious as to why egg layers would be a downfall. Doesn't that mean they produce at a faster rate?

 

[John N]

IDK, I'm just weird like that. I actually don't have a problem with them being egg layers anymore.

My leos don't really prefer a species over another, but the lateralis seems to catch their attention faster.

BTW, James from www.blaberus.com normally will match or beat any better deals than his.

 

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

IDK, I'm just weird like that. I actually don't have a problem with them being egg layers anymore.

My leos don't really prefer a species over another, but the lateralis seems to catch their attention faster.

BTW, James from www.blaberus.com normally will match or beat any better deals than his.

Have you had any problems getting all the leos to eat them?

Also, I know the lateralis are smaller than the dub's. Do you find them too small to feed adult leos?

 

[John N]

Like Shanti, I have one leo that prefers meal worms than roaches.

For one thing, the hatchling lateralis are pin head size. So youd have to let them grow first to feed them off, but I see the older ones are perfect size for adults leos, the adults lateralis are about the same size of crickets.

 

[nwheat]

What do you keep your colonies in and how do you go about cleaning the cages or catching enough to feed a bunch of geckos without having them escape? Escapees would be bad - very bad!

 

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

Like Shanti, I have one leo that prefers meal worms than roaches.

For one thing, the hatchling lateralis are pin head size. So youd have to let them grow first to feed them off, but I see the older ones are perfect size for adults leos, the adults lateralis are about the same size of crickets.

Since you said the lateralis are only about the size of crickets as adults, do you find it an issue to have to grow the roaches for three months in order to get the size needed to feed adult leopards?

I'm almost considering a dubia colony for adult feeders and a lateralis colony for babies/juvies. So many roach choices... so little time.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

What do you keep your colonies in and how do you go about cleaning the cages or catching enough to feed a bunch of geckos without having them escape? Escapees would be bad - very bad!

I keep mine in plastic tubs (sterilite and such)...the walls are smooth enough that they have no hope of climbing them. I also put in some egg crates for them to crawl around in.

Catching them is a little tricky for me. I'm still fairly girly about them...I pick them all up with tweezers. If I HAVE to, I'll pick up a nymph with my bare hands. You can FORGET me handling an adult. Considering the leos get a max. of 3 roaches at a time, it's not all that bad.

 

[Ross Payan -LeosAnonymous]

I keep mine in plastic tubs (sterilite and such)...the walls are smooth enough that they have no hope of climbing them. I also put in some egg crates for them to crawl around in.

Catching them is a little tricky for me. I'm still fairly girly about them...I pick them all up with tweezers. If I HAVE to, I'll pick up a nymph with my bare hands. You can FORGET me handling an adult. Considering the leos get a max. of 3 roaches at a time, it's not all that bad.

Wow... so even your adults only eat three for a full meal?

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Yep....any more and they pop!! Watching a gecko heave is NOT a pretty sight, so I avoid it. They still get mealies, so if they are hungry after 3 roaches, they can munch on some mealies.

 

[nwheat]

Thanks Shanti! Do you hand feed each roach to your geckos? I'm sure they could get out of some of my cages!

I had a very small quantity of nymphs once. They were sooooo fast! I could deal with those alright, but I agree, adults - no way. I'm thinking about trying those green banana roaches- those adults are sorta pretty. Only problem is that they can climb & fly. :uhoh: Again, I'd only do a very small group, mostly for treats at first.

 

[Grinning Geckos]

LOL....my advise is avoid any flying and climbing roaches. They make the chance of an escape a lot higher.

I generally do handfeed the roaches...as soon as the geckos see what's coming, it's gone. Otherwise, I'll put them in a container where the roach has nowhere to hide or climb. The second they get under a papertowel or bowl, the leos can't find them