Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I hate everything about crickets (Smelly, Noisy, and Parasite), my wife will not let me start a roach colony. Is there a more feasible insect I can use as a feeder?

As someone totally against a roach colony they actually arent that bad...my boyfriend started one recently and My standing was if they move in I'm gonna have to move out...lol..but we have had them for about 2 months and they don't stink we haven't had any escapes and the reptiles love them..and the best part is wearent wasteing money on crickets that die off before we can feed them to the reps. Our dragon lives on a varied diet of crickets some days wax worms some days and roaches some days occasionally I pick through the mealwormbucket for freshly shed mealies which he loves but they are an occasional snack he also eats his greens and carrots (which he loves and will eat out of my hand)and what ever other veggies we have that day that he can eat.
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Mike & Wendy

2.0.0 Siberian husky, Jackrussel/schitzu
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.1 Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Beardie
4.0.0 Beta's
3.1.0 Future Herper's

I know these are not like regular house roaches, but do they climb and do they run as fast as regular house roaches? I do want to start a roach colony, but I'm afraid of a couple escaping and starting their own colony in the kitchen.

There are thousands of roach species in existence. Only a small percentage are considered 'pests'. Many of the species of roaches commonly used as feeders do not climb or fly, thus they are great to use as feeders. All the nutrition you could hope for without the risk of them escaping. Also many are from tropical climates and won't survive in many parts of the states or Canada due to the colder weather.

Unfortunately I can't remember what species of roaches are flightless and don't climb. However I do know many species are talked about in the feeder forum here. Some commonly used roaches are lobster roaches, hissing roaches (adults of this one are too big to feed to dragons, but their babies, nymphs etc, are perfect), orange head roaches and others.
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PHLdyPayne

Hissers have a very thick exoskeleton and all that chitin isnt really the best thing for your animals. There are much better/healthier/cheaper options.
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- Mike Fourquet

Cloaca Herpetoculture
www.CloacaHerps.com

I have dubias which don't climb, don't smell and they don't make any noise. I started with 50 and now have about 2000. My beardie eats them like candy.

John

blaberus.com

we have lobster roaches they dont fly but can climb and are fast if they escape but we rubbed a small line of olive oil around the top of the dragon tank and a little vasaline around the top of their bucket adn they cant climb out (trust me i was paranoid about this when we first got them) it doesnt stay warm enough for them here to live if they get out we keep them in a rubbermaid tub with an infra red light and some egg cartons in there and they seem happy we've got lots of babies after just 2 months
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Mike & Wendy

2.0.0 Siberian husky, Jackrussel/schitzu
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.1 Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Beardie
4.0.0 Beta's
3.1.0 Future Herper's