What size of roach will he eat?

[Bushmaster11B]

Aries is about 10" long and 10 weeks old. About how big of a Dubia Roach can he eat? I want to try roaches with him and see if he will eat them. The last 2 orders of crickets I had to toss and reorder due to the Brown Cricket Illness that is going out. They stink and he won't eat them. I don't blame him either!

 

[gilliesexotics]

Hi, measure the distance between the eyes. The dubia should not be longer or wider than that distance.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

I don't have Roaches to measure. I need info before I buy.

 

[gilliesexotics]

Measure the distance between your dragons eyes. Then order according to that distance. If the space is 1", order 1" or just a little smaller.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

I take it they are much wider than a cricket.... The bad thing here is there is not a pet store around me that sells them so I have to order. I will measure head width from eye to eye and then contact a feeder breeder for size. Now Im guessing 1/4" Nymphs would fit his size.

 

[Augie]

That sounds about right, but measure just to be sure.

Once he gets to about 16 inches long you can feed him adult male roaches. That's when the real fun begins. My Reggie will eat three of them at a time, but its comical because with roaches she has always crunched on them like she likes the way they taste. She doesn't do that with crickets.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

When the crix were good, Aries was eating anywhere from 20-30 3/8" a day plus his treats after his dinner, which consist of a few meal worms, a wax worm or phoenix worm... which ever I have. Wax worms are not fed very often as they are high in fat and I dust them with Calcium without Ph.

I now need to find a place that sells only a dozen or two so I can try them out. I hope he likes them because he has problems eating black bug anything already. Crix have to be brown or dusted, Black phoenix worms are out of question (he only eat the white ones), wax worms are never black so he LOVES them (but hey, it's a worm right?) and meal worms are attractive to him by movement. Any helpful tips on keeping roaches? How many should I keep at 1 time? I only get paid once a month so minimal order is what I'm looking for (minimal shipping). If they are anything like housing crix, them I have the set up. My cricket container houses 500 crix easily. I could probably put 750 in but that is pushing space with my egg crates. I have another 30 gal container I could convert to if needed.

OK, you know how crix leave their gritty crap everywhere? How is that compared to roaches? I always thought of roaches being nasty and disgusting. I handle crix by hand so what is the difference? I grew up hating roaches, not that I lived in a dirty home, I just had dirty friends unfortunately when growing up. And just recently, I have combated roaches outside my home with Boric Acid... so... I hate roaches. But I'm willing to feed the little turds to my BD. Do roaches bite? Do they do that spitting thing like crix? Do they Poop everywhere? Is there a clean up bug I can buy?

 

[Augie]

Read this... it will change your life http://amazingly-wildfeederz.webs.com/caresheet.

Once you go to roaches you will forget crickets forever. They don't bite, stink, and are easy to care for. Plus, I have yet to hear of a dragon that didn't like them. Seriously! Plus, if you ask me, they are really cool! I really am fascinated by them (read my sig at the bottom).

You will also find that ordering in bulk is better if you don't want to raise a colony. Lots of people order about 1000 at a time. They are very resilient. You will probably have zero deaths, even if it takes 3 months to feed them all off.

 

[Bushmaster11B]

cool website. When I have space, I will try to build a colony. My Wife is creep-ed by the thought of having roaches in our apartment. I can't sahy I blame her, but I'm willing to try out a new feeder if it wish deliver promising feedings for Aries. I probably would only buy 20 to start just to show my Wife that they are harmless. I just want him to eat and I don't want the worries of having sick crickets of crickets Aries won't eat as much. When I say he is not eating them, I mean he only eats what he needs to make to the next meal (4-6 at a time, 3/8"). When I did get good crickets he would eat 8-12 in a sitting. Anyhow, excited about the roaches. Do you have any good sources to buy from that deliver quick and are good priced? Do feeder roaches feed more than crickets? (3/8" crix vs. 1/4" roach)? I noticed they are twice the price of crix.

 

[Augie]

There is more meat on a roach, so yes, it takes fewer during feedings.

I got my roaches from Doodlebugs Critters, Small Pet Feeders (great guy), some kid on eBay, and a gal I met locally on Craigslist (if you live in SA I can pass your contact info on to her, I got most of my females from her and she is awesome). Also Google!

Just make sure you go with someone that offers a Live Arrival Guarantee (LAG). I got mine during the winter so it was easier because I would just buy a heatpack, but now that temps are well over 90 degrees in the south a lot of roach sellers get nervous. Most use USPS which usually takes only 2-3 days, but in high heat that could kill roaches. Some offer cool packs, but I have no idea how affective they are. I would order some today, that way you know they send them out Monday. I would also recommend (if this is convenient for you) asking the seller if you should request "hold at post office." I have never had to use it, but I have heard others say the feeders spend less time in the heat that way.

If you like, look at those folks I mentioned and eBay. If you see something you like please don't hesitate to ask here or PM me and I will give as much advice as I can. I'll check the forum from time to time the rest of the day.

Also, you don't need a lot of space, just a small spot in a quiet closet. Search for "roach colony setup" on YouTube. Lots of great info out there! My wife has pretty much forgotten I have 2 colonies and a feeder bin. Good luck!