Hisser keeping?

[Sybella]

My hissers delivered a whole bunch of babies but most have escaped...I've been keeping them in a Kritter Keeper, as was suggested by the person who gave it to me, but the babies can squeeze out of the top vents.

I tried keeping the roaches in a flip-top plastic box, shoebox size, but the humidity was bad and it made their food and alfalfa pellet bedding mold. I had to go back to the Kritter Keeper but now I don't know what to do!

What do you keep your Hissers in??

[robin d.]

get like i think its a 58 gal rubbermaid tote/box thing or sterilite.... get some vasaline and smear about a 1-2 in strip at the top of the container.... then take the lid cut a hole in it pretty good sized and either tape glue screw whatever and adhear it to the top but fine mesh screen... you dont have to spend much the dont use the wiore kind we use the flexible mesh fabricy stuff... and if you think a 48 or whatever gallon thing is too big trust me its not hissers breed like mad... keep em warm and fed and plemnty of places to hide and you will have HUNDREDS within no time... also though if you dont keep them fed i mean every day or every other day they will begin to eat each other may want to put some egg crate in there and aspen bedding too maybe

[Clay Davenport]

If you have few enough that they currently live in a critter keeper, just paint a band of vaseline around the inside top and problem solved for the time being.

If you decide to let the colony get big enough to need the large tubs, you can set one up when the time comes.
It sounds like you only have a dozen hissers or so, with them living in a critter keeper.

At one point I had around 5000 producing adult hissers. I sold off all but a couple of dozen last fall and now use a 10 gallon tank to house the colony. I keep it limited in size, because I do not use them as feeders nor do I plan on raising them to sell again. When they start to outgrow the 10 gallon I sell a couple of hundred.

My big roach tubs are mostly 18 gallon rubbermaids with bug stop around the top. I ue the 18 gallon size because they fit underneath the low tables my snake cages sit on. I use no lids for any roach species, they are unnecessary.

[Sybella]

I read on websites to use vaseline but they said not to use it for babies. I wasn't sure what the deal was with that.

Yes, I only have a trio of adults and 7 younger ones that aren't even half grown yet. I don't know how many I've got left of the ones that were delivered but I started out with the 10. ;)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. :) I'll make something else for them.

[Clay Davenport]

I never had a problem with vaseline in that regard.
It is messy though, especially when it comes time to clean the tub. It will also melt, particularly during the summer, and run down the inside of the tub leaving exposed areas.
If you're going to do much with roaches, you'd do best to pick up a can of Bug Stop. It dries to a slick finish, and if you're careful and don't rub it off one application will last for months.
You can get it from Ronnie at www.cricketfood.com

[davel]

Cricketfood.com has been out of stock on Bug Stop for a while. I ordered some Bug Boundary from Reptayls@yahoo.com, and it has worked great...no escapees.

Dave

[Sybella]

Thank you kindly!!