Nanchantress

I was going to take this picture to work, but I don't think my friends there will understand my joy My forum friends will, though!

I just bought some from eggboxes.com - 70 for $28.60 with free shipping which works out to 41 cents each. I agree that it would be cheaper to try and find a grocery store to save them for you. Basically there are two options: spend time or spend money.

Can you expand on the pillbug nightmare? I have some in with my hissers.

The other day I moved all my Hissing roaches from the enclosure they were sharing with about 15 Peppered roaches. Looks like I missed one, eh? Maybe he was missing his buddies so he hitched a ride on the next best thing. Made me smile.

Just this week I bought some Omega One Pond Sticks and Tetra Pond Koi Growth sticks to try for variety. My Hissers do seem to eat them, but the other night I put out a pile of Tetra Flaked Fish Food, and a pile of each of the sticks: The next morning ALL the flakes were gone but most of the sticks were still there... They seem to prefer the flakes over all types of dog food and cat food that I have offered also. When I open the fish flakes container, my cat comes running and tries to eat them too - pushes my hand aside and sticks her face right in the container - what is in those flakes??? Maybe I should try them...

REALLY NEAT SITE! I will be bookmarking it

How big are the adults? What do you feed them (besides each other LOL).

Thanks! That was what I was thinking...a mature female from pics I have seen on the web. They seem to have moved into the neighborhood. My neighbor had her house sprayed and the pest control guy said he was getting a lot more calls from around here... Unlike my neighbor, I catch it and feed it carrots and cat food

Doesn't seem to be able to climb. One inch long. Turkistan maybe?

That's cool, Peter! Thanks for sharing it

I had read that the back half of a pill bug molts first, followed in a couple days by the front half. Just happened to see one of mine 1/2 way through its molt and snapped a picture. I found about 100 of these one day in my backyard and threw them in an aquarium with some of my roaches. I don't know exactly what they are but I think some kind of Armadillidium possibly.

Once I accidentally left my car unlocked overnight and someone went through the glovebox and left everything scattered all over the car, but they didn't take anything - not even my CD's! I was offended (just kidding) because I think I have pretty good musical taste . Still, it feels gross to think about a stranger being in your car. Sorry that happened to you, vfox. Might want to splurge on a good detail job to "cleanse" it, eh?

Here is a great article on the mites:

www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/148211.php

The mite is Androlaelaps schaeferi (formerly known as Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi) according to a web search.

Yesterday I moved all my hissers into a larger aquarium, and this morning one of my gravid females gave birth to all stillborn nymphs. Some of the eggs were apparently not fertilized at all, but a couple actually had eyes and legs as you can see in the picture. Looks like they needed a little more time... dang. I guess the move was a bit too stressful for her.

I like the underside photo - I've never turned them over after molting before. Cool!

2nd viewer of the G. Portentosa post Good job! Can't believe all those came from only 6 - makes me realize I'm going to be overrun with roaches next year

Awesome! Awesome! I definitely have to research a couple of those

What is the substrate in the picture with the orange?

Molting pics are always cool

That video was awesome - glad you found it!

This is a 20-gallon long aquarium. I covered the glass area under the aquarium light with layers of red celophane so it glows red and doesn't seem to bother the roaches when I turn it on in the evenings to watch them. I have 2 "Magnaturals" ledges that the roaches sometimes congregate on. Other favorite areas are under and behind the cork bark pieces. 2 inches of vaseline line the top of the aquarium. Substrate is eco-earth/aspen shavings/oak leaves/peat moss/cypress bedding all mixed together (I had a hard time deciding which to use - LOL). I try to keep the humidity over 50% with regular misting and the temp is about 70-80 (one side of enclosure has a reptile mat under it).

Occupants include about 40 MHC, about 10 Peppered roaches,about 100 roly-polies (Armadillidium) from my backyard, and about 10 orange isopods (porcellio scabers).

Welcome to the forum! I'm fairly new at roach keeping and I've found a lot of great info on this site. I keep a dozen tarantulas also - your Chilean Rose RCF is nice looking!

I like your experimental efforts... Sounds like something I would do - haha! Thanks for sharing

Follow-up: After 12 more hours of her struggling to push the stuck part out I decided to intervene. I held her butt in a small bowl of warm water and rubbed the end with a wet Q-tip gently. After a couple minutes of soaking I put her back in the enclosure. Within 15 minutes she was able abort the remaining 1/2 inch of ootheca. I bet she sleeps better tonight...

If you don't have a lot of roaches, you can make a dent in the mite population by changing the substrate and cleaning everything, and giving the roaches a bath in hydrogen peroxide. You'll be surprised to see what falls out of their joints- that's part of what the mites are eating. It may seem cruel but to thoroughly clean each roach you're going to have to completely submerge them and swish them around under the H2O2. If they "drown", leave them out on a piece of paper towel to dry and they'll be fine within a few minutes to a few hours.

Zephyr, do you dilute the hydrogen peroxide or use it full-strength?