Other types of roaches besides Dubia

[pinocchiosmommy]

I was wandering if there's another type of roach that doesn't climb smooth surfaces. And requires the same needs as Dubia roaches. I set up a colony in a rubbermaid tote. Then I ordered some Dubia. But the problem is out of the 4 chameleons none will eat them. They wont even try one of them. I was thinking if I can try another species that moves faster or something. But it cant climb smooth surfaces.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

Hm, might want to check out dicoidalis? I haven't kept those myself but I believe they don't climb smooth surfaces. I do have a Lobster roach colony going but those do climb smooth surfaces. My Chams love their Lobster and what I love about them is that as adults, both males and females have wings. What I do is grab them by one of the wings and they flutter like crazy attracting my Chams. They are also very quick on their little legs... A thin layer of Vaseline toward the top of their tank stops them in their tracks.

 

[Texas Panther Man]

Are you cup feeding or hand feeding them? If your cup feeding, have you tried making a feeding station out of a plastic milk jug. You can attach screen so that the dubia can climb up and that movement will sometimes attract a chams predator instinct. If they are just all sitting huddled on the bottom of the cup they arent going to move enuff to attract a cham to eat.

I have to hand feed most of the dubia i feed off. Or I free range feed them when my chams are out in their sun cages. They go wild for them outside for some reason. Some I have will only eat dubia outside. I have no idea why? And these chams will hand feed any other feeders I offer them if they are hungry. So keep trying diff things and dont give up! One day they will prob all of sudden take to them. You could try not feeding anyone for two whole days then offer them dubia. Mine are usually famished if not allowed to eat every other day.

 

[pinocchiosmommy]

lol the lobsters sounds cool. But when I start thinking about excapees, I start itching.

 

[pinocchiosmommy]

I am cup feeding. I think that is the problem, they are just setting at the bottom of the cup. I tried puting a cricket in there, and it stirred things up. But they just ate the cricket. The little ones are too small for the dubias that I have now that they're growing. The veileds are 4 1/2 months old so I'm not sure if I should let them go a day without eatting. I will try the screen. It would be awesome if they were all like the bearded dragon, and just ate everything

 

[PrettyInInk87]

lol the lobsters sounds cool. But when I start thinking about excapees, I start itching.

Lol! Yeah, they can be pretty creepy and they creep me out a bit too but they are just too perfect. Adult sized Lobsters are just the right size to feed off to an adult Cham, not too big and not too small.

My Hugh didn't take Dubia right off the bat... I had to show him that this little dark round thing was food. What I did was put the Dubia on the screen facing upwards (so that they walked up not down) and after a few tries he snagged one. He's been hooked ever since...

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I would be extremely careful what species of roach I brought in my home. Go back and start reading threads of infestations with lobsters/red runners and its a nightmare. Just for a test I left a few dubia in a sunning cage all winter down here in Texas. We had some extremely cold weather for several weeks. Where the temps stayed below freezing for long periods of time. Those dubia lived in that cage all winter! They were still alive this spring. That was without food or water either other than rain water! So be careful there is a reaon why roaches will be here long after we are gone.

At leat with dubia there are easy to catch if they escape. Red runners/Lobster roaches are a pita to catch because they are so fast. A few escape and you've got a real problem.

 

[PrettyInInk87]

I would be extremely careful what species of roach I brought in my home. Go back and start reading threads of infestations with lobsters/red runners and its a nightmare. Just for a test I left a few dubia in a sunning cage all winter down here in Texas. We had some extremely cold weather for several weeks. Where the temps stayed below freezing for long periods of time. Those dubia lived in that cage all winter! They were still alive this spring. That was without food or water either other than rain water! So be careful there is a reaon why roaches will be here long after we are gone.

At leat with dubia there are easy to catch if they escape. Red runners/Lobster roaches are a pita to catch because they are so fast. A few escape and you've got a real problem.

Oh i've totally read about the horror stories but they just breed and grow so quickly (scary) that i'd have an established colony WAY before my Dubia colony. I have both Dubia and Lobster colonies as well as a Hisser colony. But yes, do be very careful if you do decide to go with Lobsters which I doubt you will, lol!

 

[pinocchiosmommy]

That's exactly what I'm scared about. My fiance already isn't so happy about me ordering roaches. I better just try to figure out ways to make the dubia more appealing

 

[PrettyInInk87]

That's exactly what I'm scared about. My fiance already isn't so happy about me ordering roaches. I better just try to figure out ways to make the dubia more appealing

Hehe, I have found crickets crawling all over me while I sleep. Tickles... Pssh always suggests feeding picky Dubia eaters freshly molted ones, nice and white. Try it and see how that works out.

 

[pinocchiosmommy]

They are just picky. One of them will only eat crickets, and the other one will eat a super worm every once in a while and only crickets. I have been trying to get them some variety in their diet but I'm failing. I

 

[Drew V]

my guy dosent like dubia out of his cup (they dont move much, just look like a lump of dirt lol) but he loves um if i let them crawl around on the branches.

 

[Monzon]

I have dubia, turkistan and cinera (lobsters). Lobsters are most loved but they are a slight pain with their climbing. Where I live it is too cool and dry for escapees to thrive, but every once in awhile I hear "Dad!!!!!!!! One of your roaches is in the shower!!!!" from my teen daughters. Followed up by, "you are so weird dad!."

 

[fluxlizard]

I breed hissers, dubia, and lobsters and I've found that as well- lobsters are the most liked most of the time. They are the favourites of even my large lizards (mellers chameleons, water dragons, etc). But if I had to raise roaches in my house (I have a lizard building where the roaches are raised too) I would only keep dubia, and maybe hissers. Lobsters are too hardy.

 

[icegecko]

I feed hissers and P. nivea (Green banana roaches). My cham goes nuts for P. nivea! People complain about banana roaches being able to fly, but they only do it if you handle them carelessly. I open the lid of the sterilite container and not once has one flown out. They just stay in the egg cartons. Seriously, nothing beats green insects for a cham! It's like candy to them. I'm going to start a colony of the giant species of banana roaches because P. nivea is a little on the small side.

If you keep your roaches is a container with a lid (make a screen-covered window in the lid), you can easily keep and breed any kind of feeder roach.
P. nivea need a layer of coir substrate to breed well, however.

I recommend getting a whatever feeder roach you can get your hands on and just test them out with your cham. Don't want to start a colony only to find out your cham hates the roaches you have!

Personally, I avoid all roaches that look like common house roaches, such as lats. German/American(common house) roaches freak me out. G. portentosa and P. nivea are cool! And delicious, according to Mugetsu...

 

[Monzon]

Icegecko, how do you keep your nivea going? I am experimenting with some nymphs and they don't seem to grow....

 

[fluxlizard]

Hey cool. I didn't know there was a giant species of green roach. Do you know the species name and a source to purchase from?

 

[icegecko]

Monzon:
Rubbermaid tub with lid (cut out a section and glue screening to it) with about an inch or two of coir substrate. I recommend mixing in hydrated water crystals into the coir substrate to help maintain humidity. These guys need high humidity and heat. Put in a dish of water crystals and another of high quality food. Add a layer of roach barrier on the inner rim of the container for extra security. I also stack 4 egg carton sheets on top of one another on one side of the enclosure. The P. nivea nymphs burrow in the substrate while the adults stay in the egg carton. Mist the enclosure throughly once or twice a day. You have to put coir or the like, or the nymphs will die. Give them a good blacklight for heat (don't use daytime heat bulbs for roaches-they are nocturnal so the light bothers them). Get the setup right, keep it humid and they will breed very readily. Females grow to about an inch, males less than half an inch. The thing is, in order to start a stable colony and be able to feed P. nivea off immediately, you need around 200-300. It's an investment, as they reproduce themselves perpetually, conditions provided.

Fluxlizard: The larger versions are called Panchlora sp. "giants" (no exact species known). They are not readily available, you just have to look at invertebrate classifieds and roach forums.

 

[clarkrw3]

Monzon:
Rubbermaid tub with lid (cut out a section and glue screening to it) with about an inch or two of coir substrate. I recommend mixing in hydrated water crystals into the coir substrate to help maintain humidity. These guys need high humidity and heat. Put in a dish of water crystals and another of high quality food. Add a layer of roach barrier on the inner rim of the container for extra security. I also stack 4 egg carton sheets on top of one another on one side of the enclosure. The P. nivea nymphs burrow in the substrate while the adults stay in the egg carton. Mist the enclosure throughly once or twice a day. You have to put coir or the like, or the nymphs will die. Give them a good blacklight for heat (don't use daytime heat bulbs for roaches-they are nocturnal so the light bothers them). Get the setup right, keep it humid and they will breed very readily. Females grow to about an inch, males less than half an inch. The thing is, in order to start a stable colony and be able to feed P. nivea off immediately, you need around 200-300. It's an investment, as they reproduce themselves perpetually, conditions provided.

Fluxlizard: The larger versions are called Panchlora sp. "giants" (no exact species known). They are not readily available, you just have to look at invertebrate classifieds and roach forums.

Where do you get the normal sized green roaches? The wife might not even think they are roaches being they are green and my cham LOVES anything green

 

[icegecko]

Try the classifieds here: http://www.roachforum.com/