Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking at Hissers (have some already), Lobsters, Orange (something or other) and Death Heads. I was about to buy some more hissers to start a colony but, after more research, I'm thinking a different roach maybe better.

Some of the reason for not uses hissers were, size in relation to DB size (17in. head to tail), hardness of shell, not as prolific as other breeds, and in my case need a high humidity (80-99% - Right now it's at 60%). So would another species be a better choice?

The setup for my future roach colony is a 20-gal aqua. with wheat bran and a ligt on top. Thanks.

You have a lot of variables to consider. To start, how many Beardies do you want to feed? Do you want hissers to be a treat or a staple? How much effort do you want to put into the roaches?

Just because hissers grow to 4" doesn't mean you have to wait that long. I feed hissers when they are 3-6 months old depending on the dragon size. I also feed baby hissers to baby dragons. A variety in sizes to fit all. You do have to have a system though. Otherwise you will run out of roaches or have too many adults that you don't want to feed to your Beardies.

If you are not doing large numbers you can also feed hissers that are in shed (they are all white). Their exoskeleton has not hardened and they are an extra tasty treat.

To raise hissers your best off with a 30 gallon tub and lid. Put bran in the bottom, stand some egg flats and let them go to town. Just make sure you have Vaseline or bug stop barrier at the top so they don't escape. No light, they like the dark.

That is the advantage of death heads and the like, they can't climb.

If you have any other questions let me know. Good luck.
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Bennett

www.beardiedragon.com