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What would be the best roach for my home?

Hey I'm looking for input from you folks on what would be the best feeder roaches I should get to start a breeding colony of for my Tarantulas and my Anole? Some people say Dubias but some say the giant hissing roaches since they can get so dang big and are cool as hell to boot (4" with segmented armor) so I'm asking everybody what roaches they grow if they farm roaches for their critters. And why did you choose that species over another one?

I think Ozzy does Lobster Roaches but people say these only get slightly bigger than crickets and my bigger Ts will want heartier meals than large crickets and I'm not thrilled about doing the pinky mice so giant roaches sounds like a fine alternative to me.


Awww...
ap_hissing_roach_080410_ssh1.jpg


(not my pic)
 
B. dubia - I can trade you a few hundred nymphs/juves for something.
 
loabster roaches are okay...but dubai is the best. they can also get 3+ inches long. And breed like rabbits. also they will die in a week or so if they escape into your house. They need a tropical environment.
 
Another plus is they can't fly or (unlike hissers) climb glass. Which makes them 10Xs easier to contain.
 
dubias.......aint as psychotic as some others.....
 
What do you mean by "psychotic"? lol

I did order a starter colony of 100 hissers last night while I was waiting around for responses, excitement got the better of me - as it often does. If they prove too bothersome I can try those dubias but I think I will keep a few hissers in a jungle terrarium just as display critters in their own right.
 
the best roaches for your home are no roaches at all ;)
i know your using em for your Ts lol....just a lot of bad memories with Palmetto bugs in florida.....**shudder**
you could have the cleanest house in the state and you were still pretty much guaranteed to have a roach or two somewhere in the immediate area <_<
 
What do you mean by "psychotic"? lol

I did order a starter colony of 100 hissers last night while I was waiting around for responses, excitement got the better of me - as it often does. If they prove too bothersome I can try those dubias but I think I will keep a few hissers in a jungle terrarium just as display critters in their own right.

yeah beware of psychotic roaches :p but i dunno bout feeding the giant one in your hand, it looks too cute of a pet to me :)
 
yeah beware of psychotic roaches :p but i dunno bout feeding the giant one in your hand, it looks too cute of a pet to me :)


you have a strange interpretation of cute.....no offense. lol
i would have no problem flushing or crushing that if i saw it in my house >_>
but thats just my horrible anti-roach blander rant crap going again LOL
 
  • #10
you have a strange interpretation of cute.....no offense. lol
i would have no problem flushing or crushing that if i saw it in my house >_>
but thats just my horrible anti-roach blander rant crap going again LOL

strange eh? u would crush n flush it when u see it eh? :0o: like I said to you back in July 09 "BAD Kristoff!!" lol
 
  • #11
LOL because i hate spiders too <_<
im not scared of spiders though, just think they are creepy...this hobby has gotten me over my fear of the spiders, just not dislike for them.

roaches however, that deep hatred shall forever remain as such. lol
 
  • #12
LOL because i hate spiders too <_<
im not scared of spiders though, just think they are creepy...this hobby has gotten me over my fear of the spiders, just not dislike for them.

roaches however, that deep hatred shall forever remain as such. lol

and on the other hand I dream of such fantasies http://toronto.bizcaf.ca/EXTREMELY_RARE_Australian_True_Spider_Collection_for_sale__Toronto__$50000_bizcafAd_178642.dhtml u will hate Philippine roaches, they are ambush ticks that fly to your face in the dark!!! smart little ticks also know when to strike! trust me i have 8 yrs experience fighting them from 4 to 12 yrs old. Maybe ud like to o to "Arachnochon" hey just to look and not touch, mass has the details
 
  • #13
palmetto bugs will fly into your face too <_< thats why i hate them so damn much....
memories of trying to read a book in my bed and looking up at my headboard to see a huge roach crawling over the top, time slows, suddenly, said massive roach leaps from his perch and swoops into your hair and crawls onto your face, this happening several times over a course of 10 or so years will do a number on a kid. lmao
 
  • #14
I did order a starter colony of 100 hissers last night. I will keep a few hissers in a jungle terrarium just as display critters in their own right.

They can climb glass very well.. Your going to want to put a 1" layer of vaseline around the brim of the tank on the inside to keep them from getting out. And I wouldn't put them in anything with front sliding doors. There's just no way to secure them in there.. You should've came to me first. I have a few hundred I've been trying to sell/give away for awhile now. They aren't good feeders since their size makes them a threat to the pets.
 
  • #15
My starter group will all be 1" and less in size so I should be able to thin the herd by feeding them out as I wait for a few to get bigger "display size". True, I can imagine these buggers could fit right between two sliding front panes despite their size. I would probably use a standard aquarium with a heavy glass lid for a natural vivarium with them. My zoo has such a great setup for Hissers I've admired it ever since I was a kid even if I was a bit creeped out by it too.

I know Kris, it seems kinda insane to invite them in but since they're highly tropical at least they won't populate the condo complex if any escapees get past the cats. Hopefully that doesn't happen with these guys as with the crickets who are all damned Houdinis. I guess let my fascination overcome my fear of insects. I used to be a real "girl" about bugs but after I got into displaying dead insects I got off ebay in riker mounts a few years ago I got over it and now I wanna keep some of the more interesting exotics alive, blending it with my interest in exotic plants. Now the only bugs that still freak me out are locusts/grasshoppers cos they surprise me by bouncing off me or latching on for a ride and I see it later unexpected and I jump! If it's big or at least I see it coming I won't care or can take the time to appreciate it's exotic forms and functions. I just hate being startled.

What is it that makes the dubias so much better as feeders? Rate of growth/reproduction? I have to imagine since Hissers live for up to 5 years it takes them quite a while to reach the "fun size" in that pic. I don't have that many critters to feed so I don't need swarms of them at this point so if hissers are slower to propagate/grow that'll be a good thing for me, at least for now.

Are roaches really "stink free" compared to crickets as the roach dealers say? If so it'll be nice not smelling them all summer, I burned incense almost 24/7 in summer cos of the crickets the past couple years.
 
  • #16
found a funny video about hissers:
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wsUhMylZfnc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></object>
 
  • #17
Don't have any answers for you, but I am following this thread. I've been considering getting some small roaches for my bearded dragon. If I can breed them, that'd be swell too. I'm so tired of crickets.
 
  • #18
Don't have any answers for you, but I am following this thread. I've been considering getting some small roaches for my bearded dragon. If I can breed them, that'd be swell too. I'm so tired of crickets.

some worms would also be good for your beardie
 
  • #19
some worms would also be good for your beardie

Yeah he gets a fair diversity, but his staple is still crickets. And it just takes one damn cricket to die and escape my eye to foul the whole lot and start a massive die-off. Drives me up the wall. I am a fan of worms in their longevity, but I like my food to move -- I don't want him to get lazy. ;)
 
  • #20
Yeah he gets a fair diversity, but his staple is still crickets. And it just takes one damn cricket to die and escape my eye to foul the whole lot and start a massive die-off. Drives me up the wall. I am a fan of worms in their longevity, but I like my food to move -- I don't want him to get lazy. ;)

Ever heard of this one ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Uv7UTKv8c very nice isnt it? can be an addition to your lizard experience :blush:
 
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