Roaches

[Mellie24]

I've just received 500 roaches today, I got mix, 250 mediums to feed spike with now and 250 larger ones for breeding, I've separated them into two containers, I've had to put then in the shed as they are a bit smelly and my dog loves to eat them
Can anyone give me tips on breeding and ensuring they survive
Thanks

 

[gmtirrill]

what type of roaches? if they are dubia give them ground fine high protein cat food and water crystals then keep there temps up around 75 to 95 degrees they should start breeding if they are another type of roach i dont know sorry

 

[Mellie24]

They are woodies, but I'm assuming they are all similar

 

[Germ]

Cat Food is high in Vit A, BDs can suffer from Vit A toxicity, Dog Food is the better choice if that is the route you want to go. Personally, my discoid colony gets soft/moist chunk Dog Food (Purina Beneful) as their staple protein diet, left over greens & melon rinds for hydration. My feeders are kept in a separate smaller bin to be properly gutloaded prior to feeding.

 

[Mellie24]

A fair few of my breeders have died :/
The container I've got them in seem to have got sweaty, I'm assuming this due to our extremely hot and humid weather, but or done the exact same thing for the smaller ones and they are fine

 

[Germ]

If moisture leads to mold it will Kill the adults, most often the nymphs will survive. What you are describing generally means insufficient ventilation, possibly along with too moist of food.

 

[Mellie24]

Thanks, I've only got carrot in there at the moment, it has more ventilation then the smaller roaches in the other container, but I'll add some more ventilation to it,

 

[Germ]

Bigger roaches, bigger poop. If moist foods are fed, there will be more moisture in the excrement & is often what raises the humidity to the point of possibly causing the poop to mold in the heat. Mold will kill off a roach colony, particularly the adults.

 

[Mellie24]

Thanks Germ, I'll clean it out and try again