crepsis

I have never, ever seen any roaches in any of my places in either Seattle (1 apartment), Minneapolis (8 apartments/houses), Wyoming (1 house), Colorado (2 houses). I have, however, seen an apartment or possibly two (I can't remember if I saw roaches in the second place, but my friend who lived there said his cat would chase them around and eat them ) in Minneapolis that appeared to be infested with B. germanica. They were both right outside downtown in old brownstones built in the '20s or '30s. I would *guess* that if you happen to SEE a pest species in your living area (and you live in an area that has a real winter), that it could very well be infested already.

Hey guys! I would like your thoughts to help streamline my plan. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Zoomed under tank heaters? I was planning on my very first pet roach display tank being a 5.5 gallon (at least just to start out), with a Zoomed UTH that fits the 10-20 gallon size aquarium, because it will cover 2/3 of the bottom of the 5.5 gallon aquarium. Does anyone think this brand UTH and setup will work well for roaches? If I use this as my setup, what substrates (only planning on a relatively thin layer...not more than 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick) would work well conducting the heat? I used to have coconut husk bedding in my toad tank, but it seemed like it was insulating the UTH and keeping most of the heat outside the aquarium, so I don't want to use that for this application... Here's what I was planning on substrate, does this sound good? Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of putting a very thin layer of sand (mixed with a bit of activated carbon) maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick over the whole bottom. And then, only on the left side on top of the sand, another layer (up to 1 inch thick) of either spagnum moss or a chunky/bark/wood strip type substrate (to help with humidity, along with any decorations (i.e. driftwood pieces, silk plants, ceramic/resin naturalistic pieces) to increase the surface area for climbing and hiding, and aesthetics. I would put the food and water over on the right side where there's only sand. The UTH would be under the left 2/3 of the tank. Can non-climbing species climb on silk plants, to hide between the leaves, if they're layered? What about plastic ones? I saw some dark green sphagnum moss (fluker, I think)...it looks like it may have been dyed. Is it fine to use (because of the dye)? Also, for food/water dishes, I really like these small kidney shaped glazed ceramic dishes that I've seen at one of the pet stores here, but they are very smooth (glass like )...would non-climbing species nymphs be able to climb in and out of these (I'd say they are very shallow, like 1/2 inch deep at the very most and maybe 1 1/2 inches wide) or would I need to go with a rougher texture dish (like those resin/plastic faux {really faux!} stone dishes), or no dish. The ceramic dishes could be sunk in the sand as far as they will go...it's climbing out that I am more concerned with (...or maybe they won't even think to try to climb in because it will be too slick). I *really* like the kidney shaped dishes, plus they come in such cool colors, including lime green! Oh, btw, this setup will be for a starter pet colony of B. craniifer. Thanks in advance for your (experienced) input! (I know, I like parenthesis way too much!)

That is truly amazing, I almost can't even visualize a katydid that large! (I'm holding out my hands 7 inches apart and trying to see it, and I'm in shock!) One question though: What is it that allows insects in tropical parts of the world to grow so big? Are there any theories or facts on this? I once read somewhere that insects in the Carboniferous (? I think) period were so gigantic because there was a higher oxygen ratio in the air on the planet back then...could it be that there is a higher oxygen ratio in tropical areas, or do the same large species grow as large in captivity here in the US or wherever?

I just used elmer's white glue (dried before put in the container), and it doesn't seem to come apart where I have it now, although the enclosure is considerably less humid, maybe around 40-50%....every once in a while there are water droplets in the corners (it's a rubbermaid container, I'd guess between 7.5-10 gallons)...then I take off the lid and let it air out. I wouldn't imagine that dried elmer's glue would come apart, but I guess it could...I wanted to use something non-toxic, in case it gets nibbled on. I also do pick the "apartments" up and look at the levels in between, and tilt or shake out the droppings every few days, and they seem to be as solid as ever. I would imagine you could use any adhesive you like though...

This is a great idea! If you don't have the funds to make it out of masonite and hardware, you can take a little time to put together the same thing with corrugated cardboard and white glue. If you make them this way, although it can't be broken down, it sure does reduce stress on insects that like to be in contact with surfaces. I've done the same thing and made several "apartment buildings" for my crickets out of corrugated cardboard...they are much happier with them, then without them. What I did: Just cut out however many rectangles of the same size with an exacto knife on top of an old magazine (mine are about 4x6 inches), in order to make the different floors/levels. Then took about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips of cardboard the same length as the rectangles and glued them with a thin strip of glue on either side of the rectangle floors, building up the sides to however wide you want the levels to be...some can be thinner spaces for nymphs, and some can be thicker levels for adults. This took a whole lot of them, since most of my levels are between 3 and 4 layers of cardboard thick (which takes 6-8 strips total per level). Then put a heavy book on top when done gluing, for about 30 minutes, removed it and let dry an hour or two before using.

Thanks Orin, I've sent a pm to him to see if he knows someplace I can read more on the subject, or if he could answer some of my questions (see below). Some of the things that I would like to know about Lucihormetica (L. fenestrata, L. subcincta, L. verrucosa) include: Do we know what makes males of Lucihormetica spp in the wild glow (i.e. light cycle, rainy season, diet), or have controlled experiments been set up in the lab to test any theories? What are the specifics of the luciferin-luciferase reaction in the wild specimens that allows them to glow?(maybe a missing amino acid in their captive diet, and do they manufacture their own luciferin and luciferase)

Would it be possible that only the species L. fenestrata is the type that has the ability to bioluminesce? Is that species in collector culture in the US?

These are a beautiful roach! Do they bioluminesce? Or what is the reason that they are called "Glow Spot" roaches?

Hi Zephyr, great experiment! You might want to try a pure silicone fluid - like Dimethicone (Polydimethylsiloxane). It's used in all sorts of "product" for humans (including food!) - and is inert, so it's safe all-around. One place I've found it that you can get the pure form of it is Clearco Products....they send out samples, so they might even send you a couple different types for free, if you explain your project to them. It has such a low viscocity that you could probably just put a little on a cotton ball or tissue paper and wipe it on the enclosure's top three inches or so - a little would go a REALLY long way. Actually, now that I think about it, it would probably be such an effective "barrier" that you might be able to get away with one that is less than three inches. I also noticed that they have it in varying viscocities, so you could pick one that is thicker or thinner - whichever you like better or whichever ends up working better - I would imagine that the standard viscocity or a low viscocity would be best all-around. It's as clear as water, it doesn't evaporate, it doesn't glob up, it repels water, it's ultra long-lasting, and it's super-slick! Plus it would be such a thin coating that you almost wouldn't be able to see it +++! In fact the only problem with it is that it's harder than vaseline to wash off - it really stays anywhere you put it (but that could be seen as a really good thing too). I was thinking of trying to use this stuff as a barrier if I ever plan on a colony of climbers, either hissers, or maybe the Hormetica spp. ...escpecially since it would be way more aesthetically pleasing than big thick globs of vaseline all over the place! Has anybody else ever tried it?

I have a Double Yellowheaded Amazon parrot, Panamamaru, that I got when he still had his pinfeathers in, 13 years ago. Hand-raised him myself with formula and regular 4 hour feedings and all! He's a great bird, but when I was living by myself in Minneapolis, he never really got exposed to as many people as he should have been, so he's not properly socialized, and if I'm in the room with anybody else and they get near him, he'll puff up and look at them menacingly, and sometimes squawk at them (and if they get close enough, lunge! yikes!). He's OK with strangers if they're the only ones in the room (especially if they give him treats). That's because I think he's "bonded" to me, instead of being properly socialized, so he gets jealous easy! His nickname's Panamamaru....mainly because he looked like a Panama Amazon when his first feathers came out on his head when he was a baby. Don't have a camera or scanner with me here, yet, so unfortunately can't send any pics. Also just got a baby Woodhouse Toad a couple months ago now (I think that's about right), about the size of a dime, but now he's almost adult size already, I'd say he (actually, come to think of it, I think it might be a she) about the size of a golfball. That's Toady (yeah I know, real imaginitive right? ) I had caught a big momma toad prior to Toady - biggest Woodhouse Toad I've ever seen maybe about 3-4 inches from snout to vent, but she was always trying to get out through the glass of the terrarium, so I went ahead and gave her a big meal of pet store crickets and then let her go...I felt too bad to keep her locked up after she'd been out in the wild for I-don't-know-how-many years. I also have 10 Gryllus veletus (Spring Field Crickets,6 females and 4 males) that I caught outside (from three different places in the city) a couple months ago now, and have been keeping nice and toasty warm with a steady supply of food and water. I'm attempting to see if I can culture them, so I guess for right now they are pets! Since this species overwinters as mid-size nymphs, their eggs don't have to go through diapause to hatch. I figure if the culture gets started, great, I'll have a steady supply of healthy food that I can control the nutritional content of, for Toady. Hopefully after they mature and lay eggs, I'll see some babies walking around! These crickets are actually pretty funny, for one thing, they're way more aggressive and territorial than the A. domesticus crickets. They're super greedy too! Just a few minutes ago, I put in some chunked up monkey chow (usually I powder it), and this one cricket grabbed the biggest piece he could find and dragged it about 5 inches away and an inch or two up off the ground to his tier of the cricket motel I built for them out of cardboard. I wouldn't even have noticed it, had it not been making such a ruckus scrabbling up the cardboard with a big piece of food, which was way more than it could consume in one sitting, since it was maybe a just a little smaller than the cricket itself. Another cricket on the same tier went over to check out the food that the first one had brought back, and the first one chased it away (about 3 inches away) off the tier completely and then went back to eating, but just for a split second, then took a look at a third cricket that was on the same tier and promptly chased it away too. (I swear I could almost hear it yelling "get your own!" as it did this.) Who knew? Don't have any roaches yet, but the research on crickets led me to roaches, and now I'm excited about getting some B. craniifer to start out a pet colony. I figure if they ever get overpopulated, and they're not too fast for Toady to catch, I can always feed the excess off to him. Probably going to try and get some either at the end of next week or the week after that (after I get a hab set up for them). Since it's going to be a display setup, I just can't decide if I want to make it naturalistic, futuristic, artistic, urban, or boring and cheap (at least just to start out).

I have Zupreem monkey biscuits around for my parrot, and I have been feeding it to my crickets, so I know they'll eat it...the protien content is 20%, 5% fat, 2.5% fiber...and loads of vitamins and minerals. Since it's meant for omnivores (primates) it has decent ingredients...would that protein content be too low to feed as a staple, at least for a while? Has anybody ever fed that exclusively for a while and noticed any differences in their colonies at all? I don't have any roaches yet, but am planning on starting a B. craniifer colony.

Has anybody tried monkey chow? I have Zupreem monkey chow on hand as a treat for my parrot...I feed it to my crickets, and I know they'll eat it, but I haven't tried giving them anything else yet.

Thanks for the info! That was the main thing that I was afraid of with getting two or more different lines, the risk of contaminating a good line with one that may have inadvertantly been hybridized, if people with experience think it's ok, then it's fine to start out with craniifers from just one line, then that's even better for me - less shipping charges! Plus it won't really make any difference one way or the other since all the lines came from one original line anyway... Well thanks again, I'm looking forward to reading more all about them on here.

Thanks all! I appreciate any and all advice given!

Hi, my name's Chris. I recently was given a baby Woodhouse toad, Toady, and have had a Double Yellowheaded Amazon parrot, Panamamaru (his nickname after watching way too much Inuyasha), for about 12 years. I've been doing a lot of research on crickets (as feeders for Toady), and I am currently attempting to culture "wild crafted" *ha!* Gryllus veletus - the black spring field cricket. That's how I ran across roaches as feeders - and the benefits of not having stinky, noisy crickets around, something I realized I may have to deal with should I be successful with my ongoing cricket adventure. (You know, that last sack of Acheta crickets from the pet store almost made me gag!) I have always been totally fascinated with the sciences, mainly life sciences, genetics, and (almost) any sort of animal (and plant!) husbandry. So naturally, the more and more I read about keeping roaches as feeders for other animals, and now as fascinating and beautiful pets in their own right, the more I find myself coming to the conclusion that I have to start a colony. (No, no, there's nothing you can say to sway my mind, it's made up!) The species that I have decided to start this adventure with is Blaberus craniifer. Why, you ask? It's elementary: they don't fly, so they won't fly out of the vivarium that I set up for them, nor will they be able to climb the glass, which is a great bonus, and since they are tropical, they will not be able to live and breed without the proper environment, should they escape (escpecially good traits for a starter species for an insect I have almost no experience with - My experience lies in hearing societal stigma against roaches, and the fact that I once saw a bunch of tiny roaches in this guy's bathroom in Minneapolis, about 1/2 an inch long, and back then I thought that was really gross). Since this is a typically slower breeding species (from what I've read), this would be ideal for me, since I am mainly interested in starting and keeping the culture, rather than using them as feeders (at least initially, if I get overpopulated, then I'll see if Toady likes 'em). I think that this species is about the most eye-catching, and nice-looking of any of the ones out there, and I look forward to observing and experiencing them first hand. So, that being said, that's pretty much why I'm here, I'm looking for more information to start, and a couple weeks to a month down the road, I'll most likely be looking to aqcuire some true Blaberus craniifer. So I'd certainly be happy to hear from anyone with advice and anyone who has true craniifer cultures (or knows where they can be purchased). When I get around to acquiring them I will probably be looking for craniifers that preferably have never been hybridized at all (if that's even possible, from what I've read most all of the lines in the US have been at one point or another), and maybe also craniifers from a couple different lines, so I start with a good, strong genetic base. Looking forward to it... Nice to meet ya! PS One question that has just come to mind that I have been wondering for a while now - Are roach populations subject to any type of deleterius effects resulting from inbreeding depression, and if so, what do they tend to be?