G. portentosa: Feed mass per roach per week?

[Mun]

Hi all,

What is the mass of dry food that a typical adult G. portentosa hissing roach will eat over time? I am planning to feed dry food to a colony and I need to know exactly how much I will need. I have not been able to find any scientific literature with this value yet. Thanks!

[that_bug_girl]

Honestly, I am not sure if this information is even out there. I would personally just experiment around until I get it right.

[Mun]

On 6/30/2021 at 10:30 PM, that_bug_girl said:

Honestly, I am not sure if this information is even out there. I would personally just experiment around until I get it right.

I used some data on population by volume, reproduction rates, and the feed mass conversion efficiency of crickets to estimate the required feeding rates. It's not quite ideal, and I'm sure the mass required varies significantly based on the optimization of the diet and other factors, but at least I have something. I will make measurements when I finally build the enclosure, and hopefully clear up some of these numbers.

[RenOfTheRoaches]

Hello! 

I would also say some hissers eat more or less than others. They have individual personalities believe it or not and some are heavier eaters than others so it might be hard to get exact numbers. That's probably why the results aren't readily available. I'd recommend doing it on a colony by colony basis and get to know what your roaches eat. I have different hisser colonies and some clear more food. Hissers also don't eat as much as one would think for their size. I find my E. Serranus are extremely food motivated but my common hissers aren't so much and don't clear the same amount of food as, say, dubia. Wish I could give exact information but each colony is different so you might have to experiment with your individual colonies. Hope this helps!