hi got a starter pack of roaches today,whats the best way to use these badboys,ie just chuck em in,hand feed em, i dont what these things all over my house.do you guys leave them in your vivs till there gone or remove them if not eaten?also whats good to use to gutload i guess the drier the better?
what do you guys think

What type of roaches are they? i got two Blaberus discoidalis and then one of them gave birth to 18 nymphs, so there not hard to breed, (also the male one died a week after the other one reached maturity)

[I'm assuming you're talking about the same type of roaches you get from livefoods, so advice based on that assumption. May not be relevant for another species]
Since I've got holes at the top of the viv I can't let 'em loose, so catch one in one of those small plastic tubs they come in. I vaseline the sides of the tub so they're not able to escape and then just hold the tub infront of my animals for them to catch, I feed 'em one by one and they (the animals) only get one each every other day.
I personally wouldn't let them loose in a viv for fear of them escaping into the house (I've heard they're prolific breeders!). Because even if your viv is 100% escape proof if you needed to recatch one you'd let loose because it hadn't been eaten you'd be creating an escape route when trying to catch it. Wouldn't hold 'em with tweezers or anything either incase they could squirm out. Even using boxes with vaseline there's still the occasional one that is an expert in climbing and can still get up those sides - which is where the box lid in my free hand comes in, at the ready to slam shut and stop any would-be escape artists.

I feed them bran and fresh salad.

These are the one things I think are disgusting and would never touch em. However I've heard chameleons love them... WHY DID I GET A CHAMELEON!?!

They're not disgusting, they're cool! If you dont like the ones for sale on this website, theres loads of other ones for sale that are just as good, and the other types of roach (such as mine) cant all climb everything and escape!

Absolutely!! They not disgusting at all. I have 24 species of roach and counting

cool, what kinds? im hardly an expert on roaches, but what would you recomend as bieng a good type that looks good? preferably one which is relatively easy to look after and breed.

This a bit of an old list but roughtly what i have got

Orange Head - Eublaberus Prosticus
Pacific Beetle Mimic - Diploptera Punctata
Cuban Burrowing Cockroach - Byrsotria Fumigata
Madagascan Hissing Cockroach - Gromphadorhina Portentosa
Harlequin Cockroach - Neostylopyga Rhombifolia
Peppered Cockroach - Archimandrita Tesselata
Green Banana Roach - Panchlora Nivea
Rhinoceros Cockroach - Macropanesthis Rhinoceros
Madiera Roach - Rhyparobia Maderae (formerly Leucophaea Maderae)
Giant Cave Roach - Blaberus Giganteus
Death's Head Cockroach - Blaberus Craniifer
Death's Head Cockroach - Blaberus Craniifer (Black Winged)
Discoid Roach - Blaberus Discoidales
Guyana Spotted Roach - Blaptica Dubia
Lobster Roach - Nauphoeta Cinerea
Surinam Cockroach - Pycnoscelus Surinamensis
Lucihormetica Subcinta??
Dwarf Cave Roach - Blaberus Fusca
Firefly Mimic - Schultesia Lampyridiformis
Six Spotted Cockroach - Eublaberus Distanti
Femapterus Cockroach - Pycnoscelus Femapterus
Stripped Madagascan Hissing Cockroach - Princisis Vanwaerebeti
Dwarf Madagascan Hissing cockroach - Gromphadorhina Obglonganta
Shelfordella Tartara


This is a great link

http://www.angelfire.com/oh2/Roaches/

Two species that I think are excellent and are used in the States
Orange Head - Eublaberus Prosticus
Cuban Burrowing Cockroach - Byrsotria Fumigata

The eublaberus when mature are a bit larger than Lobster roaches (Which are the ones I guess you have). They are pretty handsome as well. The Cuban are really meaty and also look really interesting.

Shelfordella Tartara are brilliant about cricket size and breed easily and dont climb. But they seem to have taken up residence in my airing cupboard think they are on the retreat now though.

The Discoid Roach and Death's Head Cockroach are also used a lot in the US.

Some of the others on the list can be used but as the Rhinoceros Cockroach cost me £140 for 4 they would be a bit expensive!! The peppered are great as well but take 9 months to mature .. so not really viable

Regards

Mark

Actualy i have discoid roaches, not lobster roaches. Also, where do you find all those different types, do you pick them up from shows or is that just a collection that you bought over a long period of time, just buying any new ones that you happened to see?

Grabbing them at any opportunity and swapping etc etc ... got into them as feeders but bit by bit collection grew am now getting into beetles.

Have had problems getting the banana roaches going though going to have another attempt at them

CHEERS TOP ADVICE nasty little things have you listened to them when you grab em? NASTY

oh yeah and another thing,i keep chameleons and is the vaseline not bad for your reptile ie if the roaches get it on them and then they eat the roach and the vaseline?

I dont use vaseline it smears everywhere ... the climber roaches we keep in patpal/critter keeper things and put a net between the lid and the top. Makes sure no one can climb out. Non climbers are in big plastic tubs.

I only use the non climbers for feeding live ... the climbers I tend to use a bit more manked up so to speak. (I got a few scorps etc).

Regards

Mark

You have very interesting species Are you seeling ? Where do you live and do you have a website ?

I am working on a website at the moment. Yes we do sell them If you want more info email me at mark_warner@hotmail.com

Regards

Mark

Thanx but you don't answer my question about - from where I you ? Because I 'm from Bulgaria and the transport is a big problem

I am from the Uk