Roaches

My roaches aren't breeding and I can't figure out why. I have everything set up (as far as I know) perfectly for breeding. Any suggestions, tips, etc? Thanks!

try talking to Olivia at Bugchick.com. She knows her roaches. I buy my roaches from her and she has been a great help when I couldn't get my guys to breed. She can definitely help you with your roach breeding problem.

My Discoids had babies!

How often is too often to be checking on them and such? How often will cause too much stress for good reproduction and health?

Thanks, Chris

Hey Chris,

Leave them alone as much as possible. I literally stick my head in twice a week for food and water and then once a month I remove all the babies into another tub. That way I am not disturbing the adults every time I need to get feeders out or put together an order to be shipped.

Do roaches need a day/night cycle? While I'm asking, do mealies or superworms?

Originally Posted by Chris Steele

Do roaches need a day/night cycle? While I'm asking, do mealies or superworms?

Each of my tubs have a 9" x 9" screened vent in the lids. So my roaches get some light just from the room they are in, but nothing special set up for them to have a day/night cycle. They really dont need anything more.

As far as the worms, when I used to breed them it was more or less the same as the roaches. I just used sterilite tubs without lids at all for the worms and they just got light everyday from the room they were in.

Thanks.

-Do you have to clean or change egg flats? Which? How often?
-How many do I need?

-How many discoid roaches can be kept in a 23" x 17"? Hissers?

-Would it be best to cull most males (feed them/give them away) as soon as telling their gender is possible?
-How many males would a full 23"x17" need?


Sorry for all of the questions;
Thank you so much for helping!
-Chris

Originally Posted by Chris Steele

Thanks.

-Do you have to clean or change egg flats? Which? How often?
-How many do I need?

I basically just knock the poop (Discoids have dry poop) out of the egg flats every couple weeks and replace them every few months as needed. You will know when to replace them. They will start getting pretty haggard looking.

As far as how many egg flats, that really depends on how many Discoids you are keeping in a tub and the size of the tub. Of course adults are going to need more flats than babies.

Originally Posted by Chris Steele

-How many discoid roaches can be kept in a 23" x 17"? Hissers?

What is the height of the tub? That will be a factor as well. My small breeder tubs measure 25 1/2"L x 17 1/2"W x 15 3/8"H and will hold about 400 adults comfortably using 6 egg flats aligned vertically in a row. My big breeder tubs measure 32 3/8"L x 19 7/8"W x 17 1/8"H and will hold about 600 adults comfortably using 9 egg flats aligned vertically in a row. You could cram some more egg flats into those tubs and add another couple hundred adults if you wanted to. I just like to make sure mine are not over crowded in any way. Here is a pic of my basic big tub set up, small tub is the same, just fewer egg crates.



As far as Hissers I have no idea. I have never kept them.

Originally Posted by Chris Steele

-Would it be best to cull most males (feed them/give them away) as soon as telling their gender is possible?
-How many males would a full 23"x17" need?

I keep a 2 to 1 female to male ratio in my breeder tubs. Whether that is the best ratio to keep them at I really dont know, but it has worked great for me.

Originally Posted by Chris Steele

Sorry for all of the questions;
Thank you so much for helping!
-Chris

No sorries, more than happy to help.

Your setup looks nice, what are the three dishes?

I read that red bran is a great substrate for roaches and I assumed they also get all their nutrition besides protein, fat, and hydration from this? Would it be a good substrate for mealies and supers too?


Anyone that can help me with my hissers please post!

Originally Posted by Chris Steele

Your setup looks nice, what are the three dishes?

I read that red bran is a great substrate for roaches and I assumed they also get all their nutrition besides protein, fat, and hydration from this? Would it be a good substrate for mealies and supers too?


Anyone that can help me with my hissers please post!

2 are water dishes(but now I have a completely different watering system set up than what is pictured. I was having to disturb the roaches almost everyday to refill water dishes. Now I only have to deal with water once a week.) and the third is just a section of egg flat that I use for a food dish.

The substrate, while not needed for Discoids, is Sani-Chips aspen shavings. It is not edible, but the nymphs like to borrow in it and I have gotten better growth rates using a substrate.

I know bran is ok for mealies and supers, but I have never used it with my roaches. I feed my roaches 2 different types of dry food (one of which I grind myself and the other is a commercial roach diet that I buy) and fresh fruits/veggies once to twice a week.