Wednesday 8 January 2014

Cockroaches...... not always a pest.

Its not all just snakes that I blog about on here, so its time for a bit of a change.  In this entry I will be highlighting how to set up a dubia cockroach colony effectively in order to have them provide a steady supply of live food for you pets.

Dubia cockroaches (Blaptica dubia) is one of the most commonly kept cockroach species that is used as a feeder insect in reptile keeping, as well as a prey item for inverts.  The reason for this is because they don't smell, cant climb flat surfaces, they do not make noise, live longer and are more nutritious than a large variety of other feeder insects such as crickets.  To add to this dubia roaches have a large meat to shell ratio, meaning that your getting more bang for your buck per roach.

Equipment:

Container:  There is not hard and fast rule as to which tub is the best to use for dubia roaches, however there are some certain criteria which I think help in maintaining an effective breeding colony.  I use a tub which has opaque sides (light can't pass through), the roaches will thrive in a dark tub as they feel a lot safer when out and about.  It is also important to ensure that the containing has flat sides, by doing so it means that the roaches are unable to climb the sides of the tub. 

Ventilation: I use a plastic mesh with small holes in order to provide a means of ventilation within my cockroach colony tub.  The ventilation means that moisture cannot build up to an excessive amount.  Whilst humidity is important within the dubia roach colony, an excessive amount of moisture is their enemy, leading to bugs and bacteria building up.  I cut a hole about half the size of the roof of the enclosure and place the mesh on top using a hot glue gun.  The glue allows proper ventilation as well  as preventing any escapees.

Heat: It is important to provide a heat source for your roaches if you want to make sure that they are providing a good number of feeder insects for you to use.  I use a heat mat placed on the outside of the container, around this I place cardboard as an insulation medium to maintain a temperature of around 90-100 degrees farenheight within the tubs hot end, this provides a nice temperature gradient within the tub.  If the enclosure is too hot all the roaches will stay away from the heat in a clusterball or roaches, if too cold they will not reproduce.  This behaviour is usually a good indicator to whether or not the temperature is right.

Housing: Within the tub you need to supply somewhere for the roaches to hide and feel safe when they are not either eating, or being fed to your pets.  I use egg flats which are 30cm x 30cm, I stack them side by side and this allows them to scuttle through the holes in the egg flats.  They also mean that the surface area of where the roaches can hide is greatly increased.  I place the egg flats in the end of the tub where the heat mat is wrapped around.

Food:  Cockroaches, from my experience, will eat just about anything that you throw in to their enclosure.  I provide a high protein powder chow to my roaches which includes dry cat food and various other ingredients which contain high protein (I can't reveal my secret recipie to you im afraid).  The roaches go crazy for this whenever I put it in their enclosure, I also provide various fresh fruit and vegetable 2-3 times a week.  The fruit and veg includes; carrots, potatoes, a mixture of leafy salads, oranges, apples, bananas and grapes basically any fruit or veg we eat.  I also offer various dry foods about once a week in addition to the chow and fruit and veg, this includes various cereals, bread, cat food, dog food, chicken pellets and basically any thing we can eat.  By providing a varied diet of food it means that each roach is appropriately gut loaded prior to being provided to your pet, this means that the maximum amount of nutrients is passed from the roaches to your pet.

Water: water is essential in maintaining an effective breeding colony of dubia roaches.  It is mentioned that the roaches can get a sufficient amount of moisture from the fresh fruit and veg that is provided on a weekly basis.  Water can be provided by various methods, such as shallow water in a dish with a sponge submerged, shop bought water gel for insects or water gel made from polymer water crystals.  I personally use the gel made from the polymer water crystals, simply because it provides a good amount of water to the roaches, is clean and nearly mess free, has to be changed less often as well as being cheaper to buy. 

I am aware that there is a lot more depth I could have gone in to regarding the care for these feeder insects, however if I supplied all available information we would be here for hours, and it is for that reason I have kept it short and sweet. 

Please see below the various starter colonies of dubia roaches that I offer for sale, as well as dry food, water gel and egg flats.  When you like my Facebook Next Generation Exotics, you will receive free delivery on order made over £30.  Any questions please feel free to ask and I will be more than happy to help.

£18 colony:
-25 mixed adults (good ratio of females).
-25 medium roaches.
-50 mixed sized nymphs
£25 colony:
-25 mixed adults (good ratio of females).
-40 medium roaches.
-70 mixed sized nymphs
£29 colony:
- 35 mixed adults (good ratio of females)
- 55 medium roaches.
- 100 mixed size nymphs
All roaches have been fed on fresh fruit and vegetables, cereal and a high protein roach chow as well as water crystals. 300g tubs of either roach chow or water crystals are available for £2.50 each. As well as egg flats, 10 for £5.

No comments:

Post a Comment