Hey /an/ons, I'm about to get a small colony of 10 Domino Roach (Therea Petiveriana) nymphs, and I'm wondering if you guys had any suggestions. I've never raised roaches as anything other than cricket-replacement feeders, but the caresheet seems easy enough. Currently, my plan is like this:
> tank designed for small amphibians (watertight for humid substrate, etc)
> currently trying to decide between putting wire mesh over air slits on the top, or just relying on a band of vaseline to prevent escapees from ze camp
> a bunch of springtails to keep tank clean and mold-free
>substrate composed of soil, rotten logs, dead leaves
> big piece of dried bark for hiding spot?
> medium-high humidity, room temperature+a few degrees
> some kind of plant that could deal well with the environment?
So, yeah. I'm just looking for any suggestions on what kind of plant I should put in, or any adjustments I should make to the planned humidity/temperature. Cheers!
>>2145545
Be careful it doesn't get to humid, mold can develop.
Vaseline don't work 100%.
Tropical woodlice seem to do better and don't escape as easily.
Coconut substrate does better and is cleaner.
Bark is good but I've found the favourite is always egg cartons.
Moss generally does okay.
Why are you getting dominoes?
>>2146240
Yeah, that was a concern. Would the woodlice still help out with any mold spores that might make their way in and start to grow?
So... the Vaseline isn't a sure bet. Wire mesh it is, then!
Would the dominoes still be able to burrow around in coconut fiber? I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to gather dead leaves for them myself, though.
Interesting. Egg cartons give them more places to hide per square inch, so I can see that.
I was planning on getting dominoes because they were the most attractive roach I could find, honestly. The feeders I raised were just little Turkistan guys, and while they worked great for food, they weren't really much to look at. So, for actual pet roaches, I figured something more attractive would be best. Is there a reason why another species would be better?
Appreciate the advice, by the way. Cheers.
>>2146303
Depends on the amount of mold you think you're at risk of. If you think there's going to be a lot then go for springtails but woodlice are easier.
If you're not trying to get them to breed lots the humidity doesn't need to be as high either.
Coconut fiber is pretty easy for them to burrow into.
Depends if you want a colony of roaches or just a few individuals. The bigger the roach the slower they tend to be and the longer they tend to live so they make better pets.
I find the question mark version of domino roaches to be prettier than the normal spotty ones.
But my favourite pet roach species are the halloween hissers (javanica) big, slow and more colourful than the standard hisser.
It depends what you can get hold of though.
>>2146395
Well, I live in a pretty dry area, so I suppose it shouldn't be too much of a concern. I was figuring that I'd lightly mist them every three days or so, and that, along with a water dish, would keep them happy. I'm not trying to get tons of roaches right away, so would you consider that too humid?
Might be interesting just to get a couple of big ones, I suppose. And those Halloween hissers are quite attractive. How long do they live, in your experience?
I was planning on using bugsincyberspace.com for my roaches and roach accessories, so I can get a hold of anything they've got on there.
>>2146454
I'd mist them a little bit every day and skip the water bowl so you don't get any idiots drowning themselves. You can make a little water bottle style thing using a Tupperware tub filled with water with a hole poked in it and a bit of cotton pulled through the hole to wick up the moisture. But it shouldn't be to humid and the larger roaches are slow breeders.
Of my 7 five of them lived 2-3 and one made it to 4. The good thing is they're not common so if you end up with excess you can usually sell them.
They do pretty okay on soaked biscuits and wet fruit. Once a week offer them wet fruit (grapes etc) leave it in for two days then water they don't eat remove and dispose.
Tigers and wide horns are also pretty docile.
I used to take some of mine to kids parties and the wide horns were always the most popular and the only ones I'd let the kids handle.
Halloweens are seriously pretty though in the red colour way and one of my favs for ornamental value.
>>2146491
I was planning on using roach jellies as food, actually. Any reason why that's a bad idea, aside from price?
I think you've sold me on the halloweens, though. I've watched a few videos, and they're damn cute. Do they like same general sort of setup, with the coconut substrate and everything?
>>2146513
Pretty much just not good value. Mine really digged oranges and strawberries.
Pretty much the same as most roaches but as they are soft bodied the humidity needs to be a bit higher.
I kept mine at 80/80 but they can take higher. They shouldn't go below 75/70. Sphagnum moss is good for keeping the humidity up and it looks nice.
They generally have good sheds but they can be a bit territorial especially the males (nipped antenna)
They seem pretty big on climbing so branches should be provided and Vaseline around the rim (it won't guarantee them not escaping but it makes it less appealing).
It's been a little while since I kept them (they weren't commercially available back then really, mine were from a zoo) and info is always changing but they seemed to do well.
>>2146555
Oh and it's generally a good idea to keep a heat pad under one side.
