Roaches
Average year round temperature 25*C
There are around 4,500 species of cockroach in the world but only a handful have been officially listed as a nuisance.
(none of those are in our keeping)
As well as being important feeders for larger animals, they come in all colours & sizes and can make fascinating pets.
They can be extremely active little things and they love to climb branches and plants (I keep Ivy growing in most of my tubs)
We only keep tropical / semi-tropical species that cannot survive our climate here in the U.K
Most of them need quite high humidity (with ventilation) and will die off very quickly if allowed to dry out.
We keep all of our roaches at 25*C
(none of those are in our keeping)
As well as being important feeders for larger animals, they come in all colours & sizes and can make fascinating pets.
They can be extremely active little things and they love to climb branches and plants (I keep Ivy growing in most of my tubs)
We only keep tropical / semi-tropical species that cannot survive our climate here in the U.K
Most of them need quite high humidity (with ventilation) and will die off very quickly if allowed to dry out.
We keep all of our roaches at 25*C
Only a few males of our chosen species can climb plastic or glass as adults but for these we keep a net curtain under the lid.
In the 3 - 4 years of keeping them we haven't yet had any escapees - I also find that if you move slowly they stay calm and prefer to hide under the leaves rather than trying to climb up the side of the tub.
Byrsotria fumigata - Cuban Burrowing Roach
Cuba
adult size 4 - 5cm
Climb - No
Fly - No
Eublaberus posticus - Orange Head Roach
America
adult size 5cm
Climb - No
Fly - No
Eublaberus sp. ‘ivory’ - Ivory Head Roach
America
adult size 5cm
Climb - No
Fly - No
Eucorydia yasumatsui - Blue Roach
Thailand
adult size 1cm
Climb - Adults Only
Fly - No (males may glide from a high point but not witnessed)
Hemiblabera tenebricosa - Horseshoe Crab Roach
Bahamas
adult size 4 - 5cm
Climb - No
Fly - No
Opisthoplatia orientalis - Amphibious Litter Roach
China, Japan, India
adult size 3cm
Climb - Only Adults
Fly - No
These are one of my personal favourites as they are extremely calm & peaceful when handled.
Paraplecta minutissima "Kenya, Mara-Narok"
Kenya
adult size 1cm
Climb - No
Fly - No
Pseudoglomeris magnifica - Emerald Roach
Vietnam
adult size 3cm
Climb - All stages
Fly - Males can glide down from a high point.
Therea bernhardti - White Spot Roach
India
adult size 2cm
Climb - Adults Only
Fly - No
Therea olegrandjeani - Question Mark Roach
India
adult size 2cm
Climb - Adults Only
Fly - No
Therea regularis - Orange Spot Roach
India
adult size 2cm
Climb - Adults Only
Fly - No
Our Enclosures
All our roaches have 2 - 4 inches of flake soil mixed with coco fibre and branches & cork bark on top for climbing & hiding.
They have a 2" layer of leaf litter in half of the tub which serves as a food source and provides moisture & hiding places.
For the species that cannot use a shallow dish as tiny nymphs, I place the food onto the substrate.
We feed fruit & veg every few days and our own muesli based 'roach mix' with fish flakes & dog biscuit once a week.
We grow a patch of common Ivy (Hedera Helix) in the middle of the tub for the climbing species and keep a fairly dry section at the front to place the food & water dishes - for those I use small plant pot saucers and the water dish contains water gel crystals for safe drinking. I also place a net curtain under the lid of the climbing species which makes it easier when feeding.