Cool feeders for Mediterranean geckos

[Matttoadman]

I am wanting to get a species of roach that would work best as feeders for my Mediterranean geckos. These geckos are small, wild caught, climb on glass and prefer to stay at the top parts of their exoterra. as you can imagine the roach should be a climber and not a burrowing type. These geckos are still shy and will not take anything from a dish. They would be hunted after the lights are turned out. I also want them to be neat to have. Perhaps psuedomops, eurycotis decipiens, rhabdoblatta?

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Panchlora nivea.

[Matttoadman]

I do like the looks of those but I picture a dozen flying out every time to open the lid. Or is that giving the. A bit to much flying ability?

[Hisserdude]

Out of the list you made, only Rhabdoblatta would make good feeders. However, the adults are probably too big for your geckos to eat, and the nymphs can burrow a little bit if they need to hide. Panchlora are great feeders.

[Matttoadman]

The geckos get 4-5inches so the rhabdoblatta would be fine. They have this interesting feeding behavior in that if the prey item is too large they shake it until they rip off hit they have in their mouth. We have to clean up crickets abdomens off the ground each morning from where the youngsters I have try to take the too big crickets. I was a bit creeped out by all the small roach species at first but now after getting some pantanals I think I could handle any species. I think the anallacta methanol des look pretty cool too.

[Hisserdude]

Well then, they should be OK with the Rhabdoblatta. I think the A.methanoides are more of a pet species though, probably don't reproduce enough to make good feeders. Then again, I've never kept that species personally, so I might be wrong.

[Matttoadman]

I guess it all depends how big a colony you need to feed 6 small geckos.

[Matttoadman]

Wonder how the lobster roach would work?

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

I don't think they climb quite as well or often. But they'd be fine.

[Matttoadman]

I think they will work. As long as they don't vanish into the substrate never to be seen again. I am going to try some anyway. If they don't work I will feed them to my pacman frogs.

[Ranitomeya]

Lobster roaches climb quite well and can do so very quickly even on smooth surfaces. You would have a very difficult time keeping them from escaping an enclosure without some sort of slick barrier unless it's sealed tight and I would not recommend slick barriers in gecko enclosures since you'll cause them to fall or impede their ability to climb if you use something like an oil.

You don't need to have climbing and flying roaches since the geckos would go after food they see moving around when lights are out--you just need non-burrowing roaches that are likely to wander around in the open when lights are out.

Shelfordella lateralis would work well as feeders as they're active at night and will wander around in the open when it's dark, can't climb smooth surfaces unless it's softer plastic that they can dig their tarsi into, and do not burrow at all.

[Matttoadman]

They are in an Exo terra. I had to seal up one spot to the crickets in. The small ones no longer escape. You think they could still get out? I don't care for the lateral is because they look too roachy for me. It's my wife's geckos. Hmmm....

[Ranitomeya]

Crickets are also non-climbing, so imagine how they were escaping before and then take into account what it would be like if they were able to climb and had a more compressed body plan that allows them to get through narrow gaps.

If you plan on using any climbing roach species with small young, you will definitely need to make sure you've sealed every little gap--even the small gaps around the door that allow the doors to open properly.

Many of the more colorful roaches that don't look like a typical cockroach do so because they tend to have some sort of chemical defense. Many animals will avoid them just because they have warning coloration--if they don't, they'll learn that they make distasteful prey and will refuse them.

[Matttoadman]

Very interesting. Perhaps I should look at a larger non climber and use the smaller nymphs..... This research phase is great fun for me. Are there any other similar to lateralis?

[Ranitomeya]

I don't know of any other non-climbing, non-burrowing roaches that are easily obtainable.

Although there are larger species with adults that don't burrow or climb, the larger non-climbing species i know of have burrowing nymphs.

[Matttoadman]

Well my wife says she will just stick with crickets. That's fine that means I can look for whatever I want.