Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i found a guy locally (ny) that raises roaches...great!!!!!...but which kind of roach is best??...he's got about 50 different kinds!....easiest to breed, size, smell, household problem if they escape, and nutritional value are my concerns...i will ask questions of the breeder when i see him but i want to have a clue when i do....thanks

Lobster roaches- Breed fast, nutritious, good size, inexspensive (generally .10ea), can climb smooth surfaces.

Orange heads- slower breeders, nutritious, good size, cost slightly more (generally 1.00ea), can't climb smooth surfaces, winged but a flight risk, no smell.

Discoid roaches- slower breeders, nutritious, good size, cost slightly more (generally 1.00ea), can't climb smooth surfaces, winged but not a flight risk, no smell.

Hissers- slower breeders, good size for larger herps, can climb smooth surfaces, prices vary but not expensive, hard extoskeleton (debatable), no smell.

The species i listed aren't a threat to infest your house due to temp requirements. I suppose if you dumped them all out you could have a problem but you aren't going to do that (right?) so you should be fine lol. What species are best, well that depends how many you need and what your feeding. The above are good for chameleons bearded dragons, etc; Some say hissers are great for their veilds i only used them for monitors.

Fantastic!...thank you very much!...the thought did cross my mind to get a few dozen and toss them in my daughters bed as payback for being a rotten teenager...but the thought has passed...thanks again for your help...Danny D

Ok after raising Orange Heads for the last 3 months heres my take:

Climbing roaches--namely lobsters can be a nuisance. Think about how you will feed your chameleon. With climbing roaches you cant just throw them in a cup. And I believe someone here had problems with lobster roaches breeding in the metal tubing of thier cham cage. Just the right temp etc..

The orange heads are great but do take longer. Also pretty much the nymphs are the only size my cham will eat. The adult is too big but thats fine. they are the breeders.

Flying isnt a prob with the orange heads if you keep them covered and not with things to climb that are as high as the opening. they cant really fly UP just sideways.