How to stop nymphs escaping through Critter Keeper?

[Kaia]

I know people use Critter Keepers for roaches so I was considering it for my future roaches, but how do you stop the nymphs from escaping through the holes in the lid? Netting over the top?

[Hisserdude]

I know people use Critter Keepers for roaches so I was considering it for my future roaches, but how do you stop the nymphs from escaping through the holes in the lid? Netting over the top?

I advise against keeping climbing roaches in Kritter Keeper type cages for that precise reason, most small nymphs can escape from them so easily! If you really want to go down that path, then yes, use netting or something like a leg from a pair of stockings and cover the cage with it and then put the lid on, but I really suggest getting plastic storage bins with tight lids for roaches, they are much better for housing climbers.

[Andy365]

You can also apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around the top of the container.

[Kaia]

Oh so the people I'm seeing that use critter keepers must have the non climbing species, I didn't think of that!

I have one of those gasket bins from target that I'm going to use, but then I was thinking for other smaller colonies/for display roaches that critter keepers might be good since they come in smaller sizes and are a good shape and have ventilation already installed. Like maybe for discoid which don't climb. But it might just be easier to use bins (I've hear the lids on critter keepers aren't as easy to remove) if I can find some that are of similar shape/size to critter keepers.

Yeah re netting I've been told that fine nylon mesh fabric is good for preventing nymph escapes so I suppose even for climbing species I could use that over the top of critter keepers with the lid placed over it. Or I might do the same with a fish tank. I'm not really sure yet.

I've heard of the petroleum jelly but then I realized that even if that does work really well (I wasn't sure if it did) I'd still have the problem of other insects getting into the roach enclosures if I didn't use mesh netting over the top. Like fruit flies etc would become a problem (we get fruit fly problems a lot).