OBJ Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Just got a small culture in Germany of this exiting and beautiful species. Are you caring for yours the same way as big brother Gromphadorhina?? I am asking because they do not seem to enjoy vegetables and fruit as much as the mixed dry dog food, that they were sold with. Are the nymphs red brownish and very different from the adults? Any advises about your experiences are very welcome Thanks in advance! If you are interested, I will upload photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Mine eat many vegetables with almost no dry food. As nymphs they are shiney black and develope the white banding with age. Care is the same as all other hisser types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBJ Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Mine eat many vegetables with almost no dry food.Hi Matt, Thanks for your answer. Is it intentional that you do not mention fruit? Or did you mean fruit and vegetables (like for the big hissers)? Orin was mentioning in his booklet, that E. chopardi is not as fond of fruit & vegetables as Gromphadorhina sp. So it might have been valid for all Elliptorhinas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hi Matt, Thanks for your answer. Is it intentional that you do not mention fruit? Or did you mean fruit and vegetables (like for the big hissers)? Orin was mentioning in his booklet, that E. chopardi is not as fond of fruit & vegetables as Gromphadorhina sp. So it might have been valid for all Elliptorhinas... For me the E. chopardi ate green leafy veg, but not so much other vegetables or fruit and did like the dry food. The E. javanica on the other hand seem to be doing quite well on vegetables and fruit in general. I have not fed dry food lately because the last time I bought a bag of it (50 pound bag) it had contaminates that caused some roach deaths in my colonies- so I have been reluctant to use more..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I have not fed dry food lately because the last time I bought a bag of it (50 pound bag) it had contaminates that caused some roach deaths in my colonies- so I have been reluctant to use more..... Melamine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBJ Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 For me the E. chopardi ate green leafy veg, but not so much other vegetables or fruit and did like the dry food. The E. javanica on the other hand seem to be doing quite well on vegetables and fruit in general. I have not fed dry food lately because the last time I bought a bag of it (50 pound bag) it had contaminates that caused some roach deaths in my colonies- so I have been reluctant to use more..... Thanks for the answer. The diet will now change and at the same time, they will get a new aquarium. Last night they found a way out, but luckily the night temperature was somewhat low so only 3 of the biggest females got out and chose to hide nearby except one that went into the E.distanti tank - wonder what she expected to find there If you are buying dry food in 50 pound bags, your cultures are either big or really many.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 If you are buying dry food in 50 pound bags, your cultures are either big or really many.... Well, I can say that there are many, many bugs in my house to feed every week. Many of the roaches are subsequently fed to various lizards, tarantulas and other bugs. Some of the lizards are bred and fed to certain snakes, but the food chain ends there. For now. Actually I used the same brand as the last bag, but the feed store just got in a new pallet of feed and I wonder if there was some exposure to an insecticide in thier warehouse or along the way. They carry two brands of fish pellets so this w/e I am going to go get the other brand and test it out on 3 or 4 differing species before I feed it out to everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBJ Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Actually I used the same brand as the last bag, but the feed store just got in a new pallet of feed and I wonder if there was some exposure to an insecticide in thier warehouse or along the way. They carry two brands of fish pellets so this w/e I am going to go get the other brand and test it out on 3 or 4 differing species before I feed it out to everyone. Could you tell from the dying roaches' behaviour that it was a poisoning of some sort? Or will your experiment of using a new bag have to reveil whether the food logically must be the source? As BugmanPrice suggests: Maybe the country of origin is of importance.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Could you tell from the dying roaches' behaviour that it was a poisoning of some sort? Or will your experiment of using a new bag have to reveil whether the food logically must be the source? As BugmanPrice suggests: Maybe the country of origin is of importance.... Not the country of origin as they have been well in my own care for some time. Several different species suddenly had a small number die off when I used the new bag of food. That was the only variable in thier care, so I have remained with fruits and vegetables and none have died. I tried the food with Periplaneta fuliginosa and there have been some deaths. So I believe it was the food which is now fertilizing my garden No behavior was noted. Behaving fine, fed food, next day or two several individuals of various ages died, then no more deaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Not the country of origin as they have been well in my own care for some time. I think OBJ was suggesting that the contaminant in the food could have been melamine which has made it’s way into consumer products from certain countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OBJ Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 I think OBJ was suggesting that the contaminant in the food could have been melamine which has made it’s way into consumer products from certain countries. Exactly, and the latest scandal being melamine in baby milk (less than fortunate to put it mildly) done in a certain, very big country in Asia.... But maybe your USDA is very difficult to get such products by? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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