MOTW - Jul 15 - Jul 21 2012 - JeffreH

[JeffreH]

@Amanda - how many insects are your 3 treefrogs consuming daily, and how long are you willing to wait before you have a colony that you can feed out of? In addition, do you have a particular preference for a roach species in either situation?

Lobster roaches and Turkistan roaches are going to be the cheapest to obtain and fastest breeders for a quicker colony, while dubia and orange heads are good if you don't mind dropping a little extra $$$ or have some time to spare. For example, you could start with 500 newborn dubia nymphs for cost effectiveness, but the wait time for a colony would be many, many months. Or, you may wish to buy 250 or 500 mixed sized nymphs and the wait time may only be a couple of months (depending on how many you plan to feed). The more you buy off the start, the sooner the colony blossoms. Roaches are an investment, you gotta think long-term because they are a feeder that can require some patience and cost at the beginning.

Nutrionally, all roaches are essentially the same once gutloaded ; ) but each species has their pros and cons (lobsters cna climb glass, for example) - I tend to recommend buying a few dubia beforehand prior to buying a whole colony just to be sure your animals will eat them. Dubia are the most common feeder roach out there, but they are also the most likely to bunker down and sort of 'play dead' which many arboreal herps find displeasing as they hunt by sight. Most of the rhacs I've had in my collection prefered other species to dubia...don't get me wrong, they are a great feeder and most herps do like them, but always best to try them out before investing!

@Heather - No worries! My mother would appreciate the comment, she is pretty youthful = )

As for not safe food items... I've heard that nuts can be hazardous to roaches. You are also going to want to avoid feeding rhubarb and avocado as they are potentially toxic to avians and therefore may be a hazard to reptiles if used as a gutload. Amphibians are probably OK, but I like to err on the side of caution just to be safe. It's been proposed that foods with high beta carotene like oranges aid in roach reproduction, but I've not noticed anything substantial... they sure love oranges though, lol.

I do sell my roaches, mostly to some close friends who have small collections to feed. I tend to keep colonies in check by culling males and neglecting some of those that aren't set aside as feeders to be gutloaded. No food for a couple of weeks keeps the colonies from exponentially increasing ha. As for a favorite.... hmm... I can't pick a favorite roach because they are all so unique in color or behavior. But a favorite critter? Well... my all time favorite critter to add to my collection one day will be a Magpie Blood Python =D

VPI Magpie Red Blood Python ("super" of the "Golden Eye" Red Blood Python | Vida Preciosa International, Inc.

But I'll be "settling" for a T-Albino Blood when I can get the proper funds and cagespace set up, lol. Magpie's aren't exactly for sale anywhere, just the codoms to make them... and I'd wager a magpie would run in the $20k range, heh.

Whats your favorite critter? Thats a question for anyone to answer = )

[NatureLady]

My 3 at home are eating roughly 16-20 a week and they are currently eating dubia's that I purchased at the last expo (purchased 100 in mid-June). As far as work goes, I have time to spare as far as the waiting to feed from the colony. Money is tighter on the work side of purchasing...I do work for the state. I will re read your raising roach thread and consider what would work best. I have a very rough time getting (living) cricket's in the winter months and would like to feed roaches by the first of the year-ish. Thanks again Jeff!

[JeffreH]

Glad to help = )

If your personal collection is only eating about 20 a week, then you can afford to get by with a smaller quantity of roaches. To be safe, I would could pick up 250 mixed nymphs, let them grow and breed for a couple of months, and you should be well in the clear. For that nature center, you may consider adding a large quantity of small nymphs to that order of 250 if you want to be ready by winter... perhaps 500+ small nymphs that can be allowed to grow up for the next 4-5 months. By winter, you should have hundreds of reproducing adult dubia that can crank out nymphs like a feeder factroy to supply both you and the center ; )

Or... you could purchase a large lot of 500+ mixed nymphs, let them grow and breed for a couple of months prior to feeding your personal collection, and then begin feeding to the center by the time winter starts up. Figure about 20 nymphs monthly from each adult female, and assume half of those will be feeders and half will be kept back for future breeding. Also consider the amount of time it will take for nymphs to reach "feeding size" and the quantity of nymphs that must also be present at any given time to sustain the herp's feeding needs. This is why it is important to start with a decent supply, and give them plenty of time. It's nice that you have some time to spare and are looking into roaches sooner - most keepers want an instant colony off the get-go and get discouraged by the cost to do so or the lag time required... Always better to have too many roaches as you can always sell the excess and make that investment money back, or cull/give roaches away to friends. Trust me, the cost and wait is well worth it to remove crickets from the equation, lol.

Now, if the center is going to be a personal cost issue, you may consider looking into Turkistan Roaches or Lobsters.... Turks are essentially a cricket replacement for their small size, speed, and inability to climb or fly. They are also sexually dimophic like dubia where males have wings but cannot fly. They are remarkably prolific, BUT they lay egg cases. A lot of novice roach keepers underestimate ooths; they can sometimes require a little more care than expected and I've seen my share of failed breeding efforts. If you can keep the ooths from drying out so that they can hatch, you can easily get 30-45 nymphs monthly out of them, I've had the most success keeping them on a substrate like coir (Eco-Earth) with plenty of water crystals for some additional humidity.

Lobster roaches are hands down the easiest roaches to breed. They give live birth, produce slightly more offspring monthly than dubia, and they reach sexual maturity a couple of months faster. The biggest downside is they can climb class and smooth surfaces... you can often purchase large quantities of lobsters or turkistan roaches for literally half the price of dubia and they are both more prolific but each species has their own little flaw to consider.

I apologize for any ranting or if anything is confusing = ) Just trying to cover as many bases as possible. I'd hate to see you spend money on roaches now and have to resupply later. Just want to make sure you are well armed with information so that you can make the initial investment then breed and be freed!

[NatureLady]

I like the dubia's for home, but at the next expo I am going to purchase Turks out of my pocket and try them. I have a lot of lizards that really enjoy "the hunt" and I think that they would enjoy them better. I am slowing selling my volunteer group (who purchases my crickets) on the roach idea. I actually think that they are beginning to question my sanity. But, in the end cricket's are expensive, they smell horrid, and the delivery guys are dumb (placed my crickets on the front concrete porch of a house, not nature center, in 108* direct sun!!!).

I actually enjoy your festive roach rants!!!
I like an informed conversation that leaves out the guess work.

[DC101]

Hi Jeff, i was just reading through all your roach info and found it very interesting. Its amazing how many roaches you have!

As you know, i purchased around 600 mixed sized (medium-large) wood roaches (i was told they are called lobster roaches as well) to breed and feed my 3 Whites Tree Frogs. Ive tried my best by not taking out any for a month or so, so the colony can establish it self. But i have a question, how long do you recommend me to wait till i can start feeding my frogs the roaches? The frogs are only young but growing fast and been eating 4-5 medium crickets daily. I've seen babies running around so i know they are breeding and i have a heat mat under it so its the right temp.

Also, i noticed that the adults can climb the vaseline that i used to coat around the box i keep them in. The vaseline is around 3 inches thick from the top down. Only the adults can climb over the vaseline for some reason. Do you know why?

Thanks so much Jeff!

[Kristen]

Jeff your kittens are adorable!
Also love your geckos
You have been a great member of the week

[JeffreH]

Thanks Kristen! = )

David, I'm going to respond to your question via PM so that our new MOTW can have the spotlight = )

Thank you everyone for the kind words, this has been a great experience and it was a pleasure meeting all of you!