Red runners are underrated!

[jamest0o0]

In my ongoing crusade against dubia roaches, I thought I should mention my newfound love for red runners. Cheap, easy to breed, look and move(without the jumping) like larger crickets, can't climb(adult males can fly, but I have yet to see it), soft bodied, and best of all chams seem to love them. They have gotten an amazing feeding response from my Parson's. Even eating in front of my toddler, which he normally won't eat in front of anyone. They are the first feeder that I've seen him actively eat from a cup when I hold it up(seems to be rare for many Parsons from what I gather, they're not the most personable chams).

I think the fear of these roaches infesting is overblown and not a worry for many of us. They need a water source to lay their ooths near. I live in a part of the country known for having damp, humid basements in all of the houses and I'm still not concerned. They're very easy to keep contained and IMO one of the best substitute for crickets. Oh and they also don't burrow or hide much like many other roaches.

I can understand them being a little intimidating, they are quick when compared to dubia, but not that bad.

 

[AmandaS]

So, how much for an up and running colony, James?

 

[jamest0o0]

So, how much for an up and running colony, James?

Probably not the smartest business model for me, but I'd rather be honest. If someone wanted only red runners, there are much better deals out there than buying from me. I think aaronpauling has them like 1000 for 40 bucks or something like that.

I'm just a hobbyist with a small room filled with different colonies. I do have some good deals(like my hissers for one example IMO), but a lot of where I shine is just having a large variety of starters. So if someone wanted several starters, adding on some red runners too could be smart. I don't have the money or space that the big companies have to offer thousands and thousands of dubia/runners/etc for competitive prices. Nothing wrong with them either, I'm just not on that level.

One thing I take into consideration that I think many roach sellers don't is not using excessive protein. Most are using dogfood because protein allows them to grow and breed faster. This is probably not good for reptiles, but who knows for sure, I'd just prefer not to.

Anyway, this wasn't meant to be an advertisement for me to sell roaches, I just like to share on feeder related things. Getting my cham to eat out of a cup in my hand is a big deal and makes me wonder why I wasn't using them from day 1. I get tired of the dubia nonsense, it's literally an example of mainstream propaganda in the reptile hobby lol. Nothing wrong if your animal likes them, but so many do not, yet they're still pushed on every newbie to the hobby.

 

[AmandaS]

Yes. I thought it would be great to get my cham to switch to dubia, but she goes on hunger strikes with them. They just arent appealing.

 

[cyberlocc]

I wanted to, I just can't.

I grew up in Phoenix Arizona, where Red Runners are an introduced but now Native species. I have lived in homes infested with them. Seen friends homes where when you flip the lights on, the walls scurry. I just can't lol, the dubias and hissers, don't remind me of roaches but the runners, cause PTSD.

They are a serious problem in Phoenix, especially in Apartment complexes.

 

[jamest0o0]

Oh damn really? I didn't know they were a common pest anywhere. Guessing they got in the sewage or something?

Personally, lobsters scare me more, but they are also good feeders so I have a tightly secured bin of them too.

 

[cyberlocc]

Ya Phoenix and Less so, but still somewhat I hear, Desert Cali, New Mexico and Texas all have issues with them.

They are desert roaches, so really only the desert states have issues with them I think, in large amounts. They are sewer roaches like Americans, Germans, and in AZ they will 100% survive flourish and Infest.

I think the colonys usually stem from, like you said Sewers and also Leaky Water, like I said very common in Apartment Complexes. I dont think I have ever seen an apt complex that doesn't have water leaking somewhere, at least sometimes lol. They start there and the sewer, then come in your house for food.

They dont need alot of food, and keeping your house very clean doesnt really help, if you live in Apts especially. They will raid pantrys, you will find them in Cupboards, Drawers, Electronics, Closests, ECT, ECT, its horrible and will drive you crazzy.

Thats why I say, they likely wouldn't infest where I live now, but I have serious PTSD dealing with them growing up, I cant do it lol.

First video I could find, not that I need a video I lived it, its not cool.


Those might be Americans, hard to tell, but they have the save Requirements of Breeding/Surviving.


Again though, I am not sure how much issues outside of Desert Climates. Like how Florida has bans on Dubia, AZ should probably have Bans on turks, but we dont.

 

[Sammy Grigio]

Sounds like you can keep a room full of chameleons in Phoenix without ever spending a dime on feeders!

 

[JoXie411]

I wanted to, I just can't.

I grew up in Phoenix Arizona, where Red Runners are an introduced but now Native species. I have lived in homes infested with them. Seen friends homes where when you flip the lights on, the walls scurry. I just can't lol, the dubias and hissers, don't remind me of roaches but the runners, cause PTSD.

They are a serious problem in Phoenix, especially in Apartment complexes.

I was flipping stone over at my house following an ant colony and I found red runners ? I’m sorry @jamest0o0 those are to roachy for me as well. I bought some from rainbow to try and I ended up just freezing them cuz I was scared

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

Somethings off with that video. Lived in AZ for some time saw none, and I looked. My guess is the apartment is not taken care of very well by both sides here. For all we know, maybe their neighbors are total slobs....

Even in tropical Florida, the roaches die in a few days indoors, unless they have access to a water source and food. So yeah something is very wrong if those roaches are surviving so well....

https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/For-the-Love-of-Cockroaches-bic27.htm

As for infestation in going to trust the expert and my own experience. I strongly recommend everyone buy that book.

 

[cyberlocc]

Somethings off with that video. Lived in AZ for some time saw none, and I looked. My guess is the apartment is not taken care of very well by both sides here. For all we know, maybe their neighbors are total slobs....

Even in tropical Florida, the roaches die in a few days indoors, unless they have access to a water source and food. So yeah something is very wrong if those roaches are surviving so well....

Born and raised in Phoenix. Seen 100s of apts like that.

Roaches can go a month without food or water, and can make a feast out of a tiny crumb. It's very common to have roach issues in Phoenix.

Where in AZ did you live? Living in AZ doesn't say much. I live up north these days, its a stark contrast from the city. We don't have roaches up north. We do have Mice, Snakes, and LOTS of spiders that come inside from time to time though. Biggest issue up here is definitely spiders, wolf spiders, black widows, false widows, orbweavers mostly.


Which roaches die in tropical Florida after a few days? Thats likely more climate of your house based than lack of food, roaches can live for months without food and water.

Runners are an arid species. They are Native in Pheonix, and will thrive in home conditions, "low humidity, 70 degrees" though they prefer hotter which many Pheonix homes are hotter in the summer.

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

I was in Scottsdale then Prescott. Bugs would naturally try to come in during the fall and winter months.

Bugs never bother me though, maybe that's why they leave me alone.

As for roaches dying it was species within the Periplaneta genus. Fragile buggers without ready access to water.

https://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/For-the-Love-of-Cockroaches-bic27.htm

The hype roaches get is overblown.

 

[cyberlocc]

I was in Scottsdale then Prescott. Bugs would naturally try to come in during the fall and winter months.

Bugs never bother me though, maybe that's why they leave me alone.

Ya Scottsdale apartments, if you lived in an apartment tend to have a higher class of people, that won't be so polite about roach issues lol. So that's likely a big part of it, they likely sprayed more and such.

Also not arguing with the dirty neighbors thing, thats very likely.

I lost everything I owned in college due to moving into an apt complex that turned out to have a bed bug issue. I should have figured that out when I seen the apt and it had Tile and Hardwood everywhere that there was a reason lol.

Lived there for 5 weeks, noticed the bed bugs after 2. Told the landlords, they said ya we are working on it. Talked to neighbors and they said they have been saying that for years. Tried to get rid of them on my own, to no avail gave up moved out and threw away everything . I still wake up some nights feeling like bugs are crawling on me. The roaches I can kind of deal with, the bed bugs are another league of horrendous.


My sister never had complained about roach issues in Scottsdale, but one place she had there, had bark scorpions bad. I never lived in Scottsdale, I grew up in South Phoenix.

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

Bark scorps are so cuuuute

AZ was a bug lovers paradise for me.

 

[cyberlocc]

Bark scorps are so cuuuute

AZ was a bug lovers paradise for me.

They are pretty. As long as you don't get stung lol.

I have always thought them neat though. Especially under a black light.

AZ is a reptile and bug paradise, Florida is better, but AZ was fun. Lots of snakes and lizards.

I use to love catching those white geckos at night. These one apts we lived in, had tons of them on our stucco porch every night. They were so dang cute.

I think they were either western desert gecko, or Mediterranean house gecko. They were almost see through in some spots, and whitish in others, with little bumps and black eyes.

Up north now, all we got that I see is horny toads and gardener snakes . And spiders, and I hate spiders.

We do have I am told some rare colorful lizard, that is sold in the hobby and very pricey. I forget the name, never seen one though.

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

 

[nightanole]

Today's word i learned is "too roachy". This is completely different from the "pet" grade ones that are "not roachy enough" to feed off.

 

[PabloTheCham]

View attachment 262840View attachment 262836View attachment 262837View attachment 262839

i'll hold a scorpion, a pede... but not a potato bug. I don't know why, I just hate these things.

 

[Highway61]

i'll hold a scorpion, a pede... but not a potato bug. I don't know why, I just hate these things.

I grew up in the San Gabriel valley of Los Angeles and the Potato/Jerusalem bugs were abundant. We'd usually cross them when playing in the dirt (I was a kid!) Just looking a photo of them to this day shoots a chill up my spine.

 

[jamest0o0]

Ya Phoenix and Less so, but still somewhat I hear, Desert Cali, New Mexico and Texas all have issues with them.

They are desert roaches, so really only the desert states have issues with them I think, in large amounts. They are sewer roaches like Americans, Germans, and in AZ they will 100% survive flourish and Infest.

I think the colonys usually stem from, like you said Sewers and also Leaky Water, like I said very common in Apartment Complexes. I dont think I have ever seen an apt complex that doesn't have water leaking somewhere, at least sometimes lol. They start there and the sewer, then come in your house for food.

They dont need alot of food, and keeping your house very clean doesnt really help, if you live in Apts especially. They will raid pantrys, you will find them in Cupboards, Drawers, Electronics, Closests, ECT, ECT, its horrible and will drive you crazzy.

Thats why I say, they likely wouldn't infest where I live now, but I have serious PTSD dealing with them growing up, I cant do it lol.

First video I could find, not that I need a video I lived it, its not cool.


Those might be Americans, hard to tell, but they have the save Requirements of Breeding/Surviving.


Again though, I am not sure how much issues outside of Desert Climates. Like how Florida has bans on Dubia, AZ should probably have Bans on turks, but we dont.

Strange that they need water to reproduce, yet are found in deserts lol. I believe you though. I'm familiar with florida living and there are roaches everywhere, rich or poor.