Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what is the best enclosure for lobster roaches, about 350. also will i be able to breed the roaches which i will be getting from,http://www.crunchy-critters.com/, succesfully so that i dont have to purchase anymore.

will you be able to breed them...LOL...oh hell yeah!...you don't need 350...i started with about 50 2 months ago and now have about 700...i gave 50 or so away to my local pet store..

i have them in a 20 gallon glass tank with a 4 inch band of vaseline around the inside of the tank....substrate is 2-3 inches of peat moss...for hiding places i have about 15 paper towel rolls stacked up and a couple of cardboard cup holders from 7-11...i have a 75 watt spotlamp over the stacked towels and mist the cage heavily 3 times a day...they are fed chopped dry dog food and various fruits and veggies for moisture.

alot of people will warn you or scare you off because they climb glass...if you keep them warm and wet and well fed you will never see them!...the only time they try to climb glass is if i completely take away their hiding places.

hope this helps

"...they are fed chopped dry dog food" As quoted from previous post.

I do not use or recommend dog food. Roaches in general prefer a high fat, high protein diet. Especially if we are talking about lobster roaches since they have a very high metabolism and can probably handle a diet of 30% or more fat. For this reason if you want a less expensive but higher quality feed for your roaches you should go with a descent quality kitten or cat food. Even some of the cheaper cat foods are in the 30 to 40% protein range and dog food is about 20%. This will help dramatically improve breeding as well as maintain a healthy roach for your feeding needs.

As far as being able to feed out of it while you breed it. Well, that depends on what you're feeding!

Dan Haas, owner/manager
www.Crunchy-Critters.com

I would recommend at least a 60+ quart plastic container. I personally use 96 quarts for the lobsters because they are so prolific. I use 2-4 inches of pine shavings for substrate and egg flats (glued together) for added living space. To keep them in (prevent escapes) I put a 3" band of vaseline on the upper portion of the enclosure (all the way around). I also use a lid on all the enclosures. For ventilation I cut a good portion of the top out and screen it with insect mesh.

Keep them well fed/watered and warm and in no time at all you will have thousands!LOL Hopefully you have enough reptiles/amphibians to keep up with their reproduction rate

Here are a few pics!

96 quart rubbermaid I believe.

Screened top

Smaller rubbermaid (60 something quart I think)

is it really necessary to have the vaseline, or can insect mesh be sufficient enuff for these lil tricky critters.

Yea I would be interested in that answer also... Would seem cheaper in the long run and easier too...

I guess the question is... Can they climb upside down?

Honestly I think the vaseline or whatever you want to use (bug stop etc) is very necessary. What happens when you open up the top? There is no barrier there to prevent them from climbing up and out! Lobsters are FAST and GREAT climbers. I wouldnt take the chance Lindsay

I'll agree with Lindsey that one of these is a must. I have kept these roaches for over two years now. Bug stop works the best because the vaseline is a pain to clean of your containers, but it is cheap. It is true that with plenty of hide spaces and good feeding, that you won't see them much. I have never had a problem housing lobsters, it the feeding part. I have to many animals to drop some lobsters in and make sure each one gets eaten. My geckos come out in the dark and eat. The lobsters are to hard to contain in my reptile cages which is why I no longer use them as feeders. If you are feeding a bearded dragon or something else where you can hand feed or use tongs then they would work fine. Otherwise take the time and go with non-climbers. The best things in life don't always happen in a hurry, and for me and my animals roaches are a very good thing.
James

My Mountain Dragons eat well from a dish or tub. I was wondering if you could just put some bug stop around the sides of a small tub and put it in the tank with my mountain dragons. I figure I'd still have to watch to make sure none of the roaches would climb out on the dragons. Do you think this would work? So far I have only tong fed them.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

Now you all say they are fast critters, so how do you feed something like leopard geckos without these things getting away. Right now I have hissers I ariginally had for a monitor I traded. I tried feeding one to a leo and he loved it but I only fed one and lobsters seem like they may be faster than hissers. If there are some who feed lobsters to leos with no problem then maybe I will trade some of my hissers for some lobsters.

Easy solution to your problem. The colder lobster roaches are the slower they move. Simply put the desired number you wish to feed in a bowl and insert into fridge. About 5 minutes or so later.... Presto! We have a roach that is still alive yet barely moving. As they start to wam up a little at a time they will start by just kicking there legs a bit (just enough to get the lizards attention) and gradualy begin to slowly crawl around at a very slow pace. They should be eaten before they get up to full speed again.

Hope this was a bit of a help!

Dan Haas
owner/manager

Crunchy Critters Roach Farm

What you are suggesting should work just fine. Although bug stop or other kinds of paint are not absolutely necessary. We us vegetable, olive oil or even lard. I picked up a 4 pound bucket of lard (which is basicly a clean and refined animal fat) for only 2.99 on sale. It works real well for keeping the roaches contained. Bug Stop and other products like it are expensive and need to be reapplied every so often. The higher the humidity level in the cage the more often you have to re-apply it. Why go through the time and expense when a little oil or lard is a safe and cheap alternative?

and that's my 2 and a half cents worth.

Dan Haas
owner/manager

Crunchy Critters Roach Farm

I don't mind using grease for the tubs but I can see the dish after my dragons jump in kicking substrate into the grease and then climbing out through it. Don't really want that kind of mess in the tank. Besides, I only put the dish in for a short time. They never pass up a moving insect!
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html