Ozymandias

haven't been on much (life got really busey) but saw this recentlly and though of your guys. thereptilereport.com/the-blue-roach/

and i'm sorry i just cant agree with you there especially when it comes to my geckos. i'm a ferm believe that all of my animals evolved to cope with certain condition in the wild and if those conditions, especially in diet, varry to wildly there bodies cant deal with it well. hell this is why i use RO water with my A. Felinus because thay cant handle the heavy mineral content in normal tap water and if i did use tap water on them i would kill them prematurely if used over long term. Also I'm not saying you cant use dog food or such to feed you pet roaches because i could care less. I'm just saying know the dietary requirement of your reptiles and go from there on what you feed to your feeder roaches. Edit: also high levels of uric acid aren't great even in animals (such as humans) who can excrete excess uric acid which most roaches cant as i understand it so it build up in the body over long term.

ok with the harm to reptiles at least with geckos (who need a different diet then say monitors or other lizards) is it can lead to liver problems and gout. So you want to a gutload that is lower in protein, 18% and lower is best for all the geckos species i know of. this probably differs in other lizards as i mentioned, monitors will probably need a different diet then say bearded dragons . if youre just keeping them as pets go a head and feed what every you want but if you are using them as a feeder i would defantlly do some research on what the animal you plan to feed them to need in terms there diet and go from there on what you feed the roach. also i remember reading some where that most roaches cant really expel uric acid which can accumulate in there bodies and lead to a premature death if feed long term. http://www.store.repashy.com/can-feeder-insect-diets-contribute-to-gout-in-reptiles.html now this is from repashy so he is trying to sell his gutload but he is pretty respectable when it comes to his research on things.

i would think it would be fine as long as you offer them some other water source

ya i never have a problem with cucumber all of my roaches seam to like it

god dam it now youre making me whan to set up a naturalistic tank, did you use layering for the substrate, drainage layer separated from the substrate with landscaping cloth or window screen?

lol sorry i was just think of the perfect feeder roach, lat are good but i'm convinced by this point there is ether strain being sold that is cold resistant (or a completely different species being sold as them) because i've heard a number of people who clame that thay have breed in there house for them especially with last winter being so freaky. the discoid along with the dubia (and most other feeder like them) are good but if you have an animal that doesn't respond to something that hunker down after a while there just not as useful. it was why i was wondering if there is a non climbing species of Eurycotis because thay have a really good size to them and are really active.

lol i actually have them but thay breed a little two easily in lower temps for my taste.

ok i've been constantly looking for a good feeder species for a while and was talking to a guy on a gecko forum about orange heads and there use as feeders and he mentioned that he would love to find a roach that in his words "was a non-climber large species with the size of dubia but also the reproductive rate and activity of lats or lobsters that would be the perfect roach." currently i'm keeping Eurycotis floridana (Florida Skunk Roach) for the fun of it and to see if my tokay will eat them once my colony is big enough. i love there size and movement especially for animals that need that quick move ment to stimulate there feeding response. no i was thinking are there any species of Eurycotis that don't climb smooth and are thay a similar size to the skunk roaches?

there usually used for reptiles like this this is what i do with heat tape thought

if you use heat tape make sure you have it on a thermostat or rheostat so it doesn't over heat and you should be fine. though if your not breeding it may be a bit over kill as heat tape is usually more used in a rack system.

ya like a tea, and well it's not doing any harm but i cant tell you how well it helps (i've always had good luck with plants)

i use it like i use bat guano, i'll ether mix a little when i plant something or i'll dilute it with water and water my plants with it.

na we just have to figure out how to get export/import papers and such then all go down there and go roach hunting

hell i would settle for more of the roach from central and south America and i imagine they must be easier to import than from Australia