Therea petiveriana
- Thread starter Jsen
- Start date
All About Arthropods
Elliptorhina
First off, welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy it here! 
To answer your questions, Therea do give off a faint defensive smell, but only when handled very roughly.
I don't believe there are any sites out there that provide complete care info on specific species, but Roachcrossing.com provides basic info like substrate humidity, air humidity, temperature, etc. All Therea species enjoy a substrate of around 3 + inches with the top half being dry and the bottom half being moist. They feed mainly on dead hardwood leaves and require them in their diet, so you should also provide them with a layer of these on top of the substrate. Besides the leaves, they will also nibble on other foods occasionally such as fruits, veggies, and dog/cat/fish food and actually seem to require these as adults with individuals exhibiting wing-biting if not given enough protein. They can be kept anywhere from the high 60s to the low 80s.
To answer your questions, Therea do give off a faint defensive smell, but only when handled very roughly.
I don't believe there are any sites out there that provide complete care info on specific species, but Roachcrossing.com provides basic info like substrate humidity, air humidity, temperature, etc. All Therea species enjoy a substrate of around 3 + inches with the top half being dry and the bottom half being moist. They feed mainly on dead hardwood leaves and require them in their diet, so you should also provide them with a layer of these on top of the substrate. Besides the leaves, they will also nibble on other foods occasionally such as fruits, veggies, and dog/cat/fish food and actually seem to require these as adults with individuals exhibiting wing-biting if not given enough protein. They can be kept anywhere from the high 60s to the low 80s.
Yes, provide a moist lower layer and a dry top layer. They often will remain in the zone between them.
They do indeed eat mostly dead leaves and a bit of protein rich food like fish flakes. Mine haven't eaten fruit nor vegetables yet.
They are fairly active, but mostly within the substrate.
I haven't manages yet to 'smell' something when handling them. Perhaps I'm too gentle
They do indeed eat mostly dead leaves and a bit of protein rich food like fish flakes. Mine haven't eaten fruit nor vegetables yet.
They are fairly active, but mostly within the substrate.
I haven't manages yet to 'smell' something when handling them. Perhaps I'm too gentle
I just picked some of these up myself a few weeks ago. haven't seen them since I put them in their home. they were like first instar or a little bigger. seems they dug right in. I don't want to mess with them to see if they are still all alive, guess I will have to wait to see how many make it when they get bigger and mature lol. I do keep plenty of leaves both crushed and whole in with them. good luck on yours
Indeed, you won't see them often while they are nymphs. But I do see the soil shifting from day to day. Also I have a camera on them that registers movements (in this case moving soil that is). They exhibit quite some activity below the surface. They are quite low maintenance...