Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi there folks. I'm hoping that I'll be able to tap into your expertise to help my discoid colonies. Over the last few weeks I've seen posts in the feeder section of the classifieds for pillbugs to be used as scavengers in cockroach colonies. That gave me a few questions:

1) I'd love to hear from anybody that uses them about their experience. Do they help keep the debris down? I keep my colonies pretty clean, but found he concept intriguing.

2) Does it have to be sowbugs, or woould pillbugs also work?

3) Do the bugs need some other medium added to the cage, or would debris from the roaches be sufficient?

4) Would other scavengers work as well? I see a lot of large millipedes around, and I wonder if they would be effective roach colony cleaners.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Kris

The biggest issue is pillbugs require moisture. If you keep your roaches in a damp soil then they should do fine, otherwise it's a waste of time. Roach bins on average can be cleaned every 3-6 months and I know some people go much longer. I spot clean mine every week, with a full cleaning every 45-60 days and basically have no odor in any of my containers.
James

Hi there folks. I'm hoping that I'll be able to tap into your expertise to help my discoid colonies. Over the last few weeks I've seen posts in the feeder section of the classifieds for pillbugs to be used as scavengers in cockroach colonies. That gave me a few questions:

1) I'd love to hear from anybody that uses them about their experience. Do they help keep the debris down? I keep my colonies pretty clean, but found he concept intriguing.

2) Does it have to be sowbugs, or woould pillbugs also work?

3) Do the bugs need some other medium added to the cage, or would debris from the roaches be sufficient?

4) Would other scavengers work as well? I see a lot of large millipedes around, and I wonder if they would be effective roach colony cleaners.