# Try Cockroaches!!



## cornking4 (Jul 25, 2009)

Just switched over to European cockroaches... My B&W loves them! Way better than other insects. They breed easily too... I have a rubbermaid tub full of breeding females that gives me an unlimited supply. They're slow moving and they don't chew on their predator when he's sleeping. Try them out and let me know what you think.


----------



## Beasty (Jul 25, 2009)

:?: What type of roaches, exactly, are you talking about?


----------



## cornking4 (Jul 25, 2009)

they're a European species that's similar to madagascar hissing cockroaches. Best feeder ever... They'll live off your table scraps and don't smell much at all.


----------



## Quijibo (Jul 25, 2009)

I've had EXTREMELY good luck with lobster roaches (Nauphoeta cinerea). They are cheap, easy to breed, grow like mad, and they don't stink nearly as much as crickets (they don't sing all night either). If you have the space to keep a decent supply of crickets, get roaches! 
The hardest part about raising roaches was getting my wife over the "creepy-ness". These roaches don't thrive in your house either. So if a few get out, you won't have them taking over your pantry.
I've rehabbed quite a few finiky eaters with them. If you have a critter that eats insects, you'll love the feeding response you'll get with roaches.
Your herp will love them!

Her's a decent link with some info:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nyworms.com/lobsroachcare.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.nyworms.com/lobsroachcare.htm</a><!-- m -->

BTW, I do not sell, or, am in any way involved in the marketing of roaches. :-D


----------



## Beasty (Jul 25, 2009)

Interesting.
I have dubias and hissers. Nobody seems to like the hissers much. I was thinking of them primarily for older tegus anyway. I mean, who wants to chase after glass climbing baby roaches?
The mouse sized extra males make a nice occasional snack for my bigger gu's.

Think I may just bail on those and concentrate on my dubia colony.

I did look into a different one a while back that get's 3 inches + but doesn't climb glass. Maybe I'll see about those. Hissers aren't doing us any good though.

Dubias, on the other hand, get fed off weekly in numbers that, if I sold them, would likely bring in $50+ a week!


----------



## Quijibo (Jul 25, 2009)

I think I'll look into Dubia's. If they move slower than Lobster's, they may be a little better for re-habing. I usually cool the roaches a little to slow them down so they are more easily caught. It would be nice to have something slower.
When I started my roach colony (why do I always want to call it the motel?), no one had Dubias.


----------



## Richard21 (Jul 26, 2009)

Which roach is better Dubia or Lobster roaches?


----------



## cornking4 (Jul 26, 2009)

Yeah dubia was the one I was thinking of. AKA orange spotted. Never tried lobsters though... Are those pretty quick growing?


----------



## cornking4 (Jul 26, 2009)

dubias cant climb glass or plastic. Just a little side note there.


----------



## Beasty (Jul 26, 2009)

Richard21 said:


> Which roach is better Dubia or Lobster roaches?


I would undoubtedly say Dubias. They're larger and slower and don't climb glass. Here in Utah, they die out of their enclosure too. (ie. no infestation worries!)

Lobsters are lightning with legs and climb glass and are quite a bit smaller. BUT they do grow more quickly and breed faster. DON'T let one get loose in your house in the wrong area of the country, you'd be infested!


----------



## VenomVipe (Jul 26, 2009)

Lobster roaches seem to be closer to a cricket( in terms of a feeder). The only you left out is it had a bad smell or not. Crix breed fast and grow fast but the only good thing is they cant climb the glass. But they jump so it evens out. I mean that just about the same.


----------



## Beasty (Jul 26, 2009)

Dubias don't stink at all that I've noticed.
Hissers have a sweet type odor that's not so bad.
Lobsters, I have no idea but the thought of a roach that climbs glass AND is super fast is not appealing to me. In fact, I'm thinking of getting rid of my hisser colony because of the glass climbing thing.


----------



## jd61285 (Jul 26, 2009)

So Beasty would you say it is difficult to get a colony of dubias going? i would just like to hear your opinion on this all i have seen is the sites that sell them say it is easy. How long does it take to get the colony well established?


----------



## VenomVipe (Jul 26, 2009)

Ive had mine for around two months give or take a little and My adults have easily doubled in numbers. A lot of people dislike thae fact that dubias breed slower than others but it is all in relativity compared to other roach species. I mean, they are roaches! Of course they breed fast! lol


----------



## cornking4 (Jul 26, 2009)

What size colony do you keep, venomvipe? Two hundred?


----------



## Beasty (Jul 27, 2009)

jd61285 said:


> So Beasty would you say it is difficult to get a colony of dubias going? i would just like to hear your opinion on this all i have seen is the sites that sell them say it is easy. How long does it take to get the colony well established?


Well, they're rather easy, actually. It depends on the size of colony you start with and how many adults. There are variables to consider. Ultimately you want a 1 male to 3 female ratio to maximize output. Depending on size of your tegu(or what ever else you feed) you can feed off large nymphs(sub adults not showing sexual characteristics yet) or even the smaller ones to save your breeders. You'll want to feed off excess males til you get to the desired ratio of 1.3 as the extra boys will just be competing for food and using up resources.
I started off with dubias I got in a package deal when buying a water monitor. There were around 100 varied size roaches involved there. I then ran into a guy locally selling I think 50 or so for $40 and talked him into bringing me just adults.
I was able to feed out of that bunch fairly fast but my tegus were in hibernation already.(Which is perfect timing to get a small dubia colony -or what ever feeders- rolling really well by the time they wake!) I fed off extras and nymphs to my other lizards who ate sparingly except my Ackies who were little pigs but the roaches "stuck to them" better than crickets so they didn't eat as many. You'll want to monitor the colony but after they're really well established you're pretty safe.
So, now, like 10-11 months later, I can feed off about what might cost $200 a month (from a pet store-IF you could get them at one) without worry of denting my population! I keep them in a 15 gallon tote with a lower wattage red bulb on them and feed them special high protein roach diet meal type stuff I got last year with the deal and crumbs from the specialty 24% protein rodent food I use for rats and ASF's along with extra salad, fruit, meat/rodents nobody would eat, etc. 
Roaches are the easiest feeder one could imagine. I just wouldn't suggest glass climbers. My hissers are ok but after not looking after them like the dubias, a year later, having fed off maybe 12-20 extra males, _tops_, I have several hundred from the original 7 I started with. My tegus don't seem to like them nearly as well as dubias and I'll be selling most of them off soon I think.
Hope that helps! :cheers


----------



## LouDog760 (Jul 27, 2009)

I'm selling a 150 mix with adults and nymphs for 30 buck. My friend and I have a crap load. He posted a add on here. If anyone wants so hit me up.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=4442" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://tegutalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=4442</a><!-- m -->


----------



## VenomVipe (Jul 27, 2009)

cornking4 said:


> What size colony do you keep, venomvipe? Two hundred?




Well I started with 185 kit from the roach guy but who knows many I have now. Id say at LEAST 250 but that is a guess. All you can really go by is the number adults because there are a TON of nymphs.


----------



## simon021 (Jul 27, 2009)

Out of curiosity, would these replace whole rodents in a tegu diet? I'm trying to figure out where they fit in the nutrition part of it all. I feed a combination of turkey/cod liver, beef liver, and whole prety, pinkys at the moment. Would the roaches just be an extra snack at each meal? How do they fare nutritionally?


----------



## Jer723 (Jul 27, 2009)

simon021 said:


> Out of curiosity, would these replace whole rodents in a tegu diet? I'm trying to figure out where they fit in the nutrition part of it all. I feed a combination of turkey/cod liver, beef liver, and whole prety, pinkys at the moment. Would the roaches just be an extra snack at each meal? How do they fare nutritionally?



these would definately not take out the whole rodent portion of the diet. the whole rodents are full of nutrients, and great stuff for lizards. so are roaches but nowhere near the same. you know how some people say that bugs are just meat in a shell. same for roaches they are just a bit bigger and better than the average cricket and from what i hear, tegus love their roaches. but mice are much more nutritios and are definately needed in the tegus diet. hope this helped you out.

Jerry


----------



## simon021 (Jul 27, 2009)

so pretty much just a treat then. Dont get me wrong it sounds like a great feeder, but from a nutrition standpoint they seem kinda pointless for a tegu. Am i missing something here? I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to understand where exactly they fit into a tegus diet. nutrients, or snacks? I absolutely hated crickets, and would much rather feed pinkies or something, so I can understand the need to get away from crickets. 

Just a few friendly questions. Not trying to sink your ship or anything


----------



## Jer723 (Jul 27, 2009)

simon021 said:


> so pretty much just a treat then. Dont get me wrong it sounds like a great feeder, but from a nutrition standpoint they seem kinda pointless for a tegu. Am i missing something here? I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to understand where exactly they fit into a tegus diet. nutrients, or snacks? I absolutely hated crickets, and would much rather feed pinkies or something, so I can understand the need to get away from crickets.
> 
> Just a few friendly questions. Not trying to sink your ship or anything



to me roaches are just a feeding system for young tegus. just like crickets. they are just an alternative. like when a baby tegu eats mostly crickets, then you could feecd roaches. roaches are something i believe ou are supposed to ween your tegu off of like, a puppy. that way they can move on to more nutritios food items, and the occasional roach can be a snack for an adult tegu. so the main point is that when the tegu is young it can be a main part/ staple of the diet. but you should eventually try to switch your tegus over to better foods. hope this helps

Jerry


----------



## cornking4 (Jul 27, 2009)

Hey jerry, quick question. I feed primarily roaches now (I have a five month old) and I want to start feeding him more healthy stuff. I can't keep prey items in the freezer (due to my frickin gay stepbrothers squeamishness) so can I use a mix of chicken/turkey and gizzards/liver? I don't want him to get addicted to anything.


----------



## Jer723 (Jul 27, 2009)

cornking4 said:


> Hey jerry, quick question. I feed primarily roaches now (I have a five month old) and I want to start feeding him more healthy stuff. I can't keep prey items in the freezer (due to my frickin gay stepbrothers squeamishness) so can I use a mix of chicken/turkey and gizzards/liver? I don't want him to get addicted to anything.



well that sounds ok but you really should be feeding whole prey items, somehow. that mix sounds fine. but whole prey items should be fed. you have to find some way of sneaking them in. the tegu gets calcium and all his nutrients from the bones/fur of the prey item so they should be fed.
any other ??? just ask . . .

Jerry


----------



## cornking4 (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks jerry.

So, anybody have any pics of their roach colonies??


----------

