Crickets or Roaches

Adult crickets have been known to "attack" small pets if left in their cage in large numbers. They'll actually bite your pet, and can be deadly in large numbers.
 
Interesting .... thank you..... I like so many other women I know can't stand the fact of thinking my house will get infected with roaches... I think that's why I've stayed away from getting them - but then on the other hand - I see dead crickets all over the house...
 
Trust me, in Oregon, you have to worry about very few species of feeder roaches infesting your house. Your climate is far too cold for tropical species such as Dubia or Fusca roaches.

If you want to steer clear of species that might infest, stay away from climbing and flying species (like banana roaches or lobster roaches, or Hissers) and those which lay egg sacks (Turkistan). Discoids and Dubia would be perfect for you.

-Dave
Small Pet Feeders
 
Hissers and dubias cannot survive temperate climes. Keep your dubia in a rubbermaid bin with a screen portion on the lid and 5cm of roach barrier/petroleum all aroiund the inside near the top and you should have no escapes. One or two little nymphs may get out, but they will die quickly and will most likely be eaten by spiders, etc in your house. Everyone has insects/arachnids in their house regardless of how often and well they are cleaned. If a dubia gets out, no worries. If a cricket gets out.....
 
Dave said:
Trust me, in Oregon, you have to worry about very few species of feeder roaches infesting your house. Your climate is far too cold for tropical species such as Dubia or Fusca roaches.

If you want to steer clear of species that might infest, stay away from climbing and flying species (like banana roaches or lobster roaches, or Hissers) and those which lay egg sacks (Turkistan). Discoids and Dubia would be perfect for you.

-Dave
Small Pet Feeders
Click to expand...

So Dave,

Maybe I should PM you - but I'm assuming you could set me up with a starter colony? :D
 
I can set you up with whatever feeder you need, given enough time ;-) But I have discoid, dubia, and fusca roaches on stock. Small Pet Feeders does not stock "escape/infesting" species, such as hissers or banana roaches, as the majority of our clientele look for this assurance. And we don't want the friggin things getting loose either!

Anything that climbs you won't find in our stock. If you really want them, we can always arrange for you to get a shipment of them for you, but we won't stock them lol.

I used to stock Hissers when I ran Georgia Bugs, I didn't realize at the time the were climbers. Then my girlfriend (at the time) found a 3" long cockroach in our bathroom. That was the end of that hisser colony. And my relationship lol just kidding, I think...

-Dave
SPF
 
icegecko said:
Hissers and dubias cannot survive temperate climes. .....
Click to expand...

Well, actually they can. They just dont breed well without hotter temps. So infestation is unlikely.
I have kept hissers (as pets) for years, at room temperature. They live quite a long time - years longer than if heated.
 
Dave said:
I can set you up with whatever feeder you need, given enough time ;-) But I have discoid, dubia, and fusca roaches on stock. Small Pet Feeders does not stock "escape/infesting" species, such as hissers or banana roaches, as the majority of our clientele look for this assurance. And we don't want the friggin things getting loose either!

Anything that climbs you won't find in our stock. If you really want them, we can always arrange for you to get a shipment of them for you, but we won't stock them lol.

I used to stock Hissers when I ran Georgia Bugs, I didn't realize at the time the were climbers. Then my girlfriend (at the time) found a 3" long cockroach in our bathroom. That was the end of that hisser colony. And my relationship lol just kidding, I think...

-Dave
SPF
Click to expand...

Okay, so as a "first time" roach owner - what would you suggest? And ship to Oregon Cost wise? :)

Thanks!
 
Sandra,

You are absolutely correct. My wording may have been misleading. Hissers live well at room temp, but if temps drop below 60, they will have difficulties in surviving.
 
sandrachameleon said:
Hissers are much easier to keep /breed for yourself, IMHO, than crickets. And quieter. And less stinky. But they get very large and they can climb some surfaces whereas crickets cannot. Hissers are easier to gutload than crickets, and indeed I find they will eat things happily that other roaches dont want to eat.
Click to expand...

OMG!! I can't stand the "noise" of another chirping cricket again!!!:mad:

I'll gladly take roaches over crickets anyday!! (i have a secret colony of Dubias out of sight of my wife)
 
roaches are super awesome... I have been using them for about a year now, and I truly love them... I do not miss the sound of crickets... boy, do I not miss that sound!!
 
JonRich said:
OMG!! I can't stand the "noise" of another chirping cricket again!!!:mad:

I'll gladly take roaches over crickets anyday!! (i have a secret colony of Dubias out of sight of my wife)
Click to expand...

Lol I understand totally where you are coming from. How do crickets manage to live for weeks and weeks and chirp constantly night after night without food or water? I have one in my dining room behind my fish tank and it drives me crazy! :mad:
 
I have always wondered about the infestation thing. I have a colony of Dubia as well as a colony of horseshoe crab roaches and I provide neither with heat. The horseshoe crabs are growing VERY slowly partly because I forget to feed them some times LOL but the dubia colony is growing like mad!! I have them in a bin in the closet of the cham room and it's 75 during the day and 68 at night. All that said I seem to always end up finding that missing dubia that gets dropped. Sometimes a month later I find it under something in the cham room when I pick it up. I can honestly say I have only ever dropped 3 that I got away and I have glue traps in the room just in case. I have never found anything in the glue traps and have eventually found all the ones dropped at a later date.

BTW they are Dubia Beetles in my house...which allows my wife to tong feed them :D
 
Wow, i am glad to say i started my first large discussion on this forum. Mission accomplished ;)

I have done afew experiments with dubias and hissers, nothing substantial, but i found, my veiled chams and panther cams liked hissers more than dubias, while my flapneck liked dubias more. I think if you a beginner dubias are the way to go as they dont climb and they dont seem to be as much of a problem in the house. neither of them will breed unless you live south of florida. Maybe some places in the southern states in the summer. But hissers do climb and i have notices they live longer at room temp than in the hot temps. Either way, just the word roach, scares the shit out of my room mate, so il suck it up and use crickets. after all you cant argue with $400 rent
 
I wish I could bring myself to breed roaches. Crickets are seriously horrible and I can't breed them, I just buy a few dozen at a time. Everyone raves about roaches and I just know they are so much better.
I visited a friend's colony to see if I could do it but I just can't :( Thinking about therapy... lol.

PS a free-range Tokay gecko will take care of the escapees from cricket breeding ;)
 
plenty of replies here. crickets are a staple that most people use, the prob is they smell and can bite ur reps. roaches don't smell don't bite you can gut load them with anything you want your reps to eat, they have a much higher meat to chittin ratio than crix and therfore you dont use so many, they are also higher in protein than crix. there is a roaach to suit everything, climbers non climbers, burrowing, fliers whatever you need. now i know im prob a little biased here cause of what i do, but before i had the roach hut i used to breed dragons and chams and had over 270 breeding pairs and have used most feeder insects available and roaches always came out on top, hense the reason or the business change

Tony
 
im not sure if its because i live in a ghetto, but i just cant bring myself to doo roaches, my crickets have no smell whatsoever (even other reptile keepers i know have checked ot my set ups, and dont know why mine have no smell..maybe the fresh rosemary and really high ventilation i have)..i havent had an escape for awhile, and notice i see more spiders when there are no crickets wondering around (wich is odd, but maybe the crickets chase the spiders out)...but with all of you saying how awesome roaches are, i may have to give in and start a small colony..damn you all for your logic!!:D
 
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