Starting a Roach Colony

[Adraps11]

Currently my tarantula is in premolt, and I have a couple of uneaten dubia roaches, that I've named Casey and George. They both seem happy in a small tupperware container with cheerios to eat and cardboard to hide under.
Less than a mile from my house there's a guy who sells feeder insects, I'm thinking of buying in bulk from him and starting my own collection. It's just a thought. I could easily just continue buying from him, but this method would save money in the long run. I think he also has hissers.

I HATE, HATE large crickets, I had a terrible accident earlier this year where I left the bag slightly unsecured after I put it in my top dresser drawer. Twenty of the big bastards got loose in my room, I unfortunately only found out, after I turned the lights out and went to bed. lmao. It's funny now, but at that moment I was cursing up a storm and stomping. We had crickets in the house for weeks. The Cat loved them!

With the roaches it's simple, they're wingless and easy to get a hold of, No Flying, or hopping all over the place! I'd feel perfectly fine having a secured storage container of them in my room. Crickets just stink up the place when they quickly die, and if you have a burrowing species of T like I do, who isn't hungry, they go straight for the burrow and just stress out the spider.

I'm also considering getting a young G. Pulchripes soon. I've had my single A. Hentzi for over a year now, and with a local guy selling feeders just down the street, the urge to have more Ts seems perfectly sensible!

 

[Denny Dee]

Smart. Starting a Dubia colony is very simple and easy. They are virtually indestructible so as long as you provide food and water, they will thrive. Lots of threads out here covering that. There are a few sites that sell good set ups so you don't have to DIY but not that complex. Here is one:

http://shop.bugsincyberspace.com/Complete-Pet-****roach-Habitat-Kit-bic856.htm

 

[Adraps11]

Thank you for the informative reply. I'll check it out.

 

[swimbait]

I wouldn't start a colony if you have one tarantula, even if you get a second that's not very many. You would end up with 100s and 100s of roaches with nothing to feed them to. If you plan to start getting a lot more tarantulas, then they are a good idea. Keep in mind, dubia will attempt to burrow into the substrate the second they hit the ground, they aren't good feeders for picky eaters as they disappear quickly, the good thing is you don't have to worry as much as them munching on your T during a molt. If you do in fact start a colony, you are going to have to feed them something other than cheerios, fruits and veggies are ideal. You would spend more money feeding your colony than you would if you bought a single dubia weekly for your tarantula though...

 

[Denny Dee]

I wouldn't start a colony if you have one tarantula, even if you get a second that's not very many. You would end up with 100s and 100s of roaches with nothing to feed them to. If you plan to start getting a lot more tarantulas, then they are a good idea. Keep in mind, dubia will attempt to burrow into the substrate the second they hit the ground, they aren't good feeders for picky eaters as they disappear quickly, the good thing is you don't have to worry as much as them munching on your T during a molt. If you do in fact start a colony, you are going to have to feed them something other than cheerios, fruits and veggies are ideal. You would spend more money feeding your colony than you would if you bought a single dubia weekly for your tarantula though...

Good point! I am assumng the Addiction would take care of that. Just need enough T's to take care of all those dubias

 

[swimbait]

Good point! I am assmng the Addiction would take care of that. Just need enough T's to take care of all those dubias

I started a colony at like 12 tarantulas, and the amount of roaches I had at the time told me I could have many more tarantulas. Then I got a lot more tarantulas, and was running out of the right size of roaches. Then I bought a ton more roaches and now everyone is happy! Moral of the story is, an abundance of food leads to an abundance of tarantulas

 

[Denny Dee]

So there you go. Proceed with the colony

 

[kormath]

I was going to ask when it would be most cost effective to start your own colony. Looks like i was in the ballpark thinking 10 Ts

 

[Adraps11]

I am going to buy a GBB whenever I get the chance, or maybe a chaco golden knee...or!!! I have the addiction. lol January will allow me to have enough for one more Tarantula. I've reached my ebay selling limit for december. I have a surplus of Computer hardware to get rid of, it'll go quickly and hopefully by the middle of january I'm back at work. I'm watching a few online dealers. I have the space and patience. Maybe not a colony of roaches, but a large supply of all females, that would last maybe a month or three weeks. That's more of what I was thinking. I don't want to be making trips back and forth on a weekly basis. Not quite a colony, but a.... temporary apartment. =) These guys who sell the bearded dragons know their feeders. They have EVERYTHING labeled and categorized, in drawers, closets, and storage tubs. I'm sure they'd have no issue rounding up some female roaches for me. G. Pulchripes and A. Hentzi eat like elephants. I'll do more reading about the GBB, but I have a feeling it isn't a fussy eater. Plus it's not just Ts I'm into, I'd actually enjoy taking care of a large amount of roaches. Yes if they were males and females things would spiral out of control though. This is all coming from a guy who raised a black and yellow garden spider from spiderling to adult behind his TV. I knew it wouldn't leave the web, because the food kept coming. I raised countless different bugs as a child, labeling each of them. One of my favorites is the Chinese Mantis. I mated a few pairs. It never turned out well for the male...ever.

 

[swimbait]

What are several females going to do for you? How big is your tarantula? If you want a colony just to have one then by all means go for it, however at 1, or even 3 tarantulas it likely wouldn't save you money in the long run is all I'm saying

 

[Adraps11]

I love all things arthropod, not just Tarantulas. I may just enjoy the labor it takes to keep a few roaches alive. It'll give me something to do. In any case I would only get enough to last less than a month. I just enjoy bugs period. I'm not talking a full-blown colony now, just enough to steadily feed a hungry spider or three. I have certain conditions that make it difficult for me to get out socially on a regular basis. I cannot stand to have my routines disturbed. So this way I'll avoid frequent social anxiety. If I'm to socially paranoid and depressed to get out, at least I'll have food available for my Ts. It would be something that keeps me going, more than anything.

 

[Adraps11]

I do have a mid-grade form of Asperger's syndrome and a type of Bipolar disorder that resembles schizophrenia. People who have these things, tend to be VERY obsessive and set in their ways. The Asperger's explains my lifelong obsession with insects and spiders. My nephew has the same thing and his obsession is electricity and computers. He's 8 years old and can fully diagnose all of your house's electrical problems within minutes of walking around and seeing your setup. lol The boy is a young Nikola Tesla! I know there is a risk being this open about yourself online, but I figure the simple truth matters more than hiding in some imagined shame. Most people take things to seriously. Now back to the Ts!