New Eublaberus Distanti owner questions

[pdx_skitter]

I posted this in another thread, but I’ll post it here too!

I recently “rescued” about 6-8 Eublaberus Distanti from the newly opened Spider Shoppe in Vancouver, WA (very cool spot). I have them in a bioactive 5 gallon terrarium with reptisoil, leaf litter, a large cork bark hide, two water dishes (which I’ve since pulled) and some rotting wood for the springtails.

I purchased these to keep as pets. I was planning on getting two male hissers so that they wouldn’t breed, but alas that ship has sailed.

I bought fish flakes and carrots, and I sprinkled the fish flakes over the substrate yesterday and woke up this morning to find very little left. I put some carrots in yesterday, but only one (the badly wing-bit male) took a liking to them.

My questions are varied and numerous:

1. Perhaps the most ignorant question first: will these roaches breed?
2. Assuming they will, how will I know when to expect that?
3. What is the birthing process like? Can I “collect” the offspring immediately or do I go digging for the nymphs?
4. Once I’ve got a full blown colony, what do I do? Getting a “predator” to feed the roaches to (like a spider) isn’t out of the question, but I’d like to avoid amassing invertebrates. A lizard is not an option.
5. Is selling/gifting roaches to pet stores realistic? Will I end up having to ship roaches in the mail? Also interested in blatticomposting and would like to talk more about that.
6. Am I feeding them enough? What is the preferred frequency of feeding? There’s conflicting info about feeding dishes vs. sprinkling food on the substrate. Also what’s their preferred method of water distribution?
7. During the cold season, do I put a heat mat under the tank?
8. How do I see them at night? Is there a red light that won’t spook them? So far all the red lights I’ve tried scares them away.
9. My final question is another ignorant one: will they ever stop breeding or am I a permanent roach farmer now?

Jeez, lots of questions! I guess I’d just like to know everything I can as a guy who didn’t expect to have a grip of cockroaches but who is now concerned he’s in over his head.

Thank you for listening!

 

[Bhjjr]

They should breed easily enough. These are easy to keep.

Speed of reproduction, along with how long they live, depends on both care and their temperature. Higher temps speed up everything and may shorten lifespan. If they have wings they are adults and possibly can give birth anytime now. The adults might be old and start to die off soon or may live another year.

The nymphs will move in and out of the substrate. They will be born soft and white. If you want to collect the nymphs then by all means. Not sure what you are asking.

It will take quite some time for the colony to grow. Part of the fun of the hobby is deciding what you want do with them. We generally are supportive here unless someone is being cruel. Spiders and Tarantulas probably won't be enough for population control.

Can't really comment on batticomposting myself.

You are probably feeding enough. 8 roaches aren't going to eat noticable amounts of fruit and veggies. They can get most of their water from fruits and veggies but I'd suggest using a sprayer to mist one half of the enclosure when it dries out from the last misting. That is very generalized advice, as the needs of different species vary greatly depending on what they need to survive, your climate, and your husbandry. E. distanti are very hardy and your described care should work to keep them healthy. If you use a food dish, please note that distanti nymphs can not climb very smooth surfaces. Nothing wrong with putting food on the dirt.

Try not to let their enclosure get below 68 F or so in the winter. They may or may not breed at that temp. People will say don't use a heat mat cause the roach can't get away from the heat of they want to. To me that doesn't make sense cause keeping the room at a stable temp is the same situation. Whatever heat method you choose, above 84/86 can start to cause problems.

The colony may get more accustomed to your light habits with time but don't hold your breath.

Last question is entirely dependent on what you choose to do with them. This isn't for everyone. Especially long term.

 

[pdx_skitter]

They should breed easily enough. These are easy to keep.

Speed of reproduction, along with how long they live, depends on both care and their temperature. Higher temps speed up everything and may shorten lifespan. If they have wings they are adults and possibly can give birth anytime now. The adults might be old and start to die off soon or may live another year.

The nymphs will move in and out of the substrate. They will be born soft and white. If you want to collect the nymphs then by all means. Not sure what you are asking.

It will take quite some time for the colony to grow. Part of the fun of the hobby is deciding what you want do with them. We generally are supportive here unless someone is being cruel. Spiders and Tarantulas probably won't be enough for population control.

Can't really comment on batticomposting myself.

You are probably feeding enough. 8 roaches aren't going to eat noticable amounts of fruit and veggies. They can get most of their water from fruits and veggies but I'd suggest using a sprayer to mist one half of the enclosure when it dries out from the last misting. That is very generalized advice, as the needs of different species vary greatly depending on what they need to survive, your climate, and your husbandry. E. distanti are very hardy and your described care should work to keep them healthy. If you use a food dish, please note that distanti nymphs can not climb very smooth surfaces. Nothing wrong with putting food on the dirt.

Try not to let their enclosure get below 68 F or so in the winter. They may or may not breed at that temp. People will say don't use a heat mat cause the roach can't get away from the heat of they want to. To me that doesn't make sense cause keeping the room at a stable temp is the same situation. Whatever heat method you choose, above 84/86 can start to cause problems.

The colony may get more accustomed to your light habits with time but don't hold your breath.

Last question is entirely dependent on what you choose to do with them. This isn't for everyone. Especially long term.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Very helpful! Will most likely be back with more questions in the future but for now I will take your suggestions and ride the roach wave.

Another brief postscript: one of the adults (male I believe) has been pretty badly nipped on his wings and antennae. He seems to be the rogue of the bunch, he’s always roaming about the space, day and night. He’s the only one I saw nibble on a carrot. I saw him this evening kind of flicking his gnarled wings for a few minutes, like he had an itch he couldn’t scratch. Is he alright? They were pretty crammed in the container I got them in, but I’ve seen him bullied by the others in the tank I have now. Maybe I’m just being a helicopter roach dad rn idk.

 

[Bhjjr]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Very helpful! Will most likely be back with more questions in the future but for now I will take your suggestions and ride the roach wave.

Another brief postscript: one of the adults (male I believe) has been pretty badly nipped on his wings and antennae. He seems to be the rogue of the bunch, he’s always roaming about the space, day and night. He’s the only one I saw nibble on a carrot. I saw him this evening kind of flicking his gnarled wings for a few minutes, like he had an itch he couldn’t scratch. Is he alright? They were pretty crammed in the container I got them in, but I’ve seen him bullied by the others in the tank I have now. Maybe I’m just being a helicopter roach dad rn idk.

Ive seen wing flicking with several of the large species. When I've seen it in the past it appeared to be a dance or communication of some sort with others.
Chewed up wings is very common. 5 gallons is on the small side for E. distanti long term, meaning you will have to deal with crowding and the eventual ammonia/waste build up sooner rather than later. But you should be good for maybe a couple years give or take.