Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am going on vacation soon and will be gone from home for about nine days. I have a small colony of B. lateralis. What should I do to provide for the roaches during my absence? Food should be no problem. I am concerned with providing sufficient moisture/water. Any recommendations or suggestions? (I do have water crystals, but do not have much experience with use thereof. If left in a tray in the roach container for several days, will the water evaporate from them over several days, making them ineffective, or would they be a sufficient water source for the period I will be gone?).

Water crystals generally dry out or get consumed within 3-4 days. You can actually get the gel to last longer by keeping it in a dish full of water after the crystals have had time to fully expand. This might be a welcome invitation for fruit flies though. I think you should just make sure the roaches are well-hydrated up until you depart, then supply them with a normal amount of water gel. Since they don't have any specific humidity requirements, they ought to be okay going a few days without water after the gel evaporates.
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chickabowwow

thanks !!!!!!!!!

You should invest in an automatic mister. This will mist your colony the same time every day. That way you only have to refill the water once a week when you feed them. I know it sounds lazy, but it is a good way to keep the humidity up and keep it up.