The Mantis Menagerie

I have started Periplaneta colonies with the local pest species before, and I always found them to go crazy at feeding time. They would choose the most inopportune times to start running up and down the walls. As I recall, the nymphs were less chaotic, and I think they also climbed less because the adults were the ones trying to test my reaction time when opening the tank to add food. I never spent much time observing them because they were just a pest species I was raising to feed amblypygi, but the nymphs being poor climbers would be consistent with what I remember about the colonies.

I decided to read through this thread to see if anyone had come up with a cheaper alternative to cork bark (besides heavy lumber), and while it seems the answer is no, origami is one of the most original ideas I have heard of for a roach tank. Unfortunately, the only origami I can make is tactical origami (paper airplanes). Coincidentally, I came on the forum to look for ideas for helping my red runner colony. I have the opposite problem: they are far too dry. If your colony is so moist that it is causing cardboard egg flats to decay, then it may not be helping the roaches. While my t

I would look for Traeger oak pellets. I usually do not find them at Lowe’s or Home Depot, but rather at places like ACE Hardware.

I was not alluding to anything in particular, but you have many amazing species. I do not know what you would be willing to trade, though, so I am not going to start asking about every species. Do you have a trade list somewhere of species you would like to trade?

I have seen some cool pictures on your website.

What about trades?

I have never seen such high densities of roaches!

My first colony of Blaberus giganteus bred fine at 72-75-degrees Fahrenheit. I do not have experience with other blaberids, but it might be worth looking into some of the smaller members of that genus, although B. giganteus is also fine as a feeder.

I do not know much about it, but I would want to see Polyzosteria mitchelli.

It depends which species you have. My hissers have had ventilation on only the lid for many months and do fine.

I wanted to go out for the TITAG IECC conference, but it did not work out this year. I really want to find D. granti.

Grubs can be fun to hold, too! It has become my job to bathe the Goliathus grubs at the local insectarium where I volunteer, and they are so much fun to hold. If only their poop was not so much stinkier than that of wood-feeding grubs! For roaches, I would suggest Archimandrita based on what I have read about them. They sound like a version of my B. giganteus that can figure out how to sit peacefully.

I saw something today from an isopod breeder on Instagram that showed the use of a dried produce medley intended for pet reptiles in an enclosure. Theoretically, many herbal teas would work just as well.

May I suggest you move them to a different type of bin? The extinct roach is deemed to require containment by the USDA as I learned when I applied for the permit for that species. I have some of the containers that you are currently using, and I would not feel comfortable about keeping Simandoa conserfariam, at least not young nymphs, in one of them.

CITES and ESA also restrict some species, but none of these are the cause of the APHIS regulations. I guess I did word that way too broadly.