Feeder roach recommendation?

I have 1 sub adult B. albopilosum, 3 slings at least 1/2 inch each, and 2 H. spinifer scorplings. Aside from roaches, this as as big as my invert collection is going to get for awhile. I would like to get a colony going that will sustain this small collection but not overrun me. I would also like something that can make for a nice display. It would be nice for something to take care of both show and food but I'm willing to get two species need be. I don't want something smelly. Any recommendations?

as food - dubia. dont heat them too much and they still breed, just slow. you could still use they as show, as they have some interesting behaviours.

but if you want better display- hissers! Madagascar hissing roaches.
they have interesting behavior, they get really huge and they use hissing to ward off danger but also as communication. like when they court or fight of just at random. i really like this about them.
all is well with them and then suddenly there is a big commotion in their enclosure and they run all over and hiss like enraged rattlesnakes!
really recommend! its good fun! they are pretty clean roach, dont smell. not flighty, you can handle with ease. they sort of walk around your arm and dont freak out easily.

before you get them, you should know that they do climb, real well. but are not as fast moving. also you should know that they will breed at room temperature, real slow, but it does happen occasionally.
so don't make the mistake of keeping them in kritter keeper. get some metal mesh and plug in holes.

If I could keep the dubia population sustaining and not exploding, then perhaps. I'm also thinking about the Cuban banana roaches. I know they fly but they look so cool. Lats seem like they'd be easy, but it looks like they would overpopulate.

xkris said:

as food - dubia. dont heat them too much and they still breed, just slow. you could still use they as show, as they have some interesting behaviours.

but if you want better display- hissers! Madagascar hissing roaches.
they have interesting behavior, they get really huge and they use hissing to ward off danger but also as communication. like when they court or fight of just at random. i really like this about them.
all is well with them and then suddenly there is a big commotion in their enclosure and they run all over and hiss like enraged rattlesnakes!
really recommend! its good fun! they are pretty clean roach, dont smell. not flighty, you can handle with ease. they sort of walk around your arm and dont freak out easily.

before you get them, you should know that they do climb, real well. but are not as fast moving. also you should know that they will breed at room temperature, real slow, but it does happen occasionally.
so don't make the mistake of keeping them in kritter keeper. get some metal mesh and plug in holes.

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How are they as feeders? Do they burrow down in the sub, do the t's like them, are they active when in the t enclosure or do they hunker and sit?

I'm considering a colony, and I am less concerned with reproductive speed than I am with having something large enough for big t's that still look cool. I thought either hissers or false death's head, but I can't seem to find them as easily and the hissers look better and get bigger. Thanks for the hisser info!

Do Blaberus discoidalis ? or Blaberus fusca work as a slower growing alternative for dubia?
I think dubia breed faster.

Are you set on setting up a roach colony because 5 inverts isn't going to keep the colony numbers down even if your slings were adults. Roaches will reproduce faster then you can feed them off. It would be be easier to buy crickets from your LPS. Back to your question, Blaptica dubia and Blatta lateralis are the top two feeder roaches with the latter recommeded for large collections only because they are prolific breeders.

Well, I'd like to have some roaches on display and I'd like to create some self sufficiency. I don't particularly care for crickets.

If i were you i would get a very very small colony of dubias for feeding if you dont want to get overrun i would recommend trying to get 2 females and 1 male as the females can have upto 100 babys per month. They are also a great food source for your ts. Madagascar hissing cockroaches make a great pet/display roach but i wouldnt recomend them as feeders because they may be to large to feed off to your slings.

cold blood said:

How are they as feeders? Do they burrow down in the sub, do the t's like them, are they active when in the t enclosure or do they hunker and sit?

I'm considering a colony, and I am less concerned with reproductive speed than I am with having something large enough for big t's that still look cool. I thought either hissers or false death's head, but I can't seem to find them as easily and the hissers look better and get bigger. Thanks for the hisser info!

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they do burrow...but you could still squish their head...and no more burrowing or worrying about your t future moulting accidents.

as for them being feeder. yes. they are a good feeder. if your looking for something big and easy to keep for your larger spiders, look no further.
(only other roach that is as big is blaberus giganteus and they are real expensive and hard to find, at least here. giganteus have more flat body shape, hissers are meatier.)

for adult hisser, you're going to need a big spider 14cm+. they have a harder shell than dubia, but its nothing a big spider isnt designed to handle. other than shell, hissers are big, fat, meaty roach. good meal for large spiders, adult hisser has more meat to it than small pinky.

hisser nymphs start off as tiny things and can be used as feeders right away. they are just slightly bigger than dubia nymphs. even small slings can eat them.
but they all do climb, so be prepared for that.


false death head are blaberus craniifer hybrid, right? they are smaller. if you're looking for big pretty roach, try pure blaberus craniifer. they get bigger and look simply stunning.

Thanks xkris, hissers are pretty easy to get a hold of, I think I may go down that road. There's a reptile expo near me in a few weeks, if I can find them, I will probably pick at least a few up. Appreciate the info:wink:

Eh, after doing a bit of research, I'm going to skip the roaches. There are too many people in my family with allergies and asthma that I don't want to risk bringing them in. I suppose I remember hearing that cockroaches were allergenic I had really only ever thought of the pest species as a problem. I think I'm going to set up a superworm colony instead.

B. lats are my preferred feeder roach.

Mojo Jojo said:

Eh, after doing a bit of research, I'm going to skip the roaches. There are too many people in my family with allergies and asthma that I don't want to risk bringing them in. I suppose I remember hearing that cockroaches were allergenic I had really only ever thought of the pest species as a problem. I think I'm going to set up a superworm colony instead.

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its not the cockroach itself its the feces from them. But thats a good idea superworms are good to.

Mojo Jojo said:

Eh, after doing a bit of research, I'm going to skip the roaches. There are too many people in my family with allergies and asthma that I don't want to risk bringing them in. I suppose I remember hearing that cockroaches were allergenic I had really only ever thought of the pest species as a problem. I think I'm going to set up a superworm colony instead.

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I'm not allergic to much and when I hold my dubia I do get a slight itch afterward. You're probably making a good decision.