Are these Dubia roaches?

[JeffreH]

Nocturnal yes, though they will have activity throughout the day every now and then. Unless you have a relatively large colony, you really won't notice an extreme amount of food being eaten. Roaches really don't eat THAT much per insect compared to some other insects. Offer carrots or other fruits/veggies periodically and they will nibble on them as they please. You'll probably find with this species that they will drag their food items underneath the soil substrate to eat - this is perfectly normal in burrowing species such as this.

Their abdomens were probably damaged by the way you collected them. You said you were kicking the soil away to find them...instead, perhaps you may try collecting by hand and being very careful. Contrary to common belief, roaches are not indestructible and some can be downright fragile. Handle with care, and extract them from the soil gently.

The substrate (bedding) you have sounds fine with the cocopeat. These guys are burrowers from my understanding (their morphology suggests the same, along with your description about where they were found). They'll likely remain concealed underneath the soil/cocopeat much of the time. While you may be tempted to dig them up occasionally and check on them, your best bet for success will be to leave them alone as much as possible. Cockroaches by nature are quite shy, and excessive handling or disturbing of them can stress them out and prevent them from breeding.

Most cockroach species we use as feeders can be reared very similarly to one another. Feel free to read over this when you have the time, I made this cockroach rearing guide to answer most basic questions on roach husbandry:
http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...r-roaches.html

[Murray of the Deep]

Nocturnal yes, though they will have activity throughout the day every now and then. Unless you have a relatively large colony, you really won't notice an extreme amount of food being eaten. Roaches really don't eat THAT much per insect compared to some other insects. Offer carrots or other fruits/veggies periodically and they will nibble on them as they please. You'll probably find with this species that they will drag their food items underneath the soil substrate to eat - this is perfectly normal in burrowing species such as this.

Their abdomens were probably damaged by the way you collected them. You said you were kicking the soil away to find them...instead, perhaps you may try collecting by hand and being very careful. Contrary to common belief, roaches are not indestructible and some can be downright fragile. Handle with care, and extract them from the soil gently.

The substrate (bedding) you have sounds fine with the cocopeat. These guys are burrowers from my understanding (their morphology suggests the same, along with your description about where they were found). They'll likely remain concealed underneath the soil/cocopeat much of the time. While you may be tempted to dig them up occasionally and check on them, your best bet for success will be to leave them alone as much as possible. Cockroaches by nature are quite shy, and excessive handling or disturbing of them can stress them out and prevent them from breeding.

Most cockroach species we use as feeders can be reared very similarly to one another. Feel free to read over this when you have the time, I made this cockroach rearing guide to answer most basic questions on roach husbandry:
http://www.frogforum.net/food-feeder...r-roaches.html

and also im curious that if their abdomens got cut i didnt do anything i found them under the soil using a stick and saw one has cut up abdomen is it molting or what? and can it regenerate? i also place them in a transparent container is it ok? with vaselin on top and cover (transparent)

[Murray of the Deep]

hey jeff i made ths substrate lower because 2 of my roaches died is it ok? i made it atleast half-1inch.

[JeffreH]

A clear container should be okay so long as you have something in there for them to hide in or order and leave some substrate for burrowing. As a general rule, opaque containers (ones that aren't clear and don't let light in) are better for roaches but clear can work.

I really have no idea about the cut up abdomens without actually being there and observing the roaches in nature. Its hard to believe its something natural, and molting shouldn't cause notable damage to the body. Hard to say whether or not it will regenerate and heal, that is going to depend on the hardiness of the roach and how severe the damage is.

You can make the substrate lower, but I don't see why substrate depth is making a difference in mortality. The weight of substrate won't crush them and the morphology of their legs suggests they are well adapted to burrowing. I've never actually kept this species obviously, so I'm not sure whether or not substrate is essential for them, but I'd say as long as you keep some in there it should be OK. An inch sounds fine to me, just give them something to burrow into and hide as a retreat.

The cover for the enclosure should be fine, just make its at least partially ventilated to allow for some airflow in there. If you are feeling froggy, you could cover the sides with dark paper or something on the outside to make the enclosure darker for the roaches as well.

[Murray of the Deep]

A clear container should be okay so long as you have something in there for them to hide in or order and leave some substrate for burrowing. As a general rule, opaque containers (ones that aren't clear and don't let light in) are better for roaches but clear can work.

I really have no idea about the cut up abdomens without actually being there and observing the roaches in nature. Its hard to believe its something natural, and molting shouldn't cause notable damage to the body. Hard to say whether or not it will regenerate and heal, that is going to depend on the hardiness of the roach and how severe the damage is.

You can make the substrate lower, but I don't see why substrate depth is making a difference in mortality. The weight of substrate won't crush them and the morphology of their legs suggests they are well adapted to burrowing. I've never actually kept this species obviously, so I'm not sure whether or not substrate is essential for them, but I'd say as long as you keep some in there it should be OK. An inch sounds fine to me, just give them something to burrow into and hide as a retreat.

The cover for the enclosure should be fine, just make its at least partially ventilated to allow for some airflow in there. If you are feeling froggy, you could cover the sides with dark paper or something on the outside to make the enclosure darker for the roaches as well.

yup no deep substrate i saw one it was trying to get out of the soil and suffocated and died