Congratulations on your find, hopefully you get a good culture going.
Hawai'ian cockroach stowaway
- Thread starter Betta132
- Start date
ZooMed heat cables work great, at least that's the brand I use. 
Definitely make sure that their lid in on tight, because I've found Vaseline doesn't keep in 100% of climbing roaches, eventually they wear down the barrier and small nymphs can sometimes get past it.
FYI, I think my buddy @Bmaines96 would love some when you've got an established colony, he has a single pair he got from Roachcrossing, but the female aborted her first ooth, hasn't reproduced since then... His R.sp. "Gold" are breeding well, but sadly there's no one else he can get more maderae from anymore.
Definitely make sure that their lid in on tight, because I've found Vaseline doesn't keep in 100% of climbing roaches, eventually they wear down the barrier and small nymphs can sometimes get past it.
FYI, I think my buddy @Bmaines96 would love some when you've got an established colony, he has a single pair he got from Roachcrossing, but the female aborted her first ooth, hasn't reproduced since then... His R.sp. "Gold" are breeding well, but sadly there's no one else he can get more maderae from anymore.
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Alright, I'll pick up a Zoomed cable, and I'll double-check the lid. They definitely haven't worn down the barrier yet! It's still nice and thick, and I made sure to get it in all the corners.
Is the Roachcrossing guy just gone or something? I emailed him months ago and never heard back. Does anyone know if he's even alive?
I'm not making any guarantees about sending anyone anything, since I can't guarantee these will breed (though they should), but I'll definitely make a thread on here when I have spares.
I found where they're hiding! They all crammed themselves down into a little crevice of empty space between the dirt and the glass. They have cork bark to hide under, but I guess they prefer a vertical crevice. I'll build them some.
I just saw a roach run across my floor and went to make sure it wasn't one of mine. Just a smoky brown nymph. I live in a very old house with a lot of crevices, the roaches are kind of unavoidable. It's too bad I can't vaseline the whole house to keep em out!
Is the Roachcrossing guy just gone or something? I emailed him months ago and never heard back. Does anyone know if he's even alive?
I'm not making any guarantees about sending anyone anything, since I can't guarantee these will breed (though they should), but I'll definitely make a thread on here when I have spares.
I found where they're hiding! They all crammed themselves down into a little crevice of empty space between the dirt and the glass. They have cork bark to hide under, but I guess they prefer a vertical crevice. I'll build them some.
I just saw a roach run across my floor and went to make sure it wasn't one of mine. Just a smoky brown nymph. I live in a very old house with a lot of crevices, the roaches are kind of unavoidable. It's too bad I can't vaseline the whole house to keep em out!
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Shinylarvitar97
Fourth Instar
Great some heat should hopefully be beneficial to them once you get one. Just make sure it doesn't get too hot, but they should be ok. Yeah some species will eventually make it past. Some species are better at it than others.
Kyle from roachcrossing is still around, but at the moment it's difficult to get in contact with him for a few reasons. He's got a lot going on unfortunately with his family and himself personally. Not sure if he'll ever be back completely. I don't know all the details. Maybe try messaging him on his personal Facebook. Some have gotten through to him I think. Not 100% certain though. It's unfortunate, but I'm sure he's going through alot.
Kyle from roachcrossing is still around, but at the moment it's difficult to get in contact with him for a few reasons. He's got a lot going on unfortunately with his family and himself personally. Not sure if he'll ever be back completely. I don't know all the details. Maybe try messaging him on his personal Facebook. Some have gotten through to him I think. Not 100% certain though. It's unfortunate, but I'm sure he's going through alot.
Sounds good, should work well to heat them!
Kyle from Roachcrossing hasn't been active in quite a while, and is very inconsistent in terms of customer service nowadays, several people claimed they paid him and never received anything in return, had to file PayPal claims to get their money back... Overall I doubt we'll be seeing a true return anytime soon, which is a shame, he used to be one of the best vendors in the US.
Of course, but if you can breed them successfully, you'll definitely have some customers is all I'm saying!
Yeah according to my friend, Rhyparobia like vertically slanted bark slabs stacked against each other quite a bit for hides, which kinda explains why yours are hiding there!
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What do they live on in the wild? The vertical hiding spots makes me think they'd probably like to hide under loose bark on trees. Or, I guess, in the sinus cavities of animal skulls.
The apple has dried out, and they've had a go at it. At this point, I seriously think they just didn't know what to do with the juicy stuff. They're from a very dry island- a mountain range on the adjacent island blocks storms, so the climate on the island they came from is scrubby. It almost looks like savannah from overhead. There definitely wasn't any fruit growing anywhere near where I found them. They might not have had fruit in generations, depending on how far they tend to roam.
One is hiding right under the top layer of the dirt. At least, I assume. I sprayed in a little water and a roach-sized patch of dirt moved around slightly like something was under it.
Are the adults reasonably bold? I'm hoping I'll be able to find that one I put in my tesselata enclosure, once it hits adulthood. It being 17% of my stock and all.
Does anyone know if these have a relatively even male/female ratio? I'm hoping they're not like Therea.
The apple has dried out, and they've had a go at it. At this point, I seriously think they just didn't know what to do with the juicy stuff. They're from a very dry island- a mountain range on the adjacent island blocks storms, so the climate on the island they came from is scrubby. It almost looks like savannah from overhead. There definitely wasn't any fruit growing anywhere near where I found them. They might not have had fruit in generations, depending on how far they tend to roam.
One is hiding right under the top layer of the dirt. At least, I assume. I sprayed in a little water and a roach-sized patch of dirt moved around slightly like something was under it.
Are the adults reasonably bold? I'm hoping I'll be able to find that one I put in my tesselata enclosure, once it hits adulthood. It being 17% of my stock and all.
Does anyone know if these have a relatively even male/female ratio? I'm hoping they're not like Therea.
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Yeah, they probably can be found under loose bark on dead trees and such, as well as objects lying on the ground. Not a lot of research has been done into their preffered wild microhabitats TBH...
Interesting, well I'm glad they like the dry stuff then!
Weird, I've seen a couple of non-burrowing Blaberid nymphs do that before, they'll hide under loose substrate if frightened...
Probably, I mean they can climb glass as adults, so you might just find it climbing the walls of the enclosure one day!
If the enclosure isn't too big you should be able to find it pretty easy I think, as they aren't burrowers, so it'll be on a hide somewhere... Pretty sure it'll be a similar ratio to other Blaberids, however you could still get unlucky and have a unisex group, you never know!
Good news: I found another baby in the house. Bad news: it was dead behind the laundry bin (across the hall from the suitcases), probably killed by exposure to soap scum. It must have left the suitcase or skull at some point and gone in there.
I'm inclined to try and set up some kind of trap, just on the slim chance that there are live ones loose somewhere. It is, however, entirely possible that roach has been there for awhile. I'm thinking of just a crumpled, lightly moistened paper towel and some sort of food, set under a slightly elevated plate, to see what turns up. That would probably lure in a roach, right?
The ones I have, as far as I can tell, seem to be doing well. I'm trying not to bother them any. They're still occasionally hiding under a very thin layer of dirt, but definitely like harder hides.
I'm inclined to try and set up some kind of trap, just on the slim chance that there are live ones loose somewhere. It is, however, entirely possible that roach has been there for awhile. I'm thinking of just a crumpled, lightly moistened paper towel and some sort of food, set under a slightly elevated plate, to see what turns up. That would probably lure in a roach, right?
The ones I have, as far as I can tell, seem to be doing well. I'm trying not to bother them any. They're still occasionally hiding under a very thin layer of dirt, but definitely like harder hides.
I've only successfully trapped hissers so I don't know if this will work, but I've set out favorite foods (i.e. fruit) on top of egg crates and caught escapees. They come for the food and stay for the egg crates, so I think you're onto something with the paper towels. Looking forward to see if you can get enough to start a colony!
Ah, good news! I found a live one!
Bad photo because he was lively, but definitely the same kind, and not one I had already. He went downstairs from where my suitcase is, the cats hassled him, and then he ran into the bathroom, so hopefully soap scum or whatnot doesn't get the better of him. This brings my total to 6 in the dedicated enclosure, and 1 in my tesselata enclosure if I can find that one. If I can just get an adult m/f pair to mature at the same time and breed, I should be set!
Definitely gonna set up some traps around the house. I'm also gonna remember to check skulls that I collect really, really well for things, I forgot to do that this time. These guys, I don't mind, but I could end up bringing a centipede or something into my house if I'm not careful.
Bad photo because he was lively, but definitely the same kind, and not one I had already. He went downstairs from where my suitcase is, the cats hassled him, and then he ran into the bathroom, so hopefully soap scum or whatnot doesn't get the better of him. This brings my total to 6 in the dedicated enclosure, and 1 in my tesselata enclosure if I can find that one. If I can just get an adult m/f pair to mature at the same time and breed, I should be set!
Definitely gonna set up some traps around the house. I'm also gonna remember to check skulls that I collect really, really well for things, I forgot to do that this time. These guys, I don't mind, but I could end up bringing a centipede or something into my house if I'm not careful.
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Yeah, I really hope I have at least 1 pair in here. I figure all I really need is a male and female that mature at the same time and breed, and then their offspring can breed with any not involved in the pair. I mean, people get six roaches as a small starter colony, and that's what we're doing here!
It's too bad I can't sex them at this point. I wish I could put a little urinal in there and count how many of em use it. That's a reliable way to sex roaches, right? Miniature urinals?
How big are the adults in this species? I figure when the nymphs get to near adult size, they should hopefully be sexable. Though I don't know if I want to handle them to sex, stink defense and whatnot.
It's too bad I can't sex them at this point. I wish I could put a little urinal in there and count how many of em use it. That's a reliable way to sex roaches, right? Miniature urinals?
How big are the adults in this species? I figure when the nymphs get to near adult size, they should hopefully be sexable. Though I don't know if I want to handle them to sex, stink defense and whatnot.
That's great, fingers crossed you get a pair or two, I mean you've got 7 now, you'd have to be quite unlucky to end up with a unisex group!
Well not really a new species, rather an old one that people in the US kinda stopped breeding, still an amazing find though for sure, (and a great story as well!I'm so excited by this! I hope you get some adult pairs, too. What a crazy backstory for a new species in the hobby. Crossing my fingers for you.
).Adults are 45-50 mm in length, so kinda sizeable. And you can always put them in a clear ziploc baggie and turn them upside-down to sex them.
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JavaJavanica
First Instar
Oooh this is so cool! Skulls AND new roaches?! You're so lucky!
I am really curious, though, if bringing back skulls is legal? And though the live roaches were accidental, would it be legal to knowingly bring those in? I'm not trying to get anyone in trouble... I just ask too many questions for my own good LOL
Also, a tip for in the future if you want to see what hitchhikers are on/in bones you collect... Get one of those little bathroom stands that are like a grate on legs and put it in a bucket with a grease barrier. Put the skull/bone on that. Underneath it, put a small sampling of food sources... fruit, veggies, a little meat even. It should draw out anything hiding! And a lot of things (like pedes) cannot climb plastic, so once they drop down for the food they cannot get back up to the bone!
Please do keep us updated on these guys!
I am really curious, though, if bringing back skulls is legal? And though the live roaches were accidental, would it be legal to knowingly bring those in? I'm not trying to get anyone in trouble... I just ask too many questions for my own good LOL
Also, a tip for in the future if you want to see what hitchhikers are on/in bones you collect... Get one of those little bathroom stands that are like a grate on legs and put it in a bucket with a grease barrier. Put the skull/bone on that. Underneath it, put a small sampling of food sources... fruit, veggies, a little meat even. It should draw out anything hiding! And a lot of things (like pedes) cannot climb plastic, so once they drop down for the food they cannot get back up to the bone!
Please do keep us updated on these guys!
Don't know about skulls, but knowingly bringing those roaches in would probably have been illegal. But seeing as it was an accident it's fine, at least if brought to court I don't think the USDA or APHIS could really punish or fine someone for bringing them in unawares... This is a circumtropical greenhouse pest we're talking about here after all.
JavaJavanica
First Instar
Thank you for the information! I've always wondered about these cool accidental hitchhikers and if they are legal to keep... like folks who get spiders in their produce lol Realistically, I know it is highly unlikely anyone is going to come for a hobbyist in this type of situation, but I like to explore all the aspects of it.
No problem, realistically even brownboxers are seldom punished in this sub-hobby, our government doesn't seem overly concerned about exotic cockroaches, (and rightfully so). Not that I'm endorsing that in any way, I'm just saying, we're low on the list of priorities for them, they are more worried about beetles, phasmids, orthopterans, etc.
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JavaJavanica
First Instar
I totally agree! I definitely do not condone brownboxing ANY critters... but folks with accidental hitchhikers shouldn't be hauled off to the gallows.