Starting Up a Lobster Roach Colony

PrettyInInk87

New Member
So I got my hands on some Lobster Roaches! :D Lots of adults and just a few babies. I read up on them a bit and found that they are just as easy to breed as Dubia. They don't get quite as large (which is awesome) and grow quicker. They do climb smooth surfaces but a little Vaseline did the trick...

Anyone else breed these guys? I'm excited as well as getting my Dubia colony going. :)
 
I've never kept them because they climb surfaces and I've heard they stink. I've started keeping other climbing species though, so I may get some if you end up liking them. :)
 
I've never kept them because they climb surfaces and I've heard they stink. I've started keeping other climbing species though, so I may get some if you end up liking them. :)

I like them so far. My friend (the one who sold them to me) said they don't smell at all. I read that they produce a toxic fume that can kill your colony off if there is not enough ventilation. They are pretty fast runners which is something that would catch a Chams eyes right away while Dubia I have to nudge a bit to get them going. Lol! I guess every feeder has it's pro's and con's. They reproduce very quickly too so can't wait for it to get crazy and I can pass them out like candy to those who need them. :D

Edit: I'll gladly send you some when I get the colony established.
 
Sweet! Thanks. I've got other cool species cooking, so maybe we can do a swap in the future (if you are interested in the ones I have anyways.) :)
 
Roaches if your chameleons will eat them are a great way to keep your chameleon food bill down. Both my Parsons and Panther chameleons ate Lobsters roaches when they were younger then graduated to Dubias.
 
So I got my hands on some Lobster Roaches! :D Lots of adults and just a few babies. I read up on them a bit and found that they are just as easy to breed as Dubia. They don't get quite as large (which is awesome) and grow quicker. They do climb smooth surfaces but a little Vaseline did the trick...

Anyone else breed these guys? I'm excited as well as getting my Dubia colony going. :)

I have about 70 or 80 small dubias, I would be really intrested in the Lobsters but they would have to be cup fed because the mesh in the cage im moving my veiled into is big enough for them to crawl through and if they crawl smooth surfaces like cups that might not be a fun sight in my room lol, so i would rather not keep these guys. Well good luck with your colony hope it grows good and strong!
 
I had a colony of those guys going… Key word on the had. . . They don’t smell and the reptiles seem to enjoy the small white/brown roach. HOWEVER nuked my colony because those things wont die, if they get out they may infest your home, they are as not as bad as other types such as the rusty reds however I had some get out and they started to multiply, thankfully the winter wiped them out my of bug room. They are a decent feeder that will BOOM in population however you REALLY need to use a lid and try as best as you can not to let them get out AT ALL.
 
I had a colony of those guys going… Key word on the had. . . They don’t smell and the reptiles seem to enjoy the small white/brown roach. HOWEVER nuked my colony because those things wont die, if they get out they may infest your home, they are as not as bad as other types such as the rusty reds however I had some get out and they started to multiply, thankfully the winter wiped them out my of bug room. They are a decent feeder that will BOOM in population however you REALLY need to use a lid and try as best as you can not to let them get out AT ALL.

My Lobster roaches I was actually buying as alternative feeder insects from a local reptile store and did not have my own colony. My chameleons ate them however they did start to breed in the terrarium they were in.
 
I've had a lobster roach colony for about 3-4 years now. I originally got them to feed my mantid hobby, but naturally use them to feed my pygmies. I can't stand crickets, noisy and smelly. These roaches rock because they require so little care. At one point I didn't need any roaches for a quite a while and "forgot" about my colony for about 3 months. I gave them next to no care in that time. of course the colony diminished by about 50%, but they were still there! (and completely bounced back in a few months!) :D
 
I don't like these for the simple reason that their super fast. I dropped one and it quickly ran and hid under some furniture had to move all kinds of stuff around to get it. I bought some oranange head roaches at the show and these are awesome and my chameleon loves them. Their also real meaty, the lobsters are too thin compared to these.
 
I don't like these for the simple reason that their super fast. I dropped one and it quickly ran and hid under some furniture had to move all kinds of stuff around to get it. I bought some oranange head roaches at the show and these are awesome and my chameleon loves them. Their also real meaty, the lobsters are too thin compared to these.

The Orange head are nice however to me they have an odd smell too them. You get that at all?
 
The Orange head are nice however to me they have an odd smell too them. You get that at all?

To be honest, Ive had the flue since I bought them and I can't smell a thing. Another good thing on these is they can't climb smooth surfaces of fly. I've already got two males and two female from this purchase. I'm putting these aside and crossing my fingers. Hopefuly they will breed, my sambava loves these...
 
I've had a lobster roach colony for about 3-4 years now. I originally got them to feed my mantid hobby, but naturally use them to feed my pygmies. I can't stand crickets, noisy and smelly. These roaches rock because they require so little care. At one point I didn't need any roaches for a quite a while and "forgot" about my colony for about 3 months. I gave them next to no care in that time. of course the colony diminished by about 50%, but they were still there! (and completely bounced back in a few months!) :D

When should I expect to have babies? I just got them yesterday but they are all pretty much adults. I hate that they are so quick though.:rolleyes:
 
Sexing nymphs is near impossible, but I'm sure it can be done. Adults can be sexed by comparing a bunch of them together. Females are bigger, rounder, and more of their abdomen protrudes past their wings. In addition, males will raise their wings up to show dominance/attract females. :)
 
The fact that they could infest my house is definitely a no way for me. I have dubia going, but they need warmer temps to breed. I'm trying to get some crickets going too, but I cant seem to hatch them.
 
The fact that they could infest my house is definitely a no way for me. I have dubia going, but they need warmer temps to breed. I'm trying to get some crickets going too, but I cant seem to hatch them.

So do crickets, I feed nothing but crickets at the begining. I stopped feeding crickets when they started showing up in the house out of no where. I swear I dont know why they started to show up. keept my bin in the our detached garage and it had a lid. When I feed them I would put them in a ziplog bag in the garage to dust them and release them inside the cage... these things are creepy they would creep up on me when I was watching tv and stuff... After I had stopped feeding crickets, like 2-3 months I still see one once in a while. now I hate them.

I know feed my chams roaches(the tropical slow non-climing/flying species), super worms, hornworms, silkworms.
 
I just got a bunch of babies this morning! I'm so excited, they were crawling little things everywhere. My colony is already growing! :D
 
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