how to start a colonie

[j.sawyer48]

I bought hissing roaches how would I begin to start a colonie? I have no clue wat to feed them I need insight please

 

[james.w]

I feed mine cricket chow, oranges, apples, and whole wheat bread. I put some of the water gel stuff in their tub as well.

Do you have the tub set up? How many did you get, males, females?

 

[j.sawyer48]

I didn't know it was more complicated than that I just bought about 12 do not know if there female or male I should have asked. But I also just bought em to see if kamanchii would eat them and he loves them. So now I guess just start a colonie to save money right. But I have no clue wat I'm doing I have em in a big tupperware container feed the some bread today didn't no wat else to feed them.

 

[james.w]

Starting with 12 will take a LONG time to be able to feed out of. Hissers grow slow from what I am told, I recently started a small colony myself. I got 7 from a kid I sold a cage to, and I put them in a 15qt tub with some egg crate. I put cricket/roach chow in a little bowl and the water gel in another bowl. Every few days I add a piece of orange, apple, or bread. I'm not sure what temps they breed good at yet, but I keep mine around 85-88. If you want a fast growing fairly cheap colony get about 500 Dubias and set them up the same way, but use a 18 gallon + tub.

 

[CrankbaitJedi]

I have raised lobsters and dubias. Dubias are wicked good. If you have 12 hissers, it is going to take awhile. Get the large tub. Give em their food and keep em warm just like he mentioned. Watch the humidity as well. I know Dubias expose their egg cases (?) and if the conditions aren't right... they can drop them or other roaches will chew on them for moisture or food. Not sure if Hissers do the same (live young bearers). But you will have to be patient. Dubias have almost a 3 month egg to mature adults cycle so you will need to give the colony many months to get established. But once it is, it is tough to stop. No joke, I live in Missouri and I got away from roaches as feeders but I didn't throw out my colony. I left it in a large tote in my garage. No food, no water, no attention for months. Cold weather set in and I was cleaning out my garage and I went to the tub. There were a few dead ones in there to be expected... but after 5 months of nothing, I still had 100s still kicking and they were still breeding!!! Amazing creatures.

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Oh, males have the big horns on em. I got a freebie with my dubia colony on accident. It is hard to miss. Just Google pics, they are fairly easy to sort out as adults. If they are nymphs, it will be hard to tell for awhile.

 

[j.sawyer48]

okay I'll get everything corrected that needs to be thank you for the insight.