Looking to grow feeders

I'm not really liking crickets. They are escape artist. Require a decent amount of care.

Mealworms liking them but like to bury and not all my Ts like to go after them when i have togs in their enclosure.
If left alone they will quickly bury themselves.

Dubia- pose the same issue as the mealworms but easy to grow like the mealworms.


I was thinking about doing Red Runner Roaches - Turkistan cockroach

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these guys.

Blatta lateralis - Turkistan cockroaches are easy to grow and require same conditions as B. dubia. But unlike B. dubia, B. lateralis will never play dead and never bury them self in substrate.

I've never grown roaches before.


Would these work for a water source?

Also like crickets do they like ground dog food?

Also like crickets/mealworms do they like oats?

How much fresh fruits /vegies do they really need?

I don't use water dish for them. All water needed they get from fruits and vegetables. Main diet of my B. lateralis is made of cat pellets (they have less fat then dog pellets), rabbit pelets, chicken food, and slices of apple, carrot, potato, but like any other cockroaches they'll eat anything you offer to them.

But it is very important not to put to much moist food - only in quantities they can eat in one day. One or two feedings and you'll find that quantity easily.

Prle said:

But unlike B. dubia, B. lateralis will never play dead and never bury them self in substrate.

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See, I have never had this problem with them.. I pinch there head with my forceps and tossem close to the executioners and unlike alot of people I can't think of any of my Ts that refused them...Ever...

Once the head is crushed they don't burrow but still wriggle like crazy and usually run around long enough for the T to notice them.

The only place they fall short IMO is when feeding new borns to slings.. I dont think there is much to them and I worry that there exo is a little tough for my mini monsters..
I still prefer crushed small crix for most spiderlings...

Now I'm not sure if this is fact but I have heard that B. Lats can be somewhat of a pest species where as dubia kick pretty fast outside of there hab..

I don't know, personally I love dubia as my Ts staple diet..

My Dubia will bury themselves as soon as I put them in the enclosure to hide. So you kill em before you put them in?

He "decapitates" them only.

OT - cockroaches are the only creatures that in case of decapitation dies from starvation rather then from injury it self.

If you consider crickets to be 'escape artists' you're in for some surprises with tarantulas.

Crickets only need a minimum of care, but it needs to be the right care. They need a dry cage, no substrate, no water bowl. All of their food and water needs can be met from romaine, carrots, and potatoes. Good ventilation is important. Too much moisture and a stuffy, humid cage will quickly kill them.

Poec54 said:

If you consider crickets to be 'escape artists' you're in for some surprises with tarantulas.

Crickets only need a minimum of care, but it needs to be the right care. They need a dry cage, no substrate, no water bowl. They can get all their food from romaine, carrots, and potatoes. Good ventilation is important. Too much moisture and a stuffy, humid cage will quickly kill them.

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Yes, crickets need the right care or else they either eat each other or die quickly. Moisture quickly kills them, so like Rick said you should feed them with vegetables like carrots, potatoes, maybe a bit of cucumber from time to time. People like to use dog/cat food as a main food source and I've heard shrimp heads are well-accepted by them.

I would absolutely recommend B. lateralis as feeders for tarantulas. They'll breed much faster than B. dubia, especially when they're given a slightly moist substrate to deposit their ootheca. They are in fact peridomestic pest species in some parts of the US, but they're typically found outdoors. Mine are fed dog food, cooked meat, sliced fruits and vegetables. I actually keep mine with Alphitobius diaperinus beetles to consume dead roaches, but some people have had trouble with them eating live roaches/ ootheca.

I love raising B lats and banded crix. I prefer using a folded up 7th Generation paper towel dampened for water source, but I stack their carrots, spring leaf veggies, etc., on top of papertowel and it keeps all fresh longer. (I actually stack a few paper towels and then fold - and when soiled, I toss and replace them). I have had crix and roaches live 9+ months, and have raised many generations with this method. I also feed a grain product (usually homemade 'real' whole wheat bread or Trader Joe's Organic High Fibre Os (think Cheerios) plus Iams Cat Food (sometimes Trader Joe's cat food). My issue is needing to cull some colonies -- I have thousands. Actually I would guess I have 3000+ pinheads alone. I am doing the math, considering final size and realizing I am going to have buy a couple more bins. I ended up getting a beardie to help eat my surplus. I literally feed nearly a whole bag of organic greens and 1 cup catfood and it is gone in a few hours.

Unless you would enjoy raising B lats -- don't bother -- just buy feeders from a pet store (crix, waxies).. But I actually found this a rewarding second hobby. I keep mine warm and humid and they breed like crazy. If you are just trying to just keep a few pet store feeders alive -- then your husbandry is going to be different.

My Ts adore the B lats. In fact, I just fed all the adults Ts (except 2 ready to pop/moult) 2 B lat adult males each and they had a banner night. lol Even my G pulchripes sling took down an adult male B lat -- he/she was in heaven!

For me, I loathe burrower feeders and 'play dead' feeders. B lats nor banded crix play these irritating games. In my experience, neither B lats nor banded crix can climb their bin walls, so most escapes are when I have lid off -- roaches climb up my arms, crix simply 'jump out." A little carefulness is enough to prevent escapes, and my cats handle all my 'ooops!'

Good luck!

Not all tarantulas will each roaches (same with mealworms and superworms), and roaches aren't legal to own in some states. They're not a miracle food for the hobby. In the decades I've collecting tarantulas, I've owned over 150 species, and they all readily eat crickets.

Grio said:

Mealworms liking them but like to bury and not all my Ts like to go after them when i have togs in their enclosure.
If left alone they will quickly bury themselves.

Dubia- pose the same issue as the mealworms but easy to grow like the mealworms.


I was thinking about doing Red Runner Roaches - Turkistan cockroach

Click to expand...

If you can look for banded crickets (also known as tropical house crickets).....they're like 100 times hardier for those having issues with keeping the common domestic grey crickets alive. They also are climbers, so they're excellent for arboreals as they walk right up to them. They are more "athletic" so I always gather them in the tub to reduce...actually eliminate escapes.

Always crush the heads of mealworms, and even dubia...don't decapitate them as that will cause them to begin breaking down in your enclosure quickly. A dubia or a mealie will actually survive extended periods of time with crushed heads...I've had mealies live as long as 2 weeks after crushing their heads....so they remain fresh even if not taken quickly.


People gush over those red-runners, but unlike dubia, if they escape, they can infest (from what I understand)....which is a monumental drawback IMO regardless of how well they're received by the t's.

I also agree that while some won't eat roaches or mealies/supers, they ALL readily pounce on crickets.

I'd also give wax worms a shot, I literally have never had a t of any size or species refuse them. They're easy to keep and cannot harm your t in any way, even after molting, so you don't need to crush their heads. Lose one and the worse thing that happens is that the waxie turns into a moth, which IME are the only feeder that's liked even more than crickets. Just don't refrigerate them or they die. Most pet stores sell them as well as most bait stores, making them both cheap and easy to find.

I'm still breeding crickets but I don't really like them. I don't plan to optimize them and trying to see how that goes.

Grio said:

I'm still breeding crickets but I don't really like them. I don't plan to optimize them and trying to see how that goes.

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What species of cricket? I'd switch to banded personally....they don't smell terrible like domestic greys, either....in fact I almost never notice the smell, unlike when I get the standard crickets, which stink to high heaven. They're also less prone to disease and parasites.

I bought some off ebay that are branded. Bought some random crickets in walmart (never used them to feed my Ts being afraid they might have parasites.) All the walmart ones died off (adults) in about 2 weeks. They layed eggs scouts potting soil. I'm unsure what they are. I assume they are grays. The ebay ones I got are only 1/8. Bought 1k of those.

Cricket picture from Walmart. Hyperlink due to size.
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm15/grioreborn/DSCN01541_zps4by3nbvt.jpg
I'm thinking of just seeing how the eggs do in scouts potting soil (worried that there are pesticides in there. As scott has a bad rep for that) Also want to see how the eggs fair out at room temp of 72F.


The branded are 1/8 inch so not going to bother taking a picture of em. I assume they are since that what the seller on ebay claims.

If I can't get room temp to work do all stages work all right with branded in one box?

Grio said:

I bought some off ebay that are branded. Bought some random crickets in walmart (never used them to feed my Ts being afraid they might have parasites.) All the walmart ones died off (adults) in about 2 weeks. They layed eggs scouts potting soil. I'm unsure what they are. I assume they are grays. The ebay ones I got are only 1/8. Bought 1k of those.

Cricket picture from Walmart. Hyperlink due to size.
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm15/grioreborn/DSCN01541_zps4by3nbvt.jpg
I'm thinking of just seeing how the eggs do in scouts potting soil (worried that there are pesticides in there. As scott has a bad rep for that) Also want to see how the eggs fair out at room temp of 72F.


The branded are 1/8 inch so not going to bother taking a picture of em. I assume they are since that what the seller on ebay claims.

If I can't get room temp to work do all stages work all right with branded in one box?

Click to expand...

If you bought them at a store, they're most likely bred in captivity. They'd have to be in order to be available in huge quantities. The odds of them having parasites that could harm your tarantula are very slim. Do you think the rest of us worry over this whenever we buy crickets?

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Well if you open the cricket housing and see there is a molding tomato and apple in the cup think you would be a little worried?
I picked them up two days after they got to the store anyway that is off topic.

Everyone says to keep crickets around 90F but would they breed and so on @ 72?
What potting soil do you use? As I'm afraid Scott potting soil contains pesticides.

Grio said:

Well if you open the cricket housing and see there is a molding tomato and apple in the cup think you would be a little worried?
I picked them up two days after they got to the store anyway that is off topic.

Everyone says to keep crickets around 90F but would they breed and so on @ 72?
What potting soil do you use? As I'm afraid Scott potting soil contains pesticides.

Click to expand...

No I really wouldn't be all that worried. It's highly unlikely that any harmful parasites would be attracted by moldy vegetation.

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I have always used damp containers of coco fiber and have never had any problems with eggs. I pull them after a week in with the adults and
put them in another tote high on a book shelf where it's a bit warmer (I keep my house 72). I always have more than I know what to do with
at this point.