Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Say i got around 30 orange headed roaches ..how long would it take for me to have quit abit of them??? and also can someone recomend a good site to purchase them from besides cricketfood.com

I got my orange head from Mulberry Farms. When I received them (46 roaches) over half of them were adults. That sped the process up a lot. Now I have a coupe thousand. If you got 30 (and the majority were adults) in a few months you should have a few hundred. If you need more babies to feed then buy more roaches. The more you start with the better.
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Cody Castellanos
Pro Geckos
cody@progeckos.com

what would be the best roache to feed leopard geckos

I’ve given orange head to my leos and rankins dragon and they loved them. I would say to use any of the non-climbing species (i.e. Orange heads, discoid, orange spot, death heads) The climbing species (lobster and hissers) are harder to deal with because they climb.
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Cody Castellanos
Pro Geckos
cody@progeckos.com

Non climbers are probably more convenient! I however have just Lobster roaches right now and dont really have any problems with them. A 3" layer of vaseline around the top keeps them in their enclosure just fine, plus I have a top on the enclosure just incase. I will include pics so you can see. The only downfalls are that yes they can climb, but that just means be a little more careful during feeding time For me that isnt a problem, but some would rather not deal with the hassle. I think what I like most about the lobsters vs non climbers is that lobsters are SUPER prolific. They reproduce like crazy. If you have a large number of reptiles to feed or reptiles who eat alot, lobsters might not be a bad choice!

I am hoping to trade some of my lobsters for hissers and/or some non climbers soon. Or I will eventually buy them. I want to have a few different species of roaches. I think lobsters are worth the hassle if you are using alot of feeder foods and the need for them is urgent (cant wait till a non climber colony establishes itself). But if that doesnt apply to you, you might be better off with non climbers! Goodluck in whatever decision you make. I think James on here sells his roaches sometimes. He is a great guy! Maybe contact him? Take care, Lindsay

The inside

The outside (top)

Hey Lindsay,
I was just curious how do you feed the lobsters to your animals? Because of the climbing issue I don’t see how they would work unless you feed them by hand or they’re eaten right away. This is why I don’t have any. I wish the non-climbers produced like lobsters.

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Cody Castellanos
Pro Geckos
cody@progeckos.com

I usually just feed 1-2 maybe 3 at a time. Sometimes I dust them a little to slow them down. Or you could try cooling the roaches before feeding. Basically just take them off their heat source for a bit before feeding them off (it slows them down a little).

Anyways I just use a small bowl and put them in the bowl and my lizards usually run over to eat them. I watch to make sure each one is eaten then I put more in. The bowl is kind of glassy inside. Not plastic which is probably why they dont try to climb up and out right away. Yes I pick the roaches up with my hands

If your careful and use common sense like transfer them into the bowl over the roach bin just incase someone climbs out right away, cover the bowl with your hand while bringing it to the lizard cage, then once in the lizard cage if one happens to climb out you can more easily catch it rather then if they were to get out on your floor! Honestly I dont really have a problem. I have had a couple try to climb out of the bowl, I just gently knock them back down in. Usually they arent in the bowl long enough to even try!

Goodluck and maybe try getting a small amount of lobsters and see if they are right for you? If you just cant stand them feed them off

Take care, Lindsay

Thanks Lindsay that really helps.

When I feed orange heads to my leopard geckos they eat them extremely fast. The roach barely hits the paper and it’s gone. If they eat the lobsters that fast, they should work out. I think I might give them a try, as soon as I can make room. Thanks again.
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Cody Castellanos
Pro Geckos
cody@progeckos.com