Species for those with roach aversions
- Thread starter Andee
- Start date
Chameleoking
Chameleon Enthusiast
I'd say dubia and discoids. Discoids are a bit more active. They don't smell that bad either.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Andee if you're in it for the long haul, the therea roaches don't even look like roaches lol. Panchlora, maybe gyna, maybe pycnoscelus(surinam are slightly roachier than ember/shadow IMO). There's lots of odd ones out there too, extinct(s conserfarium) are pretty cool.
Unfortunately, most of the roaches that don't look like roaches are either expensive, sensitive, or slow to breed.
Unfortunately, most of the roaches that don't look like roaches are either expensive, sensitive, or slow to breed.
MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
It’s the legs…those crazy icky spikey long legs. 
I just realized I’ve been keeping my discoid roaches for close to two years! In all of that time, I am yet to actually touch an adult roach with my hands. I can count on my hands how many times I’ve touched one of the babies, which don’t look very roachy. I am not at all fond of roaches or any bugs. Usually I scream and run away when I see a roach...except for my roaches. I’ve actually grown kind of fond of my colony. I love watching them when I feed them and try to take note of their favorite foods and least favorites. Whatever type of roach you get, you may want to invest in at least one or two of these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PNG5GJP/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A23BY812APN9IU&psc=1
@jamest0o0 has some great and healthy buggies and super knowledge to get you started on your way to the dark side.
I just realized I’ve been keeping my discoid roaches for close to two years! In all of that time, I am yet to actually touch an adult roach with my hands. I can count on my hands how many times I’ve touched one of the babies, which don’t look very roachy. I am not at all fond of roaches or any bugs. Usually I scream and run away when I see a roach...except for my roaches. I’ve actually grown kind of fond of my colony. I love watching them when I feed them and try to take note of their favorite foods and least favorites. Whatever type of roach you get, you may want to invest in at least one or two of these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PNG5GJP/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=A23BY812APN9IU&psc=1
@jamest0o0 has some great and healthy buggies and super knowledge to get you started on your way to the dark side.
ElliotG
Chameleon Enthusiast
I might be different. As I’ve kept insects and roaches I’ve noticed that I’ve been more confident to handle them. I can pick up a roach with my bare hands and feed it to my little guy lol! Super worms and horn worms are the only ones that still freak me out. I was holding a hornworm for feed to my Cham and it started to bite me. Didn’t hurt super bad but it disturbed me for some reason. I don’t know if I could hold one again 
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
Yeah thats what i was thinking and im not sure if its better if they need substrate or dont? 100% in it for the long haul. The colonies you sent are doing great, the mealworm colony has tons of babies everywhere. The ivories are molting left and right. Hissers are showing signs of getting comfortable which is huge for their reproduction needs. And my lord do the roth's eat like crazy.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Substrate for which? I give all my roaches some amount of substrate, seem to do better with it.
Persnickety Parson's
Chameleon Enthusiast
Green Banana Roaches, Pallid Sun Roaches, orange head roaches would be good choices for those who dont like roaches.
The gyna and extinct in the wild roach are also good choices.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Idk, the pallid sun and orangehead are pretty roachy. I hated my orangeheads when I first got them 5 years ago.
Andee
Chameleon Enthusiast
There are some that have to have substrate from what I've noticed. Dubia seem fine without it, flourish without it in fact. But eublaberus species and high humidity species can often crash without it.
SB300
New Member
Old thread but worth starting again
Banana Roaches are very non roachy bright green fast moving and climb they also breed like rabbits once established as a turn over colony the only negative is size especially males as they're quite small but fantastic for baby or small chams
Gyna Cafforum are super pretty very active climbers and I originally got them never intending to use as feeders but they breed so fast I've started feeding excess males off (And there are A LOT of them)
I use deep sub with both and the Nana's I feed with butternut squash and fruits (mostly Nana's and apples) nothing else which I keep available all the time and when sub level drops I add several inches of crushed leaf litter now I've had the colony in the original 84 litre tub I've used for 5 years never changed the sub I just keep adding leaf litter to maintain the depth and they're thriving there are always plenty of adults and zillions of nymphs in the sub (springtails in there too)
Gyna Cafforum I've found are very protein hungry and I give them my own dry powdered high protein food plus dried fish which they skeletonize dried shrimp and various fruit mainly Bananas and Apples again I have food available all the time I keep both in the 80s
Lobsters are quite meaty and climb fast active etc and it's basically egg trays food and heat for them very easy but also roachy Roaches
Giant lobsters H Flexivitta good size feeder a bigger version of the lobster better with sub and need vertical bark/egg trays but also roachy Roaches
Finally Halloween Hissers huge meaty climber bright colour very easy to keep breed I use deep sub and bark again 80s keep food available all the time not protein hungry and love squash and fruits
Right sorry about the war and peace post just thought I'd add my pennies worth as I have 15 roach colonies
SB
Banana Roaches are very non roachy bright green fast moving and climb they also breed like rabbits once established as a turn over colony the only negative is size especially males as they're quite small but fantastic for baby or small chams
Gyna Cafforum are super pretty very active climbers and I originally got them never intending to use as feeders but they breed so fast I've started feeding excess males off (And there are A LOT of them)
I use deep sub with both and the Nana's I feed with butternut squash and fruits (mostly Nana's and apples) nothing else which I keep available all the time and when sub level drops I add several inches of crushed leaf litter now I've had the colony in the original 84 litre tub I've used for 5 years never changed the sub I just keep adding leaf litter to maintain the depth and they're thriving there are always plenty of adults and zillions of nymphs in the sub (springtails in there too)
Gyna Cafforum I've found are very protein hungry and I give them my own dry powdered high protein food plus dried fish which they skeletonize dried shrimp and various fruit mainly Bananas and Apples again I have food available all the time I keep both in the 80s
Lobsters are quite meaty and climb fast active etc and it's basically egg trays food and heat for them very easy but also roachy Roaches
Giant lobsters H Flexivitta good size feeder a bigger version of the lobster better with sub and need vertical bark/egg trays but also roachy Roaches
Finally Halloween Hissers huge meaty climber bright colour very easy to keep breed I use deep sub and bark again 80s keep food available all the time not protein hungry and love squash and fruits
Right sorry about the war and peace post just thought I'd add my pennies worth as I have 15 roach colonies
SB
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MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
Just curious if you‘ve ever had roach mites. I only have a colony of discoids that I’ve had for about 2 1/2 years. I’ve kept them bioactive with organic soil/coco coir substrate and dwarf white isopods and springtails. Recently learned they had mites, which I seem to have successfully eradicated with giving them all a light flour dusting and moving to a plain bin. Some things I’ve found says the mites are harmless and unavoidable. Other things say they can be harmful and should be eliminated.
SB300
New Member
Not very knowledgeable on mites at all I've only had them once in my normal dubia colony but they were in sudden plague numbers one minute noticed a few I wasn't sure what type then seemingly in a matter of days there were millions but I'd designed and made my own Roach barrier which totally stopped them getting out and into any other colonies so I emptied all the colony into a big tub dusted them then burnt the egg trays and transferred them to a new tub which seemed to sort it out and I've had no problems since I've got a few pics of their tub showing the mites on the barrier
insectovore
Established Member
You'll get used to dubia's. I didn't like touching them at first either but honestly if you just try it within no time you'll think of them the same way as mealworms, crickets, or other feeder insects. Although they can live for a while if they get loose, under normal conditions of a clean house they are not going to be an issue. They produce a big range of sizes in one tub so it's very handy. The only thing I don't like about them is they run and hide if not eaten right away, blunt end 18" tweezers can be used to solve this issue or even putting them in a deli cup can allow reptiles to find them before they scurry off.
suprdude
Avid Member
100% agree with everything you said. Well done. I'm on team Dubia. Escapees won't reproduce unless you live in the tropics and even then, it's unlikely.
Klyde O'Scope
Chameleon Enthusiast
+1. I used to pick them out of the bin with a tweezer forceps, but lately it's easier just to grab them and toss them in the feeder bowls.
A few have escaped into the enclosures, but they've been found hiding in dark places (as one would expect)—under a rock, in a crevice, etc. Only a couple have ever escaped into the house, and been found dead within a couple/few days.
