Jump to content

Looking for feedback on my enclosures...


NERVOUS

Recommended Posts

Hello all,

I'm new to roaches... Looking for feedback from more experienced keepers than myself.

I'm currently keeping colonies of:

- Blaptica Dubia

- Nauphoeta Cinerea

- Panchlora Nivea

I'm not able to attach pictures directly to my post (due to size limits), so here are URLs instead:

Bug farm - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_yNy39A-ExvOGI2NWJDWlRnNms

B. Dubia bin - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_yNy39A-ExvMHlyelVzdnJVNVU

N. Cinerea - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_yNy39A-Exvck9HMWFIS1VndVE

P. Nivea (before adding roaches) - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_yNy39A-ExvaDRrbVNtZjQ3NXM

Here's some general high-level detail on the bins. Each one has a heating element underneath with a non-luminous ceramic heat emitter suspended from above. Each bin has a dedicated thermostat to control both heating elements. I keep these bins in my garage on top of a folding table.

Here's some bin-soecific detail on each of the bins:

- B. Dubia bin is filled with vertically stacked egg crates with a single layer horizontal egg crates on top to support food trays on each side. Temperature is set to 85-95 degrees.

- N. Cinerea bin is setup the same way as the B. Dubia bin except it's much smaller in size. Temperature is set to 85-95 degrees.

- P. Nivea bin has coconut fiber substrate with cork rounds and flats on top. Temperature is set to 85 degrees (underneath the cork).

I'm interested in hearing any/all feedback re: these enclosures.

Thank you in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice enclosures, I do have a few concerns though. Mainly those tops, it looks like you just took a window frame and put it on each container... is anything keeping those tightly applied? Lobster roaches and green banana roaches can climb, so if there are not tight lids on these containers, you are going to have a lot of escapees. Like I said in your introduction, none of these species can infest your house, but it would still suck to have a bunch of them escaping simply because you need some adults to keep the colony going, lol! :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would stick with the lids they came with, cut a big square on top, and glue some of that window screen over the cut out.

1+ Plus maybe add a layer of Vaseline if the tops aren't airtight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice enclosures, I do have a few concerns though. Mainly those tops, it looks like you just took a window frame and put it on each container... is anything keeping those tightly applied? Lobster roaches and green banana roaches can climb, so if there are not tight lids on these containers, you are going to have a lot of escapees. Like I said in your introduction, none of these species can infest your house, but it would still suck to have a bunch of them escaping simply because you need some adults to keep the colony going, lol! :lol:

I went back-and-forth on this quite a bit before making a decision to go with screen tops (instead of ventilation holes). Here's my logic... Please tell me if I'm crazy!

I had concerns about the long-term viability of the glue and/or tape commonly used to secure screen material to these ventilation holes. Between changes in weather, constant heat source(s), extremely pliable plastic, bugs constantly scraping and gnawing to get out (and in), etc... I was concerned about the overall durability of these ventilation holes. Curious to hear others' thoughts on this approach.

I would stick with the lids they came with, cut a big square on top, and glue some of that window screen over the cut out.

Continued from above... One thing that really bothered me about the lids these plastic bins come with is their pliability; especially when a constant heat source is introduced. I just didn't think they provided what could be considered a bug-proof 'seal' when used at room temperature, much less when sitting under a constant heat source. This concern is what initially set me down the path of looking for an alternative to cutting ventilation holes in the lids.

Consider these points:

- Each screen top is custom sized to fit the bin it will be covering... I built them myself using aluminum mesh and framing.

- The weight of the screen itself creates a bug-proof 'seal' between the top edge of the bin and the screen material... No tiny gaps due to pliability, no heat warping, etc.

- The screen material is slightly recessed on one side; which creates a lip that prevents the screen from inadvertently sliding off the bin.

Very curious to hear additional feedback on this...

1+ Plus maybe add a layer of Vaseline if the tops aren't airtight.

Ahh, yes... I neglected to mention this in my initial post, but each bin has a 2" smear of Vaseline along the top inner edge of the bin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, as long as the lids are heavy enough that the roaches can't push their way through, I guess its ok. Most people use hot glue guns to attach the screen to the containers, and hot glue is basically plastic, once it hardens it is pretty durable.

Good to know you have the Vaseline in place, hopefully those lids will keep the roaches in for you! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, as long as the lids are heavy enough that the roaches can't push their way through, I guess its ok. Most people use hot glue guns to attach the screen to the containers, and hot glue is basically plastic, once it hardens it is pretty durable.

Good to know you have the Vaseline in place, hopefully those lids will keep the roaches in for you! :)

I think the screens are heavy enough to prevent a roach from pushing their way through, but I don't have much experience with them yet. I will say this much, based on my limited interactions with them thus far (i.e. harvesting them and feeding them to my Chameleon for the past ~7 days) I've found Lobsters to be much stronger than I would've thought. Their ability to 'cling' to anything is impressive to say the least.

I use 12" tongs to feed them to my Chameleon. I usually grab them by a leg then hold them in-place near my Chameleon until he shoots them with his tongue. While doing this I can feel them fighting to get away... And their strength is impressive for such a small animal.

In any case, I hope the seal created between the screen mesh material and the top edge of the bin (in conjunction with the Vaseline barrier) is secure enough to keep these bugs in their bins. ::fingers-crossed::

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...