shealy

I think you are probably right about the non-refrigeration aspect. But what about a good chow mix formula?

Hi all, I have read all I can about creating a great roach chow recipe. I have seen yeah and nay about dog and cat food. I have seen lots of livestock feed (poultry, fish, etc.). And even more exotic feeds such as ferret food. With these also comes different contents added like oats, bee pollen, spirulina, brewer's yeast, different cereals and other stuff too. I am raising four species of roach currently. Dubia, Discoids, Mad. Hissers and Halloween Hissers. I will be adding Turks soon. I have experimented with several types of recipes. Each one gets nibbled on but not devoured. Especially the Hissers--they seem to ignore the chows. Now, I also feed fruits and vegetables several times a week, but I am looking for a great staple that is highly desired. I have been using Purinas Game Fish pellets as my protein mixed along with Purina Layena Chicken feed too. I mix Honey Nut Cheerios and Oats along with that. The Mix is 2 cups fish food, 1 cup Chicken food, 2 cups cheerios (they take up alot of volume so 2 cups is not much) and a 1/2 cup of oats. I am open to just about anything, though, in terms of contents. I am just wanting a great chow that is highly desired by each of my species. In addition to the chow--has anyone every used water crystals to make a gel that is other than just plain water? I am thinking that I might try making gel from Orange Juice since oranges themselves are highly devoured by each of the species. Thoughts on the gel with orange juice would be greatly appreciated. Thoughts (or better yet, recipes with measurements) on the roach chow would be also greatly appreciated. Happy Roaching!

So springtails are better than isopods? Do they also consume the dead and frass? Also, where could I obtain some? Thanks!

Is there any other critters out there that can keep an enclosure clean? What I'm looking for is not just mold, but what about dead roaches, exoskeletons, and frass? Is there such a bug that can live harmoniously with roaches (not eat them) and clean up after them? I'd appreciate any help.

I was also curious about this topic ever since I came across this article: http://www.store.repashy.com/can-feeder-insect-diets-contribute-to-gout-in-reptiles.html Does this article seem accurate or just a sales pitch?

I have decided to heat the room where my roaches are being kept (vs. each individual container). I have some wall panels doing the job, but they seem to max out with the room being between 80-82 degrees F. Humiditiy is augmented by a humidifier which can get the room to as high as 70% but usually keeps it at about 60%. Dubia, Discoids and Turks are kept in the room. Is this temperature range and humidity range adequate for constant breeding and/or molting?

Are these available to purchase in the U.S.?

I was thinking once a week too, but when I asked this question on other forum sites, I was told not to do more than twice a month as that would disrupt breeding too much. Disrupting breeding? If once a week, I shake down the colony into separation tubs (taking about 10 minutes) would that seriously effect breeding? Is once a week okay or too much? Sorry for sounding like a broken record, but I would like to have others weigh in also. Either to confirm what I was orginally thinking (and roachboy's answer) or to dissuade that thought and offer a more conservative time table. Thanx roachboy for weighing in, though.

Bump

With shipping in a box inside of a box idea, how do the roaches get air? I'm assuming a layer of packing tape is securing at least the outside box. Are ventilation holes punched into either or both boxes or does the cardboard "breathe"?

The question of how often I should "harvest" the babies is still foggy to me. Once a week? Every two weeks? Less often?

Are Gyna sp. available in the U.S.? They are an incredible looking roach.

So taking the 7-1 ratio into account, my new breeder bin numbers would be 2 breeder bins each with 2100 females and 300 males. Then 2 smaller bins to "harvest" the babies into. Then two more bins to ugrade the larger nymphs into, and finally, 2 more larger bins to keep "extra" females and males that mature in separately. How does this sound?

Thank you for your help. Are you just providing humidity with water crystals then?

Would all 4 bins be breeder bins or would you have one breeder bin and 3 nymph bins? If it is the later, how do you decide what nymph goes where and for how long? Thanks for your advice.