Roachman26 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Do these guys have much of a defensive odor? I noticed they are in the same genus as the Florida SKUNK roach. Will reptiles and other inverts eat them? Any husbandry/containment advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Do these guys have much of a defensive odor? I noticed they are in the same genus as the Florida SKUNK roach. Will reptiles and other inverts eat them? Any husbandry/containment advice? I had some of these guys but my "culture" died out a while back... I just couldn't get them to breed. I ended up with three ootheca but none of them hatched out, I think the humidity was too low so my advice would be high humidity (but since I haven't tested to see if that was the problem, I can't say they need it for sure). A little petroleum will keep them from making an escape. I don't recall any defensive odor but I bet most things would eat them... seems like a shame to feed off such a neat species. They are a cool little ‘roach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roachman26 Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 I had some of these guys but my "culture" died out a while back... I just couldn't get them to breed. I ended up with three ootheca but none of them hatched out, I think the humidity was too low so my advice would be high humidity (but since I haven't tested to see if that was the problem, I can't say they need it for sure). A little petroleum will keep them from making an escape. I don't recall any defensive odor but I bet most things would eat them... seems like a shame to feed off such a neat species. They are a cool little ‘roach. Interesting. Are these like the harlequin roach? I've never even seen either species in person, but what I've read about the harlequins is that sometimes they do great and other times they just don't make it. I'm always curious about the feeding out part. When I got my first hissers, 18 years ago, we would have had a serious discussion if you suggested feeding them to anything. However, as time went by, I simply didn't know what to do with them all. Few animals will eat the adults (I tried). Most of the reptile people I know moved away from insectivores due to a dislike of crickets and the rest had no interest in feeding "gross/disgusting roaches" to their beloved pets. I found a lady with two big Black-Throated monitors, but we couldn't get them to eat the roaches. There was no internet or forums back then. I literally had two 40 gallon tanks filled with paper towel rolls, cereal boxes and egg cartons, filled top to bottom with hissers. There were roaches on top of roaches. The tanks were so heavy with roaches, it took two guys to move them. You could throw two quartered grapefruits in there, in broad daylight, and they would be gone in minutes, peel and all. I used to do this trick with whole fruits to show them off to people. I never attempted to count them all, but there had to be tens of thousands of all ages. I would use several hundred at a time for jobs and it didn't even look like any were gone. I was trying to give them away. Nobody wanted them. It was really a problem. The overcrowding didn't seem to bother them, much less slow them down, at all. The only care they got, at this stage, was an occasional handful of food, a cricket waterer and a monthly frass removal. They were bone dry with no substrate. Given this scenario, you can imagine why I worry about what to do with the excess. Today, with the help of the internet, I can find hungry mouths and eager buyers for any amount of excess, but if I end up with ten thousand of something like Deropeltis paulinoi or Eurycotis floridana, I could really be in a jam. I'm starting all these new cultures with far more individuals than my first, and only three, hissers. From what I understand, the hissers breed much slower than every other species in my collection. So, in a year or two, keep your eyes posted for a "Clearance Sale" by Roachman in the Ad Listings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Interesting. Are these like the harlequin roach? I've never even seen either species in person, but what I've read about the harlequins is that sometimes they do great and other times they just don't make it. Well, I experienced that one too so it's gotta be me! I’m down to two females that haven’t put out any new ootheca… it’s frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roachman26 Posted January 10, 2010 Author Share Posted January 10, 2010 Well, I experienced that one too so it's gotta be me! I’m down to two females that haven’t put out any new ootheca… it’s frustrating. BugmanPrice, you said in a previous post that it is very dry where you live. What substrate, if any are you keeping these guys on? Its gets colder there (Utah), but its just as dry here (Southern CA desert). I'm wondering how well they will do for me too? Anybody out there in a very dry area had any success with either these two species? Eurycotis decipiens and Neostylopyga rhombifolia. How about anybody in any area? Please share the secrets of your success with the rest of us. I really like what I've read about and seen of both of these species, but I don't want to just throw money away or be frustrated by my own ignorant failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 BugmanPrice, you said in a previous post that it is very dry where you live. What substrate, if any are you keeping these guys on? Its gets colder there (Utah), but its just as dry here (Southern CA desert). I'm wondering how well they will do for me too? Anybody out there in a very dry area had any success with either these two species? Eurycotis decipiens and Neostylopyga rhombifolia. How about anybody in any area? Please share the secrets of your success with the rest of us. I really like what I've read about and seen of both of these species, but I don't want to just throw money away or be frustrated by my own ignorant failure. I used to know of a guy in Arizona who told me it was very dry where he was and he had over a dozen species of roaches that were all doing very well. I tend to think there is someone one this board who lives in Arizona too, for that matter. For me, its dry in my house, and outdoors varies from very dry to extremely humid (rh value ranges 12 to 90 throughout the year)(today it happens to be 28). My Eurycotis decipiens are neglected intentionally, as with any sort of good care thier population explodes, and they produce no (or slightly detectable) aroma in large numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I've got harlequins cranking out ooths at high humidity (probably 90%) and high temps (Mid to high 80's) and I have my E. decipiens in the same conditions. Basically, this is a good fall-back plan if you have roach species that aren't breeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugmanPrice Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 BugmanPrice, you said in a previous post that it is very dry where you live. What substrate, if any are you keeping these guys on? I kept them on a mix of mostly potting soil (no fertilizer or other nasty stuff) with some oak leaves. When I had those two species I didn’t have the breeding cabinet I do now. I can keep the humidity up in there by storing a bowl of water on the bottom shelf of the cabinet so hopefully one day I can get another culture successfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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