Worried that Red Runners will turn my house into Joe's Apartment :(

[Guest New2Runners]

Hello Gang,

 

I just started trying ti breed red runners because crix are expensive and it is annoying to have them shipped in bad weather because if I hold them at the PO they lose the box or claim they cannot find it a lot. I am in Ne England and have a 6" heat tape running across the bottom of a gasket sealed sterilite tub set to 95F. I have 50 adults and 1000 mediums that I am growing up. I'll need a lot that are similar to 1/4" crix for banded geckos. How to sort them as like Dubias with holes in bucket? I am very fearful they will infest and take over the entire house. Has anyone had problems with them taking over their houses?

[Matttoadman]

They are hard to sort. Super fast little buggers. I lift up the egg carton, stick a deli cup underneath and tap the carton. This normally knocks small ones down into the cup  and leaves the adults. I keep mine on top of a 29 gallon tank with a screen lid housing my Blaberus fusca taking in the heat radiating from their heat lamp.  I have found a few nymphs in the tank. I am sure the result of some that fell out during my first attempts at trying to sort. 

[All About Arthropods]

Nope, red runners won't infest your house. The average human home is a good deal too dry for them and they'll desiccate shortly after escaping. Just as an extra means of insurance, I've accidently had at least few dozen escape months ago and my house has ceased to have been taken over. ? 

[Guest New2Runners]

I'm worried if the egg cases will dry out in the enclosure. Do I have to put moist soil in with them or will the water crystals let off enough humidity for them to hatch?

[Matttoadman]

I had coco fiber in my Ben and they weren’t hatching. So I removed it and covered the screen lid with a piece of plexi glass and mist when there is no condinsation. It seems a bit stale but I have fast growing babies by the hundreds. If not a thousand.

[Guest New2Runners]

Ok I am making a second cage today that I'm going to keep moist and Im putting the eggs into that one. Hopefully that will also make the sorting a little easier since I do have some animals which need pinhead sized insects, too.

[Marlon]

I have a friend that had some escape and it took him 2 years to get his house free of them.  And it's pretty dry here in Colorado.  I can for sure see them surviving in a bathroom or kitchen.  So far I had several escape but I managed to capture them immediately afterwards.  So glad they can't climb.

I just started with these too.  No substrate, just water crystals and dry feed always available and feed fresh food once or twice a week.  First batch of ooths didn't hatch, I tried misting but no luck. I stopped misting, now I have some babies.  Do the ooths need to stay dry but humid or... ?  

[new2runners]

Did he have them like everywhere or was he just finding a few here and there? I can't really find much info on hatching them either, it seems to be the only area in which people are having issues. They sure do eat a lot though. 

[Marlon]

I think it was a few here and there, hanging out wherever they could get something to drink.  if you think about it... condensation in the bathroom after a hot shower or splashes near the dog's water bowl are probably enough.

[new2runners]

How did yours escape? I have them in the weather seal tall ziplock type boxes, sure hope they cannot get out. I am going to add some of the bug stop type stuff just to be on the safe side. I am using feeding dishes to feed them and it seems to me that they cannot get out of those but I havent used any nymphs yet.

[new2runners]

They give me the heebee jeebies even feeding them off creepy looking things lol 

[ChiManSam]

Been keeping them for years, here and I find a male body dead, escapees 

don't last long, on the other hand I have more Madagascars escaping and

surviving.

[dogpack]

I'm expecting 

 

The Turkestan cockroach (Shelfordella lateralis, often referred to as Blatta lateralis), also known as the rusty red cockroach, red runner cockroach or simply rusty red, red runner, or lat,

 

soon and hope they thrive.

 

I have two colonies of hissers I just started and almost lost a nymph yesterday.