Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have roaches, but do not know their name. They are about one inch long, 3/4" wide and 2/3" tall. They cannot climb glass.

I have my colony in a glass tank, and I have them directly on the glass. It's heated with a human-type heating pad under the tank. The non-contact thermometer reads 85F, and I left 1/3 of the bottom at room temperature. They prefer the warm floor. I feed hard yellow squash. I heard they are viviporous, but in the two months I've had them, I see no new young. There are a few tiny ones scooting all around. They behave like they are healthy, moving about when I lift the lid, and they really crawl in my hands. They're actually pretty strong.

Any input about why my colony does not produce young?

Roger

The first thing I notice is that you are not feeding any protein. Most roaches need to eat some form of protein, not just vegetables. I would also vary the veggies some to give a variety in the diet. I find that dry dog or cat kibble is a little difficult to feed as it must be ground first, otherwise a lot is wasted. If you do feed kibble make sure it is free of red food dye. I have had good success in feeding canned dog food, just be sure it is high protein & good quality. I buy the small cans and with my large colonies this feeds all of my roaches but even with a small colony you could feed part of a can and refrigerate the remainder. If you feed canned food make sure to remove any that isn't eaten in a day’s time to avoid attracting unwanted mites and other pests or growing mold.

Your roaches will also eat oats, bran, leftover cereals, and bread. I have given mine leftover bits of chicken or turkey. Again, remove what isn't eaten at the end of the day.

As for fruits and veggies, they like a large variety. Try oranges, apples, melons (don't toss out your rinds), carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, just about anything you have in your fridge. If it dries out or starts to look bad take it out and give them fresh.

If you start feeding them more and better variety they should start producing better for you!
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

.....of protein. I have cricket food. I'll give them that too, along with theother foods you mentioned. The person who geve them to me said just feed hard squash.

Roger

Would a shallow dish filled with gravel, and water to the top of the gravel, work ok? Will they actually drink liquid water?

Roger

You can do this but it will get really messy fast, just like with crickets!

I find that they get most of the water they need from things like melon and citrus fruits. I do spray their tugs daily though leaving the sides with droplets of water that they really enjoy lapping up. It doesn't take long for the droplets of water to dissapear from the sides of the tub!
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

They instantly jumped on the little granules I feed to my crickets. I can see them rolling them over and over with the little legs they have up under their mouths.

Roger

What's with the red food dye? Is it harmful? I've been feeding dog food that has red pieces and the roaches seemed fine. I'll have to find a new dog food for my dog.

I'm not so sure about your dog but when you feed it to your roaches it accumulates in the liver in your reptiles and becomes toxic. You have to remember that they are much smaller than your dog and they are going to be affected by things much more than a larger animal.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html