Roach keeping question.

[chamlover]

I've started keeping roaches in the last few months and i have a couple of questions.

1. What do most of you use for a substrate? I've currently got 2 colonies and i use paper towels in one and mulch in the other. They love the mulch, and i use that in the one i usually don't feed out of cause other wise its just too darn hard to catch the little ones. The paper towels doesn't seem to be working out that well either. It smells more in that one then the one with the mulch. And it seems i'm cleaning it much more often.

2. Is there an easy way to catch the little ones? Using tweezers is taking me all day. lol. And i'm not really into touching them. Don't mind touching the little ones, but to put my hand in there and have a big one climb on me, will still freak me out.

Thanks,
Debby

 

[robmd1]

only thing in my two bins for a substrate is there poopgives lil ones place to hide and i use egg crate and just tap them off into a cup..

 

[ponders]

I don't use any substrate, just the glass tank with paper towel tubes and egg crate. Other people have suggested using small diameter tubes/pipe that only the little ones can fit in, but i haven't had any luck with that, they seem to like the texture of the paper towel tubes better.

 

[stokelyw]

I don't use anything just besides egg crates stacked upright and that is it

 

[michelle g]

I have a big dubia roach colony.
I dont use a substrate at all just have lots of egg cartons. I feed dried cat biscuits and veg and have a heat mat under the plastic tub and they breed like mad.
To seperate i use tweezers to catch the larger ones and put them in a bucket temporarily, i can then shake the eggtrays with the smaller ones off into another tub where they stay until they are used for feeding..
I usually wait until i have 100s of smaller ones before i go through this and that is what i feed from for some weeks and leave the adults to breed again.
Im like you and dont like the idea of touching the adults.

M

 

[ijmccollum]

I have a big dubia roach colony.
I dont use a substrate at all just have lots of egg cartons. I feed dried cat biscuits and veg and have a heat mat under the plastic tub and they breed like mad.
To seperate i use tweezers to catch the larger ones and put them in a bucket temporarily, i can then shake the eggtrays with the smaller ones off into another tub where they stay until they are used for feeding..
I usually wait until i have 100s of smaller ones before i go through this and that is what i feed from for some weeks and leave the adults to breed again.
Im like you and dont like the idea of touching the adults.

M

What kind of heat mat are using under plastic?

 

[ghettomike]

I don't use a substrate, just poop.lol

[QUIOTE=ijmccollum;399718]What kind of heat mat are using under plastic?[/QUOTE]

I use one a sunbeam brand heating pad from shoppers drugmart, its actually for people but it works great, just make sure you get one that does not have automatic shutoff.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I use wood chips.

 

[michelle g]

What kind of heat mat are using under plastic?

Its only a small very low wattage one - about 4 inchs by 10 inches on a matstat but to be honest it is that small the stat isnt really needed its just precaution.
There is also a small gap under the tub so air can circulate.
I keep them in a RUB(really useful box) from staples. They seem to cope with heat very well as ive kept several leos and royal pythons in them in the past with no melting or warping etc of the plastic x

 

[Monkeykungphu]

Another roach keeping question... I've been keeping my dubias in outside in my porch area in a plastic tub. Is it necessary to have the heat pad under the tub if the night temps are 80 deg. & daytime temps are 100 degrees in Dallas right now?

I would think that would be plenty warm enough without a heat pad. Just wondering if anyone thinks I should go ahead & keep the heat pad under the tub even with the current HOT temps in Dallas?

 

[michelle g]

Another roach keeping question... I've been keeping my dubias in outside in my porch area in a plastic tub. Is it necessary to have the heat pad under the tub if the night temps are 80 deg. & daytime temps are 100 degrees in Dallas right now?

I would think that would be plenty warm enough without a heat pad. Just wondering if anyone thinks I should go ahead & keep the heat pad under the tub even with the current HOT temps in Dallas?

That seems more than hot enough - are they in direct sunlight?
Dubias like to be in the dark ive been informed. I keep mine in the cupboard where the boiler is completely in the dark/nice and quiet all the time and they breed brilliantly!

 

[Monkeykungphu]

That seems more than hot enough - are they in direct sunlight?
Dubias like to be in the dark ive been informed. I keep mine in the cupboard where the boiler is completely in the dark/nice and quiet all the time and they breed brilliantly!

It's always shaded where they're at, never any sunlight there. I suppose moving them into a darker location, say the garage, couldn't hurt though.

 

[michelle g]

It's always shaded where they're at, never any sunlight there. I suppose moving them into a darker location, say the garage, couldn't hurt though.

Garage sounds good and im guessing it will still be pretty hot in there in those temps! Im sooo jealous....the uk has rubbish weather!

 

[Timorbob]

Josh's Frogs has a good video of how to set up a roach colony. They say to keep them in coco fiber as a substrate, which is what I used & seems to be working out really well. You can spray the fiber as it dries out & it keeps their humidity up. They seem to like to dig down into it. On one end I keep alternately stacked egg crates. The bottom one got a little damp at first cause I used one of those coco fiber bricks, which you soak in water at first to get it to expand, but as the fiber has been slowly drying out the bottom egg crate is drying out too. I may just replace it now though, & just keep the other half of the substrate damp. Check out the video, it's under their How-to Guides tab, under the Feeder Insects heading. As far as the heating pad in Dallas goes, I'm sure your temps are definitely warm enough right now in the summer. I'm in Virginia & I'm not using one. I keep my colony out in my shed, and my roaches are thriving.

 

[tonis]

I put mine in the Garage temps around 80, I just separate the adults and baby into a different container, and this morning I check the adult container
Already saw like 10+ baby running around~ so crazy!!!!

 

[DGray]

you're not alone

Garage sounds good and im guessing it will still be pretty hot in there in those temps! Im sooo jealous....the uk has rubbish weather!

So does San Francisco...

My roaches live on a heating pad and breed faster than greenflies (aphids).

BTW, I use a layer of fine barkdust as a substrate.

 

[chamlover]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. 1 colony is losing their substrate. lol

 

[lisagr07]

Another roach keeping question... I've been keeping my dubias in outside in my porch area in a plastic tub. Is it necessary to have the heat pad under the tub if the night temps are 80 deg. & daytime temps are 100 degrees in Dallas right now?

I would think that would be plenty warm enough without a heat pad. Just wondering if anyone thinks I should go ahead & keep the heat pad under the tub even with the current HOT temps in Dallas?

i've got mine in a plastic tub in the garage.
in the lid i cut out a 12x12" area and placed screen over it.. food, water gel and egg crate vertically and they seem to be doing fine,, so far..
it's HOT here now and sure to get hotter as the summer ensues.
i may place a small fan to blow over the lid as it gets hotter... i don't see any need for a heat pad here during the summer, maybe as winter arrives...

 

[Monkeykungphu]

What's everyone's opinions/ideas on whether seperating the adults from the rest of the colony encourages breeding?