Yes I'm asking about roaches again!!!

[LizMarie]

Thank You everyone a whole lot of info to take in.. my mom saw me salvaging eggs crates and was like OMG your getting MORE ROACHES! Lol

SFGecko are you in the roach breeding business?
All i have to say is that I'm fearful of becoming over run by roaches since I only have one gecko that isn't that big. . .she's a little on the pettite side. Any advice on not becoming overcome with roaches!? Or any other words that might calm this fear. I'm not into bugs especially roaches but in some odd way i find them interesting and JUST LOVE the way my gecko reacts to them and I can't deny her that joy. I know I'm corny, lol.

What do you gutload/feed? I've seen the roach chow up for sale on a few sites. is it any good or can i just do it at home.

Also do Roaches need a substrate? And can I use toilet paper/ paper towel rolls with or without egg crates. I had a tiny piece of egg crate for the few roaches I had and I swear they were stuck like GLUE underneath that egg crate

 

[LeapinLizards]

My advice would be to get more geckos! Lol you know I'm kidding Liz

As far as for food, I use a 7 grain mix I get in bulk from Fred Meyers and blend in a high protein puppy food (roaches need high protein). I then offer veggies and fruits often, more than once a week. I've found that roaches LOVE sweets (apples, korean pears, etc).

Substrate wise, I would advise against it. From what I've found from talking to a few large scale breeders, substrate just causes a hassle, not to mention is a breeding place for bacteria/parasites. I Just simply set the egg crates vertically (so poop falls to the bottom of the tub) over the UTH side of the tub, and set their food and moisture on the other side. They've done the rest, and I have TONS of babies running around

 

[SFgeckos]

...

"SFGecko are you in the roach breeding business?"

Oh heck no, I'm not in the roach breeding business at all. It has taken me years to build up a size able collection of roaches. The main purpose I produce roaches is to feed my own collection of reptiles. Sometimes I'll have WAY too many roaches and will ship them/trade them to friends- that option is usually first before I advertise any for sale. (Although, if anyone needs roaches I usually can provide at reasonable rates. I just don't like being bogged with emails due to lack of time.)

I can name too many reasons why I prefer to produce my own feeders instead of buying them. I'm strictly a "hardcore hobbyist" and when you have hundreds of animals, it is much more cost efficient for me to produce my own feeders. I used to spend thousands of dollars per year. In addition to saving money, I also save time in my busy schedule- as in time spent arranging/waiting for feeders to show up...then they are late/lost/doa deliveries...time spent trying to find feeders of a particular size when you realize you're out, etc etc.

Also, since I am producing my own feeders, I know they are "clean" in terms of the conditions they are raised. There are many stories of bacteria, protozoans, and other parasites piggybacking into a collection from feeder insects. I'd rather play it safe and know that my feeders are raised in clean environments, fed well and gut loaded properly.

In terms of feeding, I don't want to get into any type of debates with people so I'll just post what I feed my colonies. I've kept dubia roaches (and other species) for 4+ years so trust me, I've tried plenty of different ways of keeping them/feeding them! This is what works for ME.

I don't use a substrate, just cardboard egg crates. It is easier to clean and also to shake out the roaches if there isn't a substrate. Some substrates get wet/moldy and that leads to smells and flies etc.

I feed low fat dog food and a variety of vegetables for moisture. Mainly apples, oranges, greens and other seasonal fruits/vegetables (example- I fed pumpkins during the month of October!) I've done several experiments in terms of gutloading but I'll save that for another thread when I have time to look over all the data...

Hope that helps.

Jon

 

[LizMarie]

Thanks for the advice. Even though I have one Leo I still rather breed my own feeders for the same reason you stated SFGeckos, it gets expensive after awhile, I won't have to deal with shipping cost and with weird deformed looking roaches, lol..

 

[Gregg M]

Your roaches will make their own substrate... Its called frass or roach droppings... The frass is a good thing and is important to nymphs... As gross as it may sound the nymphs get lots of nutience from it... The droppings do make for stronger colonies in my opinion... With roach species like dubias, the droppings do not smell offensive... Leave in the poop... LOL

 

[LeapinLizards]

I let the colony go a couple months without cleaning, like Gregg said, as I have no problem with mold, or "dirtiness". The nymphs do crawl around in it like crazy though!

 

[LizMarie]

Do they eat most of the "frass" and how long should they go on without cleaning? 2-3months?

 

[LeapinLizards]

I've left them for a couple to a few months at a time. They DO have a smell, it's NOTHING like crickets though, completely different. I think I got them in September, and I've only cleaned them once, before I really knew anything about them (and how UNLIKE crickets they are!)

 

[LizMarie]

Ok I have A LOT to think about, Lol... Yeah that are completely different from crix. i just had a few for a short time but I liked the fact that they don't climb or jump and when it's time to clean for the most part they hide in the egg crates and you can just remove those and clean out the container.

Another thing what kind of container can I use? I have a 10gallon tank and a plastic sterlite container that i slide under my bed its approx. 24"x16'x6" would either of those be any good?

How to break the news to my mom if I decided to breed? Hmm that's going to be interesting. lol.

 

[Snowy & Petra de Gecko]

No Roaches for me yet

I too only have a few geckos (Two) and I am going to raise mealworms.:main_yes:

I can't raise crickets because I do not have the space.:main_no:

I am thinking about Roaches.:main_huh:

I too am concerned with the cost, the availability and the condition. Mostly the availability.

Maybe sometime I will contact SFGeckos for a Roach Coach Order.

Thanks for the long posts on this thread.:main_thumbsup:

 

[LizMarie]

I too only have a few geckos (Two) and I am going to raise mealworms.:main_yes:

I can't raise crickets because I do not have the space.:main_no:

I am thinking about Roaches.:main_huh:

I too am concerned with the cost, the availability and the condition. Mostly the availability.

Maybe sometime I will contact SFGeckos for a Roach Coach Order.

Thanks for the long posts on this thread.:main_thumbsup:

I'm trying to raise mealworms as well but that started yesturday and I'm getting very impatient, lol.. but then again I only have a few beetles right now around 20 and like anothe 30 pupae it seemed to have taken the long route, lol. I hope Roaches breed faster!