Jump to content

Suggest me a species!


Recommended Posts

I'm looking for a new roach species to keep. I have dominoes and peppered roaches, plus a couple of death's head males in with the peppereds. 

What I'm looking for is a species that: 

Doesn't tend to be good at escaping (can't climb glass, can't or at least doesn't tend to fly straight upward)

I could keep a decent colony of in a 2.5 or 5 gallon aquarium 

Will breed and behave normally in low 70-high 60 temps (my room is cold and I don't want to have yet another thing plugged in to keep them warm)

Can basically be ignored aside from putting some food in once a week

I have a backyard full of pecan leaves, so have easy access to hardwood leaves. We have cats, so I have cat food on hand. I also eat apples pretty frequently, and my bugs get the cores. 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I love the gyna species, but they're all far too escape-prone. I especially like wider or rounder roaches. The burrowing species are charming, but hard to watch- I'd prefer a species that's a little more surface-active, or at least can generally be found hiding under bark at the surface instead of being buried. 

I kinda like Arizona sand roaches. How does one keep those? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see that you have B. cranifer, but I would suggest looking into B. giganteus. They are one of my personal favorites. Just be careful as some strains seem to not live up to their species name: giganteus

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're really cool, but they need a decent chunk of space, right? I'd prefer something small, so I don't have to set up too big of an enclosure. I don't have much spare room at this point. 

I do want B. giganteus at some point, but only when I can really go all out. Big enclosure, faux rock cave-type background, that sort of thing. Rat skeleton or two. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lateralis look easy to keep, but they're kind of generic. I like bugs I can show off to people. Colors and fun patterns and interesting body shapes, or "this bug clones itself", or things of the sort. I think we have Lateralis just living in the area, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The various Blaberus spp. are a good choice and Eublaberus is also a nice fit. :) 

Arizona Sand Roaches should be kept with a dry substrate of coconut fiber with only one or two corners of the enclosure kept moist. They should have high ventilation and should be offered dead leaves and dog/cat food for feeding.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ooh, I do like the glowspots. I'll have to get those when I can. 

I can't right now, though, because my empty space is now full. I found some orange A. vulgare isopods outside- two that are fairly bright orange, and then about 20 more with varying degrees of orange tinting. I also found a Porcellionides species with an interesting sort of dusky color instead of the usual blue. So now I have two isopod setups.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just my 2 cent based on my collection: 

* Eublaberus distanti: non climbing, tolerant for room temperature, adult visible at night, burrows, slow life cycle at lower temperatures. 
* Eupolyphaga sinensis: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, but many eggs. 
* Hemiblabera tenebricosa: non climbing, tolerant for and reproducing at lower temperatures, adult often visible, burrows, relatively fast reproducing. 
* Hyporhicnoda reflexa: non climbing, tolerant for room temperature, hidden life, burrows, slow reproduction. 
* Loboptera decipiens: climbing, tolerant for room temperature, often visible, not burrowing, fast reproducing. 
* Lucihormetica verrucosa: climbing, tolerant for room temperature, very visible, burrows and hides in wood, fast reproducing. 
* Panchlora nivea: climbing adults, can fly well, tolerant for room temperature, often visible, nymph burrow, fast reproducing. 
* Panesthia angustipennis angustipennis: non climbing, tolerant for room temperature and below, very hidden life, burrows, very slow reproduction. 
* Polyphaga aegyptiaca: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, but many eggs. 
* Polyphaga obscura: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, slow reproduction. 
* Polyphaga saussurei: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, slow reproduction. 
* Pseudoglomeris magnifica: climbing, males fly well, tolerant for lower temperatures, pleasure to see, but often hidden, not burrowing, slow life cycle, slow reproduction. 
* Perisphaerus pygmaeus: climbing, males fly well, tolerant for room temperatures, often hidden, not burrowing. 
* Schizopilia fissicollis: climbing, tolerant for room temperatures, often hidden, males visible as they fight a lot, not burrowing, relatively fast life cycle, fast reproduction. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are based on species I keep, but my favorites are Eublaberus sp. "Ivory" and Blaberus craniifer (which you already have) for non-climbing species. Climbing species I like Panchlora nivea and Gina centurio. Although p. nivea adults are escape artists, but nothing that a gasket bin can't fix.

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...