Suggest me a species!

[Betta132]

I'm looking for a new roach species to keep. I have dominoes and peppered roaches, plus a couple of death's head males in with the peppereds. 

What I'm looking for is a species that: 

Doesn't tend to be good at escaping (can't climb glass, can't or at least doesn't tend to fly straight upward)

I could keep a decent colony of in a 2.5 or 5 gallon aquarium 

Will breed and behave normally in low 70-high 60 temps (my room is cold and I don't want to have yet another thing plugged in to keep them warm)

Can basically be ignored aside from putting some food in once a week

I have a backyard full of pecan leaves, so have easy access to hardwood leaves. We have cats, so I have cat food on hand. I also eat apples pretty frequently, and my bugs get the cores. 

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I love the gyna species, but they're all far too escape-prone. I especially like wider or rounder roaches. The burrowing species are charming, but hard to watch- I'd prefer a species that's a little more surface-active, or at least can generally be found hiding under bark at the surface instead of being buried. 

I kinda like Arizona sand roaches. How does one keep those? 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

I see that you have B. cranifer, but I would suggest looking into B. giganteus. They are one of my personal favorites. Just be careful as some strains seem to not live up to their species name: giganteus. 

[Betta132]

They're really cool, but they need a decent chunk of space, right? I'd prefer something small, so I don't have to set up too big of an enclosure. I don't have much spare room at this point. 

I do want B. giganteus at some point, but only when I can really go all out. Big enclosure, faux rock cave-type background, that sort of thing. Rat skeleton or two. 

[The Mantis Menagerie]

Mine bred with only about a square foot of space. Their colonies take a while to become massive, so you could build a colony in preparation for the ideal setup. 

[Danish Roach]

Turkestan cockroach for should fit all your requirements as well, but if you do have an escapei you have a pest problem on your hands, as they are efficient breeders :P

[The Mantis Menagerie]

B. lateralis is is also tolerant of low humidity, which is the bigger problem. 

[Betta132]

Lateralis look easy to keep, but they're kind of generic. I like bugs I can show off to people. Colors and fun patterns and interesting body shapes, or "this bug clones itself", or things of the sort. I think we have Lateralis just living in the area, too.

[All About Arthropods]

The various Blaberus spp. are a good choice and Eublaberus is also a nice fit.  

Arizona Sand Roaches should be kept with a dry substrate of coconut fiber with only one or two corners of the enclosure kept moist. They should have high ventilation and should be offered dead leaves and dog/cat food for feeding.

[Allpet Roaches]

I'm going to vote for glowspots.

[Bugboy3092]

You could try horseshoe roaches, they’re easy to care for and they’re quite interesting

[Shinylarvitar97]

I second glowspots. Especially adults stick around up top. Not sure how well they breed at lower temps though. 

[Betta132]

Ooh, I do like the glowspots. I'll have to get those when I can. 

I can't right now, though, because my empty space is now full. I found some orange A. vulgare isopods outside- two that are fairly bright orange, and then about 20 more with varying degrees of orange tinting. I also found a Porcellionides species with an interesting sort of dusky color instead of the usual blue. So now I have two isopod setups.

[Tleilaxu]

periplaneta australasiae, americana, or another species of the genus.

[stanislas]

Just my 2 cent based on my collection: 

* Eublaberus distanti: non climbing, tolerant for room temperature, adult visible at night, burrows, slow life cycle at lower temperatures. 
* Eupolyphaga sinensis: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, but many eggs. 
* Hemiblabera tenebricosa: non climbing, tolerant for and reproducing at lower temperatures, adult often visible, burrows, relatively fast reproducing. 
* Hyporhicnoda reflexa: non climbing, tolerant for room temperature, hidden life, burrows, slow reproduction. 
* Loboptera decipiens: climbing, tolerant for room temperature, often visible, not burrowing, fast reproducing. 
* Lucihormetica verrucosa: climbing, tolerant for room temperature, very visible, burrows and hides in wood, fast reproducing. 
* Panchlora nivea: climbing adults, can fly well, tolerant for room temperature, often visible, nymph burrow, fast reproducing. 
* Panesthia angustipennis angustipennis: non climbing, tolerant for room temperature and below, very hidden life, burrows, very slow reproduction. 
* Polyphaga aegyptiaca: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, but many eggs. 
* Polyphaga obscura: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, slow reproduction. 
* Polyphaga saussurei: females non climbing, tolerant for lower temperatures, very hardy, burrows, slow life cycle, slow reproduction. 
* Pseudoglomeris magnifica: climbing, males fly well, tolerant for lower temperatures, pleasure to see, but often hidden, not burrowing, slow life cycle, slow reproduction. 
* Perisphaerus pygmaeus: climbing, males fly well, tolerant for room temperatures, often hidden, not burrowing. 
* Schizopilia fissicollis: climbing, tolerant for room temperatures, often hidden, males visible as they fight a lot, not burrowing, relatively fast life cycle, fast reproduction. 

 

[Betta132]

Oh, man, so many good suggestions!

Do you ever have spares out of your colonies up for sale or trade? 

[Hisserdude]

I second the Polyphaga species, with P.saussurei being my personal favorite!

[Longhorn1234]

These are based on species I keep, but my favorites are Eublaberus sp. "Ivory" and Blaberus craniifer (which you already have) for non-climbing species. Climbing species I like Panchlora nivea and Gina centurio. Although p. nivea adults are escape artists, but nothing that a gasket bin can't fix.