Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what kinds do you use? do you breed your own? where do you get them? i have recently got a savannah and also have 1.1 beardys so i was toying with the idea of breeder roaches because crix stink. i went and got some samples of lobsters and hisser for feeding test, they all seem to like them but man those little buggers are fast and climb glass so i was wondering what you all do? any and all info would be great.

Thanks
Samuel

In the past, I've done research regarding how to breed the giant hissing cockroached because I was toying with the idea of getting a bearded dragon. If you do a search on the web, you'll find lots of info. The hissers are supposedly really easy to breed. The thing is the babies can escape from screen tops, so what you do is line the top with petroleum jelly to prevent them from getting out. Sorry, that's all I remember.

Right now the only roach species I am using is Lobster Roaches. They are super prolific but they are faster then some of the other species, can even flutter and of course climb glass. So you definitely need a secure rubbermaid along with a good layer of vaseline or bugstop at the top to keep them in. When feeding extra care is needed to prevent escapees. I find feeding 1-2 at a time is safer then a handful or more at once. You may even need to use calcium dust to slow them down even more. Remember they are fast and can climb, so if you dump them in the cage they will get all over in seconds! It wont take long for you to establish your own techniques that work for you and your specific situation and bd caging.

Seeing as you only have 3 reptiles to feed you might want to consider the less hassle species that dont climb glass and tend to be slightly slower moving. Those include orange heads, orange spot, death heads etc. They produce slower and cost more but are less hassle. If you buy a big enough starting colony then you should be ok.

Roaches are easy to keep and have little to no smell! Basically all you have to do is keep them warm, feed them good and watch the colony grow!

Here is how I house mine. This is when I first bought them end of May 2003.

Of course now the bin is much more crowded and its time to start a second bin. The 1000 colony has at least tripled in size. I would say there are anywhere from 3000-5000 lobsters in it now. Thats not even including the ones I have been feeding off for my 6 adult dragons and some baby ones for my 3 baby dragons as well.

Close Up of them eating. I feed mine ground up chicken mash (non medicated), tropical fish flakes, occasional repcal (also ground), along with apples, carrots, oranges etc.

Hope I helped. LindsayMarie