My last post here - a SERIOUS concern about roaches

[nightanole]

Remember the thread a few months ago when one of the members was digging for change in her purse and a big ol female cricket popped out, she was so embarrassed.


But i am sorry that some one told you they would die a week or 2 after getting out of their containment unit.
Supers will burrow into the carpet and turn into giant death beetles.
crickets, will, cricket, forever.

Really i dont know of any feeder that wouldnt last for months in conditions that a chameleon could survive in.

You are not getting invested by mites, grain flies, or fruit flies, so you are doing something right.


As for 5 year olds. The ones around here find the dubia (or what ever bug looks like a dubia, they are very creative) and ask if they can "feed it to the lizard". They dont even know the common name of the lizard. They still dont like Mr lola since he as a "snake tongue".

 

[MissSkittles]

Yes, this is the only thing that I wish were different about chameleons...eating live bugs. Either I have to deal with having the yucky things I’ve spent my life avoiding in my home or sacrifice to them the gentle and beautiful little silkworms. When choosing what to have a colony of though, roaches win over crickets any day.

 

[Ares05]

Im pretty sure your kids will live if they see a roach a couple times in the their life.. if you can spot an escapee just crush it and throw it away. I drop feeders on the daily and I find them wandering around sometimes, part of owning reptiles. No need to start a rant thread about roaches saying everyone steered you wrong lol.

 

[The Wild One]

At least your entire bag of roaches didn’t fall off the “loading deck” and you lost half the colony to the cracks in the walls....

 

[jamest0o0]

PEOPLE PEOPLE. this person is known for OCD behavior and borderline insane posts. Please look up past threads where he melts down over trivial subjects. Yes dubia can survive through a lot, I had some survive 120 degree temps(I screwed up my heater years ago). They won't infest though and sure nobody wants them running around.... so keep them contained.... it's not that hard. People that used to keep reptiles didn't cry about stuff like this. Now we have every snowflake that saw how cute they were on facebook, getting a chameleon then crying that they eat insects.

 

[jamest0o0]

If my boys cry over seeing a bug, they're getting a bucket of them dumped on their head.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I’m pretty sure Brody was just razzin’ you a bit, rather than actually trying to insult you: kind of the online version of giving a jocular punch to the shoulder, instead of a handshake. Anyways, sorry again to hear about your frustrations, but have a happy new year.

No, she nailed it.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Wow. After all these years that's the last thing you want to say to me Brody?

"Real" men take care of their family's and community's needs first and foremost, and letting your personal hobby - in this case in the form of insects which to the uninitiated are large and unknown- take precedence over your family's peace of mind, or your houseguest, or the next tenant, is utterly juvenile and selfish.

Remember that you pompous ass. REAL MEN put the welfare of others before them, in both real and perceived threats. A year ago my youngest (5 at the time) had an adult dubia in her "blankie" when we were watching TV near the enclosure. She remembers that moment more than all the moments of holding the chameleon combined.

So don't talk about being a man until you understand what the role entails you lout.

I’m saying nothing about your decision to get out of keeping all together, surprised you didn’t do it sooner based on the sheer volume of traumatized wife and kid posts you’ve made over the years. Kinda selfish of you to take this long. What I am saying is stop hiking your skirt up and screaming to be rescued every time you see an icky bug.

 

[Reptofreak]

If my boys cry over seeing a bug, they're getting a bucket of them dumped on their head.

^ This!

 

[Kristen Wilkins]

Well @Franquixote at least a cup did not fall in her Blankey !!. I’m a chick whom has been playing with bugs since idk 3 I’m an old chick know !!. You make a big deal out of the bugs so will she . You think bugs are cool so will she . We live in a condo I’m positive we share our bugs .

I had a cup of Super’s fall down my shirt a few years back .

 

[Beman]

uggg this thread.... For any newbie reading this. Do not let this scare you off of feeding roaches. I have fed roaches for 9 months. NEVER have I had one get out. Using the proper escape proof feeding run and ensuring that your roaches are kept in a container that they can not get out of is the way to go. Will roaches live for a while without food, heat, etc. YES, they are roaches! But will a random roach or two infest your house and bring on an epidemic, NO.
This is my favorite feeder run. https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories

As my grandpa used to say.... "Proper planning prevents poor performance."

So do it right the first time then you do not have issues later. This can be and should be applied to all aspects of Chameleon Husbandry.

 

[jamest0o0]

A little thing to add too. Dubia are pretty indestructible, even for roaches(that said, good luck finding a case where they infested), but there are plenty of roach species that are even more sensitive than our chams. If you're that worried about something surviving, maybe try a unique species that will die pretty soon after should it escape.

 

[nightanole]

uggg this thread.... For any newbie reading this. Do not let this scare you off of feeding roaches. I have fed roaches for 9 months. NEVER have I had one get out. Using the proper escape proof feeding run and ensuring that your roaches are kept in a container that they can not get out of is the way to go. Will roaches live for a while without food, heat, etc. YES, they are roaches! But will a random roach or two infest your house and bring on an epidemic, NO.
This is my favorite feeder run. https://tkchameleons.com/collections/accessories

As my grandpa used to say.... "Proper planning prevents poor performance."

So do it right the first time then you do not have issues later. This can be and should be applied to all aspects of Chameleon Husbandry.

My gramps was a bit saltier "piss poor planing gets piss poor results"

 

[nightanole]

A little thing to add too. Dubia are pretty indestructible, even for roaches(that said, good luck finding a case where they infested), but there are plenty of roach species that are even more sensitive than our chams. If you're that worried about something surviving, maybe try a unique species that will die pretty soon after should it escape.

So anything Florida approved?

 

[jamest0o0]

So anything Florida approved?

What's all florida approved, discoidalis and p Nivea?

Edit: forgot about craniifer, surinam, and a bunch of others.

I'm surprised florida keepers don't use craniifer as much, pretty cool looking IMO. They do breed slower than the rest though.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks for understanding, and why I feel others should go into this knowing what to expect.
The general consensus around here was "don't worry, they can't live more thank a couple weeks at most in 50% humidity and low 60's with no water"

Totally false.

4 months easy, no heat, low humidity and no water. I suppose food is possible but certainly not anything resembling nutrition. Direct hit with roach specific killer and a few poor ones still suffering, just THAT blows me away. I'm going to dispatch them and say goodbye. I have had a good time here with you folks.
Thanks for everything.
God bless. health and happiness to all of you throughout the new year!

The big, scary American cockroaches like the ones living in my garage can and do survive by eating anything damp. Paper. Plant matter. Etc. And I sprayed and bomb my garage pretty regularly.
I imagine Dubia would do similarly well.

 

[jamest0o0]

The big, scary American cockroaches like the ones living in my garage can and do survive by eating anything damp. Paper. Plant matter. Etc. And I sprayed and bomb my garage pretty regularly.
I imagine Dubia would do similarly well.

Comparing dubia to American cockroaches is a pretty big longshot. I don't think dubia are as efficient survivalists. American roaches will even prey on smaller insects.

 

[Mawtyplant]

I re-homed my panther to a wonderful family, and the enclosure has been empty for about 4 months. Nighttime temps dip into the low 60's, and mist has been turned off. Only water is at the base of my single plant in there.
Switched out some electronics around the enclosure today, and this evening a pretty small dubia- very flat but *very* much alive got chased by the cats across the floor.

The colonies were sent with the chameleon. I have no other reptiles. The nearest rooms are even colder. In other words, this dubia has survived for 5 months or so with no food, no humidity, no heat.

I was insane with the amount of effort I put into preventing escapees. I never purposely left bugs in the enclosure even overnight.

I will NevER have insects in my house again.

Be careful folks, when I got into this hobby people told me they couldn't live more than a week or 2 without some heat and humidity. FALSE.

I'm going to do a deep dive next time the family is out- I have to imagine there are other survivors. I hate to bug bomb the tank, but I'm freaked out right now.

Lolll omg 2 weeks?! This is roaches we talking about!! I have on in a delicup as for months without food or water! Guess what?! She eat the paper filling the holes they even can eat glue!! Roach get a reputation to be really hard to kill so yep!
That’s the specific reason why they are illegal here

 

[salty dog]

I've seen a pile of roaches in a laundry room in Mexico eating laundry detergent lol... seriously

 

[JacksJill]

Yes if you have a dubia escape you will have a dubia loose in your house until the day it dies. Depending on conditions that could be months. Unless your house is like a tropical jungle it will remain just one dubia. Drop 2 dubia they will remain just 2 dubia. They don't eat or breed without proper temperatures. Eventually the dehydrate and dievjust not quickly.