AlexS

Aside from the four commonly available ones: distanti, posticus, "Ivory" and "Pantanal", are any other species of Eublaberus available to the private keeper? I currently have Six Spots, Orange Heads and Ivories, and would be interested to know if any of the others are in culture. Kindest regards, Alex

Hi, Thank you for clearing up the confusion concerning winged/ wingless females. I know I was planning on using them for feeders so it really shouldn't matter, but I think the two-tone wingless nymphs are actually quite attractive, it would have been nice to have adults that remained like that. So, my confusion concerning the above has been rectified, but what about sexually reproductive populations of surinamensis? Is this more internet misinformation, or does such a thing exist? Kindest regards, Alex

Hi, Thank you for taking the time to reply. Winged and wingless females as well as males are mentioned on pestnet.com, a wingless female is also pictured here http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Animals+of+Queensland/Insects/Cockroaches/Common+species/Surinam+Cockroach

Hi, I'm considering starting a colony of Surinam roaches to add to the other feeders I breed for my geckos and varanids, but I have a couple of concerns I want to address beforehand. My main fear is being over-run by them, I've heard many horror stories about just how quickly a colony will grow. Ordinarily I feed off large numbers of males if one colony starts to get out of control but obviously this wouldn't be possible with an all female species like P. surinamensis however I have read that males of the species do occur in countries outside of the US, and wondered if there are sexually reproductive populations of P. surinamensis to be found? One Australian website mentioned males being found occasionally, but still listed the species as reproducing asexually. I thought that parthenogenesis produced exact clones of the mother, so how come males can occur in all female populations? If there are sexually reproductive populations of the Surinam roach, are they in culture? Secondly, I understand that there are both winged and wingless females to be found. Echoing my earlier comments about parthenogenesis producing exact replicas of the parent, how can we account for different morphological traits? Do wingless females produce only wingless offspring, or are there different strains of P. surinamensis in culture? Sorry for the long-winded post. Thanks in advance for any information you are able to provide. Kindest regards, Alex

I've been mixing vitamin supplements and gutloads for a number of years now, although I've yet to settle on a final recipe even after all this time. Two grains that are worth looking at, but which aren't as widely available as others, are Fonio and Teff. Fonio is especially popular amongst bird-keepers, and if you've ever seen a flock of birds decimate a cup of Fonio seconds after it was introduced into their aviary you'll understand why it's so popular amongst aviculturists. Fonio has tonic properties, and it's generally well accepted by roaches and various worms (I've also had good success feeding it to locusts, but I don't think they're widely used as feeders in the US.) Teff is generally regarded as the most nutritious of all grains, and has the higher calcium content than other grains I believe. Apart from Fonio and Teff, I mostly use the sprouted forms of other grains, they have a higher protein content than un-sprouted grains, and the sprouting process itself lowers the level of phytic acid found in the grains. I use: Amaranth Sprouts; sprouted Barley (brand name Activated Barley); Buckwheat Sprouts; Chia Sprouts; Flaxseed Sprouts and Sunflower Sprouts (which contain all known vitamins). These provide good levels of Amino Acids, Fatty Acids, Fibre and a range of B vitamins. If you really want to up the protein content you can add Brown Rice Protein and Hemp. Rice has a strongly negative Calcium: Phosphorous ratio though, so you want to add some high CA foods to offset this. Nutritionally Hemp is very good but it isn't always that palatable, so I only mix in small quantities. I also mix in Carob powder because of it's high Calcium content. In addition to the aforementioned seeds and grains, I use Spirulina and Chlorella, as well as Hydrilla and Dunaliella algae. Hydrilla has one of the highest levels of Calcium you can find in any food and Dunaliella is known as the richest source of carotenoids. Sometimes I mix in small quantities of Barley Grass and Wheat Grass; nutritionally these are very good, but you have to be careful because they are also very rich and can cause digestive upset if too much is fed. Other foods that I include regularly are: Goji Berry powder; Hawthorn Berry powder and Cayenne Pepper, these two food together increase circulation and enhance the availability of all other foods they are mixed with; Jarrah Tree Pollen and Noni Fruit, which acts as an enzyme activator and will increase assimilation of other foodstuffs. Kindest regards, Alex

Hi, I got my first starter culture of the Honey Mushroom, an edible luminescent fungi, from a UK supplier, The Mushroom Box. I believe Black Jungle Terrarium supply sell a starter culture for you guys in the US. Most luminous fungi aren't suitable as human foodstuffs, but there is no research for reptiles so progress is slow. I'm feeding species other than the Honey mushroom to my isopod colonies and to my feeder roach colonies without ill effect thus far, so fingers crossed. Kindest regards, Alex

Hi again, Thanks for the reply. If I do set up any breeding colonies of species not often used as feeders, they will be supplemental to the other colonies I have going at the moment, so breeding speed isn't a big concern for me, thinking more along the lines of how soft-bodied a particular species is. That being said, if you as a roach enthusiast think they're too beautiful to feed, then I can certainly respect that. The main reason I lighted on Lucihormetica subcincta as a potential candidate was because I remember a forum post (not sure which forum) where someone compared them to dubias, and also because they consume bio-luminescent fungi and I'm currently experimenting with the use of these fungi for colour enhancement in the reptiles I keep. Kindest regards, Alex

Hi, Just wondering if anyone has any experience with using Lucihormetica subcincta as a feeder roach? Has anyone found that they make good feeders? I keep mainly geckos and varanids, and have several colonies of the more common feeder roaches: Dubias, Eublaberus prosticus, various Blaberus sp. and Cuban Burrowing Roaches, but I have noticed that a lot of my reptiles have distinct preferences for certain types and wanted to start experimenting with various species not often used as feeders to see if I can find something that they'll really like. Kindest regards, Alex