Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I think the hissing cockroaches are really cool, but my other roach knowledge is the nice little gross things skittering away, and from what I have heard plaguing the apartments in the big cities. Are the feeder roaches different?? What is the benefit in feeding them??? Is it ok not to feed them?? Are they cheaper??? How do you contain them?? Thanks for any info.

Roaches are some of the best feeders hands down.
Once you get a colony going, no more cricket bills,
they don't smell, and are very nutritious. You also have the entire life cycle to choose from, so your chameleons don't get bored.
Some of my favorites are:

Blaptica dubia-
Easy to tell sexes apart, aren't giant sized so all stages can easily be fed to panthers and veileds, can't climb rubbermaid sides. They will also play dead when handled, very docile.
I think they are the best all around feeder.

Eublaberus distanti:
Big FAT tank like roaches, can't climb glass (altho they breed slower than most) They also have very spiny legs which should be removed before feeding.

Blaberus discoidales: Get very large, very fast moving and flighty to attract attention, breed pretty fast. Adults probably
too large for panthers, I feed to my larger chameleons.

Blatta lateralis: Cricket replacement! Same size as crickets,
breed like crazy, can't climb glass, very fast moving, slight smell.. but nothing like cricket stink.
I've kept all of the above for a couple years, and no infestation
yet. However:
I would avoid lobster roaches at all cost! They are very hard to contain, and once they escape they will infest your house
in no time. Also hissing cockroaches have the escape problem,
and they are very large and tough skinned, too big for all but giant chameleons... also high in fat.
You either need to hand feed roaches, or setup feeding bins
with a side they can climb up part way (screen) Roaches are difficult to just toss in the cage because they will hide almost immediately.

Hello, just like the previous post roaches are nutritious. My Jackson rarely eats crickets. To me crickets are a hassel. However I do keep Lobster roaches and they are some times a pain. They breed like crazy which is good, but the glass climbing is a pain. I contain them with double stick tape and vaseline. So far no infestation problems.I DID switch to cup feeding with the roaches because they are fast and hide. On the lip of the cup a spread some olive oil on it and the roaches do not cross. I also feed the babies to my dart frogs . I have never seen a reptile refuse a roach.To me they are Fun the breeding and the feeding. Almost pet like. good luck Matt

OK,so where should I start looking for roaches?I want to try this subject

Yeah that is a good question!! Do you think the reptile shows would have them. I am going to the Mid West Reptile Show (I think that is the name) in Timonium MD in September because that is only like 30 min from where I live
The Havre de Grace one is nice, but takes about an hour and a half. I think I am going on the 8th, but then I think I will make the next show the September one.

I buy all of mine online through various sources.
Check the kingsnake classifieds under foodfeeders,
also the allpet roach forum has a ton of good information
and people selling different species
http://members5.boardhost.com/allpetroaches/

tHE NEW YORK REPTILE SHOW HAS THEM AND BLABERUS.COM HAS ALL KINDS AND i STARTED MY LOBSTER COLONY FROM CALIFORNIA SILKWORM AND THEY HAVE A GREAT DRY GUTLOAD RECIPE. GOOD LUCK mATT

get non-climbers. I will admit that Luna liked the lobster roaches for a short time, but they were just too much of a pain to confine. Very prolific, though.

Darwin LOVES the discoid roaches - and so do I. He likes them b/c they must taste good and I like them b/c they are non-climbers, have no defensive odor and the nymphs grow quickly. The nymphs are quite pretty, too.

I also have oranghead, whihc seem to be more prolific but nymphs grow much slower (in my experience). The do give off a defensive odor and sometimes a secretion if agitated. It also has turned out that I have an allergic reaction to them so when this batch is gone I will not use them again. Darwin does not seem to like them as much (adults). They are also non-climbers.

www.blaberus.com has a good selection
mulberry farms now carries them, too
Link

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Chameleon Help & Resource Info
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