Heating Methods

[Aphaenogaster]

I am just interested in learning what each member here uses as heating methods for their captive cultures. I don't have many roach species at this point, so I have only ever used heating pads.

Thanks!

[happy1892]

I do not heat my large roach colonies.

[MrCrackerpants]

I have tried everything. This is the cheapest, safest and most dependable (i.e., does not break):

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=116&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=1

[Aphaenogaster]

I have tried everything. This is the cheapest, safest and most dependable (i.e., does not break):

http://www.zoomed.co...ID=2&SearchID=1

I'll have to try that. Do you just place the container on top of a coil of heating cable?

[Aphaenogaster]

I do not heat my large roach colonies.

Interesting. What temperature is your house?

[happy1892]

Interesting. What temperature is your house?

Around 68F during the winter and up to around 95F during the summer (Usually cooler most of the summer). The Lobster roaches I have kept in the garage and they died because of the cold. The Turkestan roaches though can go down to low temperatures. To breed roaches you will need to keep them warm (the warmer the faster the roaches breed!).

[MrCrackerpants]

I'll have to try that. Do you just place the container on top of a coil of heating cable?

Yes, that is all. If you want more heat you just do more passes but do not lay the cable on top of itself. I have had mine for many years and had no issues and never had one break.

[Aphaenogaster]

Yes, that is all. If you want more heat you just do more passes but do not lay the cable on top of itself. I have had mine for many years and had no issues and never had one break.

Thanks! Is it necessary to tape them to the underside of the enclosure (e.g. with electrical tape)?

[MrCrackerpants]

Thanks! Is it necessary to tape them to the underside of the enclosure (e.g. with electrical tape)?

No, I do not do this. It is a huge sticky mess (eventually) if you do this. I just lay the cable on the table and then fold lengths beside one another and then sit the enclosure directly on it. I have never had any even slight melting issues of the enclosure doing this. For example, I have 3 lengths on one end of my hissing roach species. This keeps the enclosure warm on one end. They breed well under these conditions. I place water directly on the coir on the end that does not have the cables. I have been doing this for years with these cables (all mine are old and 23 feet long....I think) and never has one break. They are inexpensive. I think I payed $10 or $12 for four 23 footers at Petsmart many many years ago.

Note: Never set the cable on top of itself. Do not place a container on the cables if it has ANY small cracks (or holes) on the bottom. Water leaks out of these cracks (or holes) and when the cable encounters the water some containers will slightly melt.

[Aphaenogaster]

No, I do not do this. It is a huge sticky mess (eventually) if you do this. I just lay the cable on the table and then fold lengths beside one another and then sit the enclosure directly on it. I have never had any even slight melting issues of the enclosure doing this. For example, I have 3 lengths on one end of my hissing roach species. This keeps the enclosure warm on one end. They breed well under these conditions. I place water directly on the coir on the end that does not have the cables. I have been doing this for years with these cables (all mine are old and 23 feet long....I think) and never has one break. They are inexpensive. I think I payed $10 or $12 for four 23 footers at Petsmart many many years ago.

Note: Never set the cable on top of itself. Do not place a container on the cables if it has ANY small cracks (or holes) on the bottom. Water leaks out of these cracks (or holes) and when the cable encounters the water some containers will slightly melt.

Sounds good. I have a heating cable lying around somewhere, so I will have to try it out this weekend.

[MrCrackerpants]

:) :)

[MrCrackerpants]

Sounds good. I have a heating cable lying around somewhere, so I will have to try it out this weekend.

Is it like the Zoo Med brand? The picture shows a red one but mine are light brown. They are also made of a soft flexible material. You can hold them and they are not so hot you have to let go. I have hear some brands of heat cables are not like this and they get smoking hot. I sound like I work for Zoo Med...I do not.

I just would not want you to use a different cable and have an enclosure melting/fire issue.

This is the exact one I have at 23 feet. The first 5 or 6 feet are not hot. There is a blue mark that shows you where the heated part starts.

http://www.petco.com...Heat-Cable.aspx

[Aphaenogaster]

Is it like the Zoo Med brand? The picture shows a red one but mine are light brown. They are also made of a soft flexible material. You can hold them and they are not so hot you have to let go. I have hear some brands of heat cables are not like this and they get smoking hot. I sound like I work for Zoo Med...I do not.

I just would not want you to use a different cable and have an enclosure melting/fire issue.

This is the exact one I have at 23 feet. The first 5 or 6 feet are not hot. There is a blue mark that shows you where the heated part starts.

http://www.petco.com...Heat-Cable.aspx

Thanks! I'm fairly certain that it is Zoo Med, although the cable is definitely not that long.

[Aphaenogaster]

By the way, are there any roach species that will breed prolifically at room temperature (~68-72 F)? I have heard that Hemiblabera spp. will not slow down significantly at these temps, but my understanding is that they reproduce at low rates anyway.

[MrCrackerpants]

Thanks! I'm fairly certain that it is Zoo Med, although the cable is definitely not that long.

Cool!

[MrCrackerpants]

By the way, are there any roach species that will breed prolifically at room temperature (~68-72 F)? I have heard that Hemiblabera spp. will not slow down significantly at these temps, but my understanding is that they reproduce at low rates anyway.

Yes, my Hemiblabera tenebricosa (Horseshoe Crab Roach) do well at those temps. My other species do not.

[MrCrackerpants]

My Blaberus cf. matogrossensis (Shield-Spot Roach) seem to also breed fairly well at low temps.

[wodesorel]

My critter room is 5 feet by 8 feet, so I slap some plastic on the window, throw the furnace register wide open and add a 150W bulb or two as needed to warm the entire room in winter. Close to 90 near the top, closer to 70 at the bottom. In summer the room is that warm naturally. It's really been a great thing. Not sure I could have afforded the variety I've had if every tank needed individual heat. My two downstairs hermit tanks can be a headache sometimes and took so much work to get comfortable.

My Giant Caves did really well on the floor, which was close to room temp. The Dominos did outstanding. There are species out there that breed well without extra heat, but they do seem to need to warm up in the summer.

[MrCrackerpants]

There are species out there that breed well without extra heat, but they do seem to need to warm up in the summer.

Ya, here are my species that do well at 75 F:

Archimandrita tesselata (Peppered Roach)

Blaberus boliviensis (Bolivian / Double-Dot Roach)

Blaberus cf. matogrossensis (Shield-Spot Roach)

Blaberus colosseus "Peru Giant" (Colossal Roach)

Blaberus craniifer (Death's Head Roach: Orin McMonigle Strain)

Blaberus discoidalis (Discoid Roach)

Blaberus giganteus (Giant Cave Roach)

Blaberus parabolicus (Peruvian Black Head Roach)

Byrsotria cabrerai (Striped Burrowing Roach)

Byrsotria rothi (Roth's Giant Burrowing Roach)

Ergaula capucina (Burmese Beetle Mimic Roach)

Ergaula sp. "Black Giant" (Big Black Beetle Mimic Roach)

Eublaberus distanti (Six Spot Roach)

Eublaberus posticus (Orange Head Roach)

Eublaberus sp. "Ivory" (Ivory Head Roach)

Eublaberus sp. "Pantanal (Headlamp Roach)

Eurycotis floridana (Florida Skunk Roach)

Gyna lurida (Porcelain Roach [Yellow Form])

Hemiblabera tenebricosa (Horseshoe Crab Roach)

Henschoutedenia flexivitta (Giant Lobster Roach)

Polyphaga aegyptiaca (Egyptian Desert Roach)

Simandoa conserfariam (Simandoa Cave Roach: Extinct in the Wild)

Therea petiveriana (Domino Roach)

Therea olegrandjeani (Question Mark Roach)

[roktman]

I have my roaches and T's on one of those ladder shelves in a spare room, and I also do not heat the enclosures. The shelf is about 5 feet from a big old fashioned cast iron radiator, and the room varies from 66 to 72 degrees in the winter. All has been fine.

[RomanBuck]

I have my inverts basically on my heat registers.

[Hisserdude]

I just bought this, and I am testing it out on my darkling beetles. How long does it take to heat the enclosure? Can it heat the cage through a inch or so of substrate? And do I need to use the whole cable for one cage, cause if so, I think I might have to get something to heat the whole room up.

[RomanBuck]

What do you have? Im not quite following...

[Hisserdude]

I have the zoo med heat cable.

[RomanBuck]

Ah! I want to try this out! tell me how it goes!