Aaron the RoachRancher

AGAIN THANKYOU ALL YOU ARE ALL SO AWESOME AND HELPFUL!!! Mine really didn't like the hamburger much, I may have over cooked it. But I just saw another batch of babies. They really seem to dig the frozen thawed pinky rats and mice ,so since that is working for me I think I will continue to use it. I buy in bulk for my snakes so it is not much an added expense. Just FYI, I am only feeding 3-4 FT pinky rats/mice at a time( every 10 days is what I plan) and removing the very small amount that is left ( not even recognizable as a rodent carcase, they even seem to eat the smaller bones!!!!probably going after the marrow ) within 36 hrs of putting it in there. I do feed fruit and vegis but those they just seem to nibble on very infrequently. Again I can't thank you all enough for you help and I was shocked at the amount conversation this generated. Remember to keep it Light hearted guys :rolleyes: thx again -aaron

Ok. The mite issue predatory mites ect ect .... I have a group of cave roaches and have just discovered dust mites in their cage. Fortunately they have been quarentined since I got them at the end of September. I just never moved them into the insect room ( THANK GOD). I have looked around and read about the predatory mites and other organic not toxic ways that would be harmless to the roaches. I spoke to an agricultural supply that sells a large variety of predatory mites for use in greenhouses ect. They advised for me to use Flour of Sulfur. Their resident expert stated that it would ELIMINATE the mites and would be completely harmless to my B. giganticus , and many other spieces of larger inverts. I am getting some very soon ( it is really cheap and can be found at plant nurseries and possibly home depot, runs about 3-5$ a pound and is WAY cheaper then the predatory mites which can be very climate specific. many of the predatory mites will survive just fine in a greenhouse or in soil, but I raise alot of insects that i keep on no substrate and the predatory mites would not do well in the temps and humidities that I maintain ( 95 and 50% ). I will post an update as soon as I have tried it. I will expose 1 B giaganticus to the flour of sulfur and also the mites .... this could be the end all be all to the dust/grain mite problems that I have read about ...lets see.

Hey everyone. First thanks for the help. I just saw a group of babies ( like 1/8 inch or just a touch bigger) So the adults must be eating. I also just made up some burgers for them. We will see how much they like them ...... Thanks again everyone you are all awesome!!!!!! :D ;D

Wow. Mine hardly drink water at all. It might be the humidity though, I keep it around 70% for them with daily misting, heck they are probably drinking the water from the misting more then the gel. I picked up some hamburger last night...I will cook it up for them for tonight. Thanks for your help

I have abut 100 giant cave roaches, just turning into adults. They barely eat fruits ( apples oranges bananas ....) they sort of nibble the dry mix I use for my lobsters, lateralis, dubias, discoids, and hissers. The only thing I have seen them attack with any gusto is meat. I fed them some freezer burnt thawed pinky rats and they DEVOURED them. I have tried canned tunafish and they wouldn't touch it.... any suggestions ( heat 75-80 , humidity 65-75...daily mistings. substrate coco fiber bedding .. ) Any suggestions ???

Well, hello. I just browsed this forum for about 10 minutes and it is definitely an EXCELLENT forum. I am glad i found it through the mantid forum. About me? Well i had a Madagascar hisser as a kid. That was quite awhile ago. I currently have quite a few snakes, lizards and frogs. I also have 5 species of roach and 2 more on the list. I am interested in breeding roaches mainly for reptile food, although i recognize the enthusiast aspect as well. I received my lobster roaches around feb of this year or as early as nov of last year. I will have to look. From there i jumped on the blatta lateralis, madagascars, dubias in a month or two and discoids just 5 months ago. I am glad to find another forum that is dedicated roaches and keeping. The health issues section is very interesting and I look forward to reading more and seeing more. If you want to email me please go ahead. I am open to discuss blood trades, issues, and techinique ect ect. Roaches I have Madagasar hissers Blatta lateralis lobster roaches dubias discoids desired species Giant Cave Roach ( preferably large nymphs or adults ) Peppered Roach ( still considering this one) ??????? sugesstions? i am thinking non climbing/flying and prolific breeding with little to no smell. I have found from talking to people that the sensitivity to the bugs is an individual thin)