- The Care of Cockroaches
There are nearly 4 000 species of Cockroaches (Dictyoptera, Blattodea)
in the world, of which only 25 to 30 (or less than 1%) have any
pest status, the rest are innocent members of the earth's fauna,
some of which make great pets.
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- Housing
Housing cockroaches in captivity pose two main problems. Firstly
most species come from tropical countries and therefore need
to be kept at, at least 25C to be happy. Secondly there is the
problem of the cockroaches escaping and infesting the house.
This problem is easily overcome by careful selection of species
and cage structure, the cage needs to be escape proof. As most
species of cockroach are good climbers a tight fitting lid is
required with a good quality fine mesh to allow for air flow.
For smaller and faster moving species access can be obtained
via a cloth or mesh sleeve which can be tied tightly closed when
not in use.
Heating
The best method is to house them in a specially heated room,
but for most people this is not possible, another alternative
is to keep the cage in an airing cabinet. The commonest method
is to use a heatpad, these come in a variety of shapes and sizes
and it is best to talk to your local seller as to what you need,
a good general estimate is that the pad should rest comfortably
under the cage/aquarium so that two thirds of the bottom of the
cage is directly over the pad. This allows a gradient of heat
to arise giving the cockroaches some choice over what temperature
the experience. The use of a thermostat can make things easier
but it isn't really necessary for most of the commonly kept species.
Bedding
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 as
well as a mixture of surface objects to offer hiding spaces,
(most cockroaches are nocturnal) egg boxes and the inner from
toilet and paper towel roles are good for this.
Feeding
All known species of cockroach are omnivorous (this means that
like you and me they eat nearly everything) though in captivity
most species do well on a mixture of dried feed/grains etc. and
fresh vegetables or fruit, though a lot of people find they have
success feeding them on dog food as well. I feed mine mostly
on rolled oats and fruit like bananas and apples though they
especially like over-ripe peaches and plums when I can get them.
Though they don't need fresh food every day it is important that
they always have enough to eat otherwise they will start eating
the cage as well as each other.
Breeding
As a general rule breeding will take care of itself, eggs are
normally laid in an ootheca (natures answer to the polystyrene
egg box). Some species will secrete these in the corners of the
cage or other accessible nooks and crannies while others will
carry the ootheca around with them, either inside or partly extruded
from the body until it is time for the young to hatch. Some species
are parthenogenic (the females give birth to other females only,
etc. etc. and no males are ever seen)
i.e. Pycnoscelus surinamensis.
Species for Beginners
The following species are recommended to the beginners.
Surinam Cockroach Pycnoscelus surinamensis
Madagascan Hissing Cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa
Death's Head Cockroach Blaberus craniifer and Blaberus discoidalis
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By gordon@earthlife.net
© Earth-Life Web Productions
Bringing Insects to the World http://www.earthlife.net/insects/
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