Cockroaches care sheet.
Housing.
As most species of cockroach are good climbers/glass
climbers a tight fitting lid is required with a
good quality fine mesh to allow for air flow. You
can use a 10 gallon aquarium, or rubber maid to
keep your cockroaches in. For "glass climbers"
(cockroaches which can run on vertical glass are
called glass climbers), the best way to prevent
them climbing out is Vaseline. "Glass climbers"
will just slip back down if they try to walk over
Vaseline. The best method is to house them in a
specially heated room, but if that is not possible,
most people use a Heat pad, they come in a variety
of shapes and sizes and it is best to talk to your
local retailer as to what you need. General rule
is to have it 1/3 to 1/2 space of floor covered
with Heat pad. This provides a temperature gradient
giving the cockroaches some choice over what temperature
they want to be at. The floor of the cage should
be covered with wood shavings for leaf litter species
such as Gromphadorhina portentosa or with peat for
burrowing species such as Pycnoscelus surinamensis.
They also will need a mixture of surface objects
to offer hiding spaces, egg boxes and the inner
from toilet and paper towel roles are excellent.
Roach habitat should be kept in a dark room (like
closet) as they are most comfortable when it is
dark and require minimal light.
Feeding.
All known species of cockroach are omnivorous (meaning
that like you and me they eat nearly everything).
In captivity most species do well on a mixture of
dried feed/grains, fresh vegetables and fruits.
Cockroaches don't need fresh food every day but
it is important that they always have enough to
eat otherwise they will start eating the cage as
well as each other. Water bowl is not necessary
if you give them every 3rd day fresh fruits from
which they will get all of the moisture they need.
Fruits are full of nutrients but attract fruit flies.
If this problem arises, it is recommended to use
Jelly instead as a water substitute. Multi-vitamins
can be dusted over their food to account for the
lost vitamins in fruits. There are no particular
multi-vitamins for roaches, but it is safe to use
the ones that are used for Reptiles. It is extremely
recommended to add some Bee Pollen into their diet
as well. Bee Pollen can be acquired in any natural
herb store. It is full of nutrients, and will strengthen
their immune system.
Temperatures and Humidity.
They do not need much humidity; about one mist
per week should be enaph. Most species come from
tropical countries and therefore need to be kept
at, 25°C to be happy, but they can survive starting
at 16°C and up with one exception that they
will probably not breed.
Breeding.
They best breed in warm, dry places. The temperature
should usually be 24-25°C for the best breeding
results. As a general rule breeding will take care
of itself, eggs are normally laid in an ootheca
(ootheca is when all of the eggs are stuck together,
like in a transparent bag). Some species will lay
their ootheca in the corners of the cage or other
accessible nooks and crannies, while others will
carry the ootheca around with them. Depending on
the specie some will carry the ootheca either inside
or partly extruded from the body until it is time
for the young to hatch. |