Krissim Klaw

Clever idea gluing the dishes to the tile so they stay in place and don't tip/get substrate knocked all in them. I have a small species of roach and the nymphs can't climb slick surfaces so I ended up getting a Zoo Med repti rock food dish. It works great because it has texture so the tiny nymphs can climb over the ridge and in. Since I have substrate in the tank I make a slop in it so the dish is at an angle. This allows any roach that accidentally ends up on its back to easily flip back over. My crew eats too much for the fruit to have time to mold. I put in something like a half a banana, large hunk of apple, hunk of carrot, and zucchini and after two days everything is gone but dried husk of apple skin. Little pigs.

I've been using the gmail one. It wouldn't be so frustrating if it weren't for the fact the window of safely shipping insects is quickly closing in my area as the temps go up. I don't want to have to end up paying $30+ to overnight with ice packs in a couple of weeks when I could have safely ordered something now via priority.

Are people actually getting responses to emails at this point? I've been trying to order for over 6 months and put in a couple emails since he supposedly started taking orders again but am still getting the same radio silence as before.

I've seen this happen more than a few times over the years. With inverts the workload can really creep up on you because initially each new acquisition doesn't seem like it will be much of a time sink. Eventually they start adding up, colonies reproduce and grow larger, and before you know it you are spending more time doing busywork sort of care maintenance versus actually enjoying your bugs. I hope you are able to rekindle your love for inverts as you pair down.

They should reproduce without any problem in that size, but I'm not sure I would want to deal with them in such a tiny enclosure. The nymphs spend most their time below surface but the adults enjoy being topside and can climb very well and fly. While the adults don't tend to just fly out they will fly down should they say hit the top of the rim of something. In such a small space it just seems like it would be annoying trying to keep the adults in while doing stuff in the enclosure. I would probably look for something with a bit more vertical space for that reason.

I would stick something tempting in a jar with a line of Vaseline on the inside or water bottle with the top cut off and turn around so it acts as a funnel trap. Then I would just add some really tempting stuff inside and let the roaches come to you. Just make sure to have something with moisture in the trap so your adult dominoes don't dehydrate if they manage to climb in and get caught in the trap too.

I have my Panchlora nivea in a standard twenty gallon long with a basic slider lid. I have to say I really like the setup for them because of the rim that is around the cage on three sides when you slide out the lid. Whenever they run up the walls while I am working in the cage they always stop in the rim making it easy just to brush them out at my leisure versus them running up, over, and out a standard wall. I did have to modify it some by adding some clear masking tape around the edges of the lid to thicken it so it had a more snug, escape proof fit. Originally I was worried sliding the lid off might be a pain if they were hanging to it, but it actually ended up being nice in that regard too because of the tight fit as long as I go slow those up top will drop as I slide it off and they hit the outer wall. Another thing I tend to do is 10-30 minutes before I want to go in the tank is turn on a very bright desk light and shine it in the tank. Most of them will leave the lid/sides for darker areas and most tend to go inactive.

I don't have allergies to my roaches but I keep P. nivea and it is always so noticeable to me when the substrate starts to dry out. There is a heaviness to the air versus when the soil is nice and moist and the tank has a refreshed, it just rained sort of scent. I do think keeping the soil moist will help keep the frass particles at bay. I would suggest adding springtails to your clean up crew as they will keep mold from forming in the humid environment.

I have a 20 gallon-long-tank of these guys. I consider them moderately skittish. I find them to be a dorky lot. Seems I am constantly having to brush them off when doing things in their tank. When I first started out with 50 it felt like I was keeping a tank full of eco-earth as a pet. About 6 months in though the colony took off and now they are everywhere. The soil is a withering mass of nymphs and a lot of the adults hang out topsoil on the cage decorations, all the way up to the lid screening. The adults can be pretty to look at although they usually freeze up if there is too much light/movement. I tend to keep my tank covered with a towel when not doing stuff with them, so I am not sure if they will accumulate more to a more constant light source during the day. Usually when I am getting ready to do something in the tank I will shine a desklight I have in it for about 10 minutes prior because most of the adults will leave the screen if I do that. I don't use life plants, but I can say I got them one of exo terra's plastic boxwood bushes and that poor plant has lost 50-75% of its leaves at this point. It is made out of hard thick plastic and they don't eat the leaves per say so much as they sit and boredom chew through the plastic stems while perching in it. The poor thing looks like a stringy mess and I was planning to get a new one sometime soon. I will probably take some photos of the old one next to a new one to show the carnage when I do. I guess what I am saying is good luck with the live plants. That being said, they do love plants to hang out on. The adults get so thick sometimes it is like having a little tree with green roaches instead of leaves.

I find it less nerve wracking and more annoying these days. It seems like half the delivery people don't even knock anymore, so I find myself having to check constantly less I miss their arrival. Last time I ordered some feeder crickets even with constant checking the ants got them before I did because the delivery guy tossed them in the bushes.

Having read some of the studies and fiddled around with amounts, I've found leaving it to my P. Nivae to decide has been the best way to avoid issues. One of the things I find rather interesting about them is watching their varying prefrences at meal time. I offer a variety of veggies, fruits, oats, bark, leaf litter, and dog kibble on a regular basis. The nymphs swarm the kibble, meanwhile the adults seem way more keen on sticking to fruits/veggies. Even there however I've noticed other splits. For instance the nymphs really seem to love zuccine while the adults are especially partial to banana. When I initially started out I read some of the info on protein and began offering dog food as only a treat. This resulted in canniblisim. It was interesting in its own right to see. The nymphs would target a subadult as it shed to adulthood and tear into it like a pack of wolves until nothing was left.

But the expressions the workers make when they ask you what type of dog you are feeding and you answer roaches is priceless.

You know it is honestly hard to tell now because there is so many everywhere. Not suprising I notice a lot of white freshly shed nymphs in the more moister side. I think the adults prefer the slightly drier areas and I also think the nymphs favor it some to sleep. It is easier for them to dig. I almost never see the adults touching the dog food. The nymphs swarm that in droves however for the protien. To little of it and they will start acting as partial cleanup crew with the dead. I keep a steady supply of fruit/veggies in the tank, and that is what I see the adults eating the majority of the time. They seem to favor the sweeter stuff like bananas and apples. The nymphs on the other hand love the zucchini.

The males don't live that long. I lost my original boys fairly quickly. Everything about what you posted in the intro sounds good, so I'm surprised they aren't taking off. I've heard of people keeping the regular and giants in the same enclosure so I assumed the care was pretty much the same.I have mine set up in a twenty gallon long tank. There are several inches of coco fiber with some oak leaves for substrate, along with springtails and Alphitobius diaperinus for a cleanup crew. I tend to run a wetter side and drier side with the substrate. I have a fake plant (adults favorite hang out) cork bark, and a few other cage decorations. For food mine get fruit/veggies (banana, zucchini, apples, carrots, dark leafy greens), dog food, and plain oatmeal. My temp range tends to be 77-82 degrees.

Nooooooo, digging out all my soil seems like messy work. lolI was thinking about trying a trap since the nymphs can't climb. Stick in a little slick glass/plastic container. Dig it down in the soil/place some texture stuff so the nymphs can climb the outside then stick food in it so they are drawn in and will be trapped since they won't be able to climb back out.

I'm not sure if the "Giant" Panchlora are any different than the regular size, but I noticed it took a while for my colony to initally start. Some of it might be the nymphs are so tiny and stay below the substrate unless feeding so you might not even notice they are there until the numbers start to rise. I just remember I was starting to give up hope right around the time I finally started to see nymphs. Now I can't get the little buggars to stop.

A while back I got some Panchlora nivea in hopes I could get a colony going both to enjoy as pets and act as feeders for my pet mantises. To say it was a success is an understatement. My colony is way overproducing for my needs. I've tried to keep up with culling the numbers occasionally, but these little guys reproduce like roaches. Everytime I peak in the tank I see adults doing the dirty tango and the ladies are constantly pooping out more mouths to feed. The substrate has become a withering mass of roaches. It's the stuff of nightmares, well at least for someone with Katsaridaphobia. Although the adults are topside enough I can gather some for removal, the nymphs don't tend to leave the substrate so I'm not sure how best to remove some of the excess. Any tips for removing excess nymphs from semi moist coco fiber?

Instead of cardboard you might want to look into getting a few peices of cork bark. It doesn't get soggy, lasts a long time, looks nice, and the roaches enjoy chewing on it. I've had good luck with the species also. Once the colony gets kicking you will start to see dead adults. The males especially don't live that long, and if you are only seeing adults than I would guess they are aging out rather than husbandry problems. I have several inches of coco fiber, some leaf litter, and cork bark for my set up. I have a wet side and a drier side when it comes to substrate, so they can choose where to hang out depending on needs. I don't add a seperate water source for drinking since they get it from the substrate and food. Mine really enjoy their fruits/veggies. I find it interesting how the adults and nymphs can be drawn to certain foods. For instance the nymphs will inhale the zucchini I add while the adults love to swarm banana. I also add in a couple peices of dog food and sprinkle in some plain oatmeal every couple of days.

Thank you both for your input. That was what I was thinking but I'm still just rather surprised I managed to get a invader somehow. I've had a bunch of bins of different stuff over the years and never picked one up and it is ironic I got one in this tank considering it is the most proofed I have because the P. Nivea boys are so spritly. Maybe he managed to stow away on the cork bark since I did have that just sitting around for a while before I put it in the tank.I actually have a second roach I've been meaning to have I.D. but I haven't gotten around to taking a photo of it. This one I know is an accidental addition when I purchased my P. Niveas. I was going to snag him out for a photo shoot but one of my P. Nivea girls was giving birth right nearby where he was hiding and I didn't want to disturb her.

Anyone think they can ID the below roach? Earlier in the night when I went to place food in my Panchlora nivea tank I caught sight of this little interloper and I'm not sure if he somehow got in the tank or came with my shippment since I only acquired these guys a few months back. I live in FL if that helps. At his current size there is no way he could get in/out while the lid is on since I have this tank proofed so the skinny mini, escape artist boy P. niveas can't get out. For size refrence the white thing in the soil next to him is a piece of oatmeal. If neccessary I can try to get some better photos in the morning. He is super fast and I only only just managed to snag him out of the tank at 4am so it is to bed for me now.

Mine don't exist during the day, but I love to sneak peaks at them at night. I put a blanket over their tank at night since they are in my room. I'm always worried I will disturb them too much since I am such a night owl. Tonight when I peaked in, I spotted one of my adult females who had made a little cavern/burrow in the substrate against the edge of the tank. She was surrounded by a bunch of fresh looking nymphs. It was so adorable.

Have you sneaked a peak at them during the night around 2am-5am. That is when my adults get super active. I've caught males fluttering from one side of my tank to the other during that prime roaming time. That is also when they will climb the glass some testing the limits of their enclousure.

Assuming you live in the same house, next time he is out, hide a bunch of his prized spiders. When he asks where they are tell him you needed a protien source for your roaches and they were ground up to make this weeks food.You can let him know that since he loves sharing, you knew he wouldn't mind.

I'm jealous. I got 50 P. Nivea a while back, various stages from tiny nymphs to a couple adults, and have been wanting to take some photos, but mine are the most antisocial bugs ever. I have two lovely cork bark pieces in their enclouser but they much prefer burrowing down in the soil and have yet to use the cork at all for roosting. During the daylight hours it often feels like my twenty gallon tank is really just a breeding tank for springtails and A. diaperinus. I was begining to think I was doing something epicly wrong and my breeding attempts were going to be a flop, but a couple nights ago I finally spotted a bunch of new nymphs scurrying around, so hopefully all is not lost. I will continue to leave my peace offerings of fresh fruits/veggies at dusk each night in hopes that one day they will offer to model for some photos.

So they are really bad when it comes to escaping? Is this both the adults and nymphs? I know the adults can climb good and fly, but when researching I saw a lot of people mention the nymphs especially seem way more interested in burrowing into the moist substrate than climbing. I was planning on giving them a few inches of moist substrate along with adding some springtails and isopods to keep things clean for me. My main gripe with crickets is I am so over cleaning up cricket poo.I was hoping to use my 20L tank that I used to use as my breeder bin for crickets. The lid is pretty solid as far as tank lids go and keeping the adults and larger nymphs in wouldn't be a problem. I'm sure though the teeny tiny ones could probably find a way out though if they were really determined, which would be a bummer. I know I have seen a couple P. Nivea over the years, but my mind is drawing a blank on specific locations. I don't currently have a black light for night hunting. I know I really ought to get one. The closest my lazy bum currently comes though is occasionally using the porch light to draw in stuff. I've got a bunch of a fat toads though that live under our horse trailer/spa that like to pilfer what I draw in. The gluttons don't take long to appear once they see the light is on. Hahaha, yah I was hoping to go with something native since that tends to make things easy. A lot of roaches look like they would be overkill size wise, but the P. Nivea seemed like they would be a good fit, and when reasearching I noticed that some others have had good luck breeding/using them for feeders in general. Bonus points that green is my favorite color, so I do look forward to seeing the adults.Now that I joined the board I would be curious to know what the roaches are I often find in the grass outside are. I'll have to collect them and post some photos since I fail hardcore at IDing stuff.