Trying Roaches again some advice pls..

[LizMarie]

I think by now everyone knows that I've been trying to feed my gecko roaches for I dunno how long, Lol. Well I think she might be warming up to them. The roach keeper is right next to her tank and the past few nights she has been stalking them from her cage and has kind of ran into the glass trying to go after them, oops! But the times she's done this it was about 1AM and I wasn't in the mood to get up and wrestle a roach out of the keeper half asleep. So with this new revelation I was wondering what would be the best time to feed her and how should I feed her!?

I've heard about putting a tupperware container in there with a hole and have her go in and catch them but I don't think I have any that are big enough for her to strike comfortably. So I dunno if I should use this idea...

Should I remove most of her hides? How long should I the roach in there? etc.

 

[cwazy]

Well I think she might be worming up to them.

:main_laugh::main_laugh::main_laugh: i dunno why... this made me chuckle in my head :main_rolleyes: :main_laugh: :main_laugh:

roaches... i dunno... i dont think i could bring myself to even try em... roaches we always in yucky homes when i grew up lol *shrug* good luck with em though :main_thumbsup:

 

[LizMarie]

:main_laugh::main_laugh::main_laugh: i dunno why... this made me chuckle in my head :main_rolleyes: :main_laugh: :main_laugh:

roaches... i dunno... i dont think i could bring myself to even try em... roaches we always in yucky homes when i grew up lol *shrug* good luck with em though :main_thumbsup:

I meant warming... I need to really re read what I post, Lol

I only have 10nymphs that I'm trying to get her to eat before they grow into adults, lol They aren't that bad even though I don't want to physically touch them. I use an index card, lol

 

[nats]

I feed in the evening mostly. I just dust the roach and drop it in
front of my leo with a pair of plastic tweezers (cheap, <$1.00).

If it gets away and hides, I have to track it down, and if it does not
get eaten right away, I remove it.
I feed one item at a time. You can tell if they are hungry or not
interested after a while.
I dont do the way some people, just throw a bunch in there and come
back later, thats alot of tracking down and removing if the leo isnt
interested! and I like to make sure they dont have time find a good hiding place.

 

[LizMarie]

I feed in the evening mostly. I just dust the roach and drop it in
front of my leo with a pair of plastic tweezers (cheap, <$1.00).

If it gets away and hides, I have to track it down, and if it does not
get eaten right away, I remove it.
I feed one item at a time. You can tell if they are hungry or not
interested after a while.
I dont do the way some people, just throw a bunch in there and come
back later, thats alot of tracking down and removing if the leo isnt
interested! and I like to make sure they dont have time find a good hiding place.

I tried putting mine in a dish so it had to work to get out once but my leo while she seemed interested didn't strike. She just licked it and rubbed noses with the antennas. I think I'm going to wait until later tonight like 9ish since I normally feed a 7ish and turn off all the lights and see if that stimulates her to eat! She has no problem eating mealworms, when she's hungry she leans at the dish and just looks at me

 

[nats]

I tried putting mine in a dish so it had to work to get out once but my leo while she seemed interested didn't strike. She just licked it and rubbed noses with the antennas. I think I'm going to wait until later tonight like 9ish since I normally feed a 7ish and turn off all the lights and see if that stimulates her to eat! She has no problem eating mealworms, when she's hungry she leans at the dish and just looks at me

Sounds like she just doesnt want anything to eat right now.

My female was off food for over 3 weeks, it's not unusual.

Or, she just doesnt want anything to do w/ roaches (cant blame
here there!! :main_laugh.

My guys like them ok, but will turn their noses up some times, and
want crix instead. Crix are the only thing they NEVER turn their nose
up to!! :main_thumbsup:

It's a pain, I know, I try the roach, they dont want it, I try mealies,
they lick them and walk away, then I try crix, BINGO!!
I may as well just put a little of everything in a bowl and serve their
Highnesses that way!! :main_rolleyes:

I just got a HUGH order of very nice healthy and active crix last
night from my friends at NY Worm. I ordered 1000 and I KNOW they
sent me WAY over 1000!! they came in a rather large box.
Did you see my post w/ my cricket tub? its pretty big, I dumped all
these crix in it last night, and it literaly covered the whole floor 3''
deep in crickets!! I had to take a whole bunch out. Good thing I have
a spare large critter-keeper!!

IMO, NY Worms are the BEST!! :main_thumbsup:

BTW, Happy Friday :main_yes:

 

[hoppslover]

Nats I would have to back you on nyworms.com. They really are great. Haven't got anything from them accept for Mealies, but they have always come in really good condition.
As for the roaches. I have some that eat them up as soon as they hit the enclosure floor. But my one male that wasn't growing very well on mealies really likes the roaches. Still wont eat them very well while I am around, and that is way I have put them in the small Tupperware container. He eats a lot better when I am not in the room and the lights are off. Plus by putting them in this container I don't have to worry about them running all over his enclosure. I have also been putting crixs in it too as my roach colony isn't big enough yet to just keep pulling off of it. If I get time I will take a picture for you so you can see the size of the Tupperware. Good luck.

 

[nats]

Nats I would have to back you on nyworms.com. They really are great. Haven't got anything from them accept for Mealies, but they have always come in really good condition.
As for the roaches. I have some that eat them up as soon as they hit the enclosure floor. But my one male that wasn't growing very well on mealies really likes the roaches. Still wont eat them very well while I am around, and that is way I have put them in the small Tupperware container. He eats a lot better when I am not in the room and the lights are off. Plus by putting them in this container I don't have to worry about them running all over his enclosure. I have also been putting crixs in it too as my roach colony isn't big enough yet to just keep pulling off of it. If I get time I will take a picture for you so you can see the size of the Tupperware. Good luck.

You mean you make a box w/ a hole for your leo as a kind of
"dinning room"?
Do you put the box inside the tank and let your leo climb into it?

 

[kyahbean]

The thought of roaches makes my skin crawl. *shivers* I'm just getting used to the crickets. Puzzle loves crickets! He gets so excited lol. I just coat them and dump them in his cage and he hunts them all down.

Good luck, tho. I'd be interested to see if she ends up taking to the roaches. I'm not sure that I ever could keep roaches. Maybe I could try to think about it if there was some huge benefit of them eating roaches over crickets.

 

[LizMarie]

One day she actually did take a roach which gave me a little bit of hope. But she grabbed him and flipped him up in the air and it landed on her back, she wasn't happy AT ALL!

 

[rubym]

We only have a few that would eat the roaches. I had a lobster colony going for awhile but with only 3 eating them sometimes, I just fed them all to my beardie and gave up on the roaches. I was paranoid about them getting out andcrawling on me at night-YUCK!!!!!!

 

[kyahbean]

I was paranoid about them getting out andcrawling on me at night-YUCK!!!!!!

I think it would cause me night terrors LOL

 

[hoppslover]

Nats I dont make a box, and I leave it in the enclosure. What I use is a plastic container that I get from Walmart. It is about 3" in diameter and 2 to 3" tall. What I do is just tape it down to the paper that I put in the bottom of the enclosure. I also tape a small section of paper towel roll next to the container so my gecko has an easier time getting into the food bowl, but I have seen him just crawl in there by himself on many occasions. This way I can put the roaches or crix in the container, and walk away. He just eats when he wants. Its worked out pretty good for me. Also I dont put any kind of lid on this container.

 

[nats]

Nats I dont make a box, and I leave it in the enclosure. What I use is a plastic container that I get from Walmart. It is about 3" in diameter and 2 to 3" tall. What I do is just tape it down to the paper that I put in the bottom of the enclosure. I also tape a small section of paper towel roll next to the container so my gecko has an easier time getting into the food bowl, but I have seen him just crawl in there by himself on many occasions. This way I can put the roaches or crix in the container, and walk away. He just eats when he wants. Its worked out pretty good for me. Also I dont put any kind of lid on this container.

I see (I think!!).
But how do you prevent the roaches and crix from getting out of
the container?

 

[Digby Rigby]

Finicky

finicky? Wont eat? Well then its time to put on your big girl panties and get serious. Dont feed the gecko anything for a couple of weeks except water. raise the basking temps just a little. Then try the roach again. THey are not naturally or even normally known to be one of the few reptiles that have a mono diet. They can go months at times without eating thats what the fat tail is for. Let them get sufficiently hungry and they will eat whats good for them eventually. No gecko will starve itself to death when food is available.

Digby Rigby [email protected]

 

[Bennayboi]

You need to get over any roach phobias you have. Then just use common sense. If the roaches run to the opposite side of the tank and hide under something, remove it and scare them into your leos hide. If you really cant do it maybe find another person to help. If your certain she sees the roaches and shows no interest then switch back to mealworms.

 

[nats]

No gecko will starve itself to death when food is available.

Yeah, we know that, we just like to spoil our geckos and treat them
like children.
I cant stand it when they pout because they arent getting what they
want. :main_rolleyes:

"Ohhhhh Slinky, Oo dont want mealies for supper today?! Awwwwww,
I'll run and get Oooo some yummy crickies instead"! :main_laugh:

 

[LizMarie]

She finally ate one!!!

I moved the roaches into a bigger tote instead of a little critter keeper and covered with with a mess fabric and clipped it on the sides. While I'm still not completely over my roach fear I am not able to put a plastic cup in it and I shake them out of the egg crate and scoop them into the cup with an index card where I shake that calcium over it then I drop it in her tank.

She's eaten to nice sized nymphs then I put in a tiny teeny one that I can't tell if she at it or not. She gobbled them up as if she hasn't eaten anything in years when she had 12 mealies last night. Will this be a staple I dunno I'm still working on my own fear of them, but I'm glad that she's not so picky.

 

[hoppslover]

nats the container is probably 2 or 3 inches tall and they cant get out.