>>I just ordered some Blaptica dubia and they will be arriving >>this upcoming week so I need to get things all set up for them.
>>1. I read pine can be used as the substrate, but don't see >>aspen mentioned. I know cedar is bad. Would aspen be okay?
1.A. Aspen would be ok. I prefer pine shaving because they tend to be in bigger shavings, and babies can hide in them easily, away from possible cannibalistic family members. There is always cannibalism, and I try to keep it to a bare minimum.
>>2. How am I supposed to clean their cage if I can't catch all the tiny babies? How often would I have to clean the cage? I read that mites are common on roaches if the cage is not clean once a month. This true? Is there a substrate that makes cleaning easier like powder oatmeal? (I assume the powder will likely mold quickly when cage is sprayed but can be easily grated through screen to remove young roaches quickly and easily.) I thought of getting layena (bird mash found in livestock feed stores), but I haven't gotten a chance to get any since they are not open in my area on the weeked and I can't go during the weekday for another month or so.
2.A Stay away from food substrates. If they get wet at all, the mold monster will get you fast. On top of that, you have a real threat of grain mites. You want to stay away from that. You want to put your roach food in a bowl or on a plate, so that it doesnt touch the substrate(Fruits have moisture). You want to spot clean the poo out every now and then. A total substrate change should be done when the poo is at almost 50%. I have had no problems folowing these rules. Now, as to getting the babies, have fun. I try to get all the babies out that i can, just sloshing the substrate around in the bin and grabing what moves. I remove the garbage bag with the old substrate directly after cleaning, and put it outside, so that if i missed anyone, i wont see them at a later date.
>>3. Do I chop their dog food using a coffee grinder before giving to them or will this make it too tiny for them to eat?
3.A. Too tiny does not exist. grinding food is the way to go, and use whatever works best for you. I didnt want dog/cat food in my coffee grinder, so i figured that the food will break up with moisture. I soak the food in water for a half hour, and it turns too mush, which they like. Plus it has more moisture. If you dont want the moisture, put the mush on a pan thinly and bake till dry. it will harden back together, but it will be much more brittle and you will be able to break up small chunks easily.
This is all what i know with my Hissers. General roach care does not vary from spicies to spiecies really, only things like enclosures, temps and humidity vary really. I have done very well with my colony from these steps, so i think they wil work for you.
Truth
