jessica0827
New Member
I am wanting to start breeding roaches, but I have heard they can sometimes cause allergies in people. Does anyone breed them themselves? Have you developed allergies to them? What has been your experience?
Roach allergies
- Thread starter jessica0827
- Start date
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am "bubble boy". No furry creatures or pollen allowed in my room. Ive had the dubia bin in the closet for over a decade, no allergies. Same with silkies.
Six years and no allergies yet. It does happen. Maybe this thread will give us an idea of how prevalent it is among colony owners. @jamest0o0
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
It can happen, but isn't super common fron what I've seen, especially with just a small colony. I have had 40+ colonies, knock on wood no allergies yet. Wearing a respirator mask is a good preventative measure. Same with gloves and eye protection. I usually wear a mask, but sometimes I don't even do that. I was never really allergic to anything(babies in the inner city are exposed to more usually, and are said to have better immunity against allergies and such later in life. So I'd base it off how prone you seem to other allergies personally). Another good precaution could be running a hepa purifier. The species of roach seems to matter too, some are only allergic to certain species.
summerseeking
Avid Member
Thanks for this thread. I’ve been wondering the same thing as I add to my colonies one bin at a time…my partner said the magic stop sentence yesterday “HOW MANY BINS ARE YOU PLANNING TO HAVE!?!” 
Safe to say 6 may be my “allowed to have before she freaks out” limited.
Safe to say 6 may be my “allowed to have before she freaks out” limited.
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
I've not experienced roach allergy that I'm aware of, but I do have sensitivities to many forms of dust molds, etc. Sometimes it's hard to tell. I DO have some suggestions:
- Research roach allergies so that you know what to expect (i.e. what to look for, what to do, how to treat, etc.)
- Before going as far as committing to raising a colony, order a number (500?) of the roaches you're considering breeding, and see how you do. If you do notice any reaction, you'll know what to do from the research, and can wear protective equipment (gloves, mask, etc.) until they're gone. Worst case, get rid of that batch.
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
I have severe asthma and severe allergies. So far so good for me but I don’t have a colony of roaches. I just buy 50 or so and feed them off. My daughter has asthma as well and when she was 1-2 years old we lived in an apartment and there were roaches. Little baby ones. This was in California. The owner had a pest control come and spray and we eventually got rid of them. When my daughter was a little older she had allergy Testing and it turned out she was allergic to roaches among a lot of other things.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Research shows that babies I think 2 years in younger are actually healthier and less likely to have allergies when exposed to roaches/mice/etc...(not to say anyone wants to live with roaches or mice, but from a scientific standpoint...) That said, there's always fluke cases I'd imagine. Are allergies genetic? Could be the case? Either way, in your case I'd be careful then!
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CasqueAbove
Chameleon Enthusiast
OK so my 2 cents. I do not know about allergies, but when I need to clean or really get into the tubs I do get a weird nausea feeling that I did not get before. However I believe this is from the sent they release when upset. In concentration I can handle it.
I just take it out side and no problem. Just stay well ventilated while working with them.
I do not know how much it relates but with venomous snakes professional keepers for anti venom purposes will develop severe allergies to not only the venom, weird I know, but the anti venom as well.
I believe the key here is long term concentrated exposure. The snake handlers get it because they are in closed rooms milking snakes and thus exposed to micro drops of venom. I could defiantly see the same with the sent the roaches release as it is for defense. But for us average people where the roaches are kept separate and ventilated. No issues. Like don't keep them in a studio apartment.
I just take it out side and no problem. Just stay well ventilated while working with them.
I do not know how much it relates but with venomous snakes professional keepers for anti venom purposes will develop severe allergies to not only the venom, weird I know, but the anti venom as well.
I believe the key here is long term concentrated exposure. The snake handlers get it because they are in closed rooms milking snakes and thus exposed to micro drops of venom. I could defiantly see the same with the sent the roaches release as it is for defense. But for us average people where the roaches are kept separate and ventilated. No issues. Like don't keep them in a studio apartment.
summerseeking
Avid Member
Same
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
I don’t have a choice, I just live in a small one bedroom apartment. I don’t see myself developing an allergy to them at my age but an Allergist told me once that small children living in cities where there are roaches often develop allergies to them. That’s what happened to my daughter. I do keep my crickets and roaches in my bedroom because it’s the warmest room in the apartment. Come winter when all the windows are closed I may have to move them to another room but I have baseboard heating so I can put them next to that and they’ll be warm.
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
Gotta wonder if you are thinking about it the wrong way. What if its not the "wild roaches" that cause the allergy, but the deteriation of the environment to the point it attracts roaches that cause the problem. Lots and lots of perishable food that is deteriorating. I mean if the indoors turned into a compost heap...
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
We didn’t live in a slum! Lol! We lived in an apartment where someone there had roaches and they spread to our apartment.
summerseeking
Avid Member
I have to agree with @Lindasjackson there isn’t a standard “roaches live here” trash heap in all homes with roaches. I get what @nightanole is possibly trying to say…and also…not all roach problems in homes have the same contributing factors. I have definitely lived in a situation where I had roaches because all the apartments around mine had roaches. I got rid of them with A LOT of spraying and spray foaming every opening I could find. It’s not always that easy. Also, much of what I’ve read said the allergies can be caused by the roach waste. This is likely the case for folks living in roach infested environments as well.
Chameleoking
Chameleon Enthusiast
I am same as you. Allergic to just about everything. Dust, dander, pollen, perfumes, dogs,cats. Lol. Thrive on!
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
Me to! Allergies to anything with fur and anything that blooms and molds, dust, etc!
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
So someone had enough pets/feeders, that "more than a few" managed to escape and even thrive?
Hmm we should give said person some feeder geckos
Lindasjackson
Chameleon Enthusiast
no, no one was breeding roaches in the apartment complex where I lived! They were just regular wild roaches that infest buildings in cities. We didn’t live in a slummy part of town but when people move, if they had roaches in their home, the little beggars would hide in the moving boxes and the people would end up spreading them to the building they moved to. Get it?
nightanole
Chameleon Enthusiast
https://www.citeqbiologics.com/product-category/cockroach-blattella-germanica/
I dont like this rabbit hole i found. Roach extracts...
I dont like this rabbit hole i found. Roach extracts...
