Vivariums-Inverts-Other insects

Other Insects :

other insects include all those have attractive looking , shapes, colors or behaviors ..

we will review the most popular and wide spread among the hobbyists .

These will include :

1- Cockroaches

2-Grasshoppers / Locusts

3-Katydid

4-Crickets

5-Butterflies and moths

6- Assassin Bugs

Cockroach Care for the Pet Roach, and Feeder Roach Care Sheet for Reptiles and Amphibians

courtesy to : www.bugsincyberspace.com/Roach_Care_Sheet.

Before you read to much further, please keep in mind that any roach care sheet on the Internet will likely reflect the experiences of a single person. While I like to think my credibility is high, due in part to the fact I co-moderate and maintain the hobby's most popular Roach Forum (Roachforum.com), I still want to be very clear about the benefit of owning a good book on cockroach care. In truth, there is only one out there and I will not pretend that my roach caresheet even begins to cover what is available in the book "Allpet Roaches: Care and Identification Handbook for the Pet and Feeder Cockroaches", by Orin McMonigle and "Roachman" Willis. We sell this book through the website. The caresheet below should be enough to get you by if you're purchasing your first pet cockroach. While this is undoubtedly one of the best and most extensive online care sheets on the subject, I make no effort here to write an entire book's worth of content. Please feel free to email me with specific questions or suggestions for this caresheet.

Roach Caresheet categories:
Introduction
Housing/Habitats (for display or for breeding feeder roaches)
Ventilation
Humidity (Drinking and Molting)
Temperature (with discussion on breeding)
Food
Incubation

1- Cockroaches

Cockroaches as pets or feeder insects

courtesy to : www.keepinginsects.com/cockroaches-locusts-ants/cockroaches/

Cockroaches; everyone knows them and most of us hate them. But not all people do! There are many big and beautiful species that are being kept as pets. Most of them are not at all like the species you see infesting a house! On this page you can find information about the morphology, senses, life cycle and natural habitat of a cockroach. On the bottom of the page you will find general tips and quick info about keeping cockroaches.

Many cockroaches are not kept as pets but as food for reptiles such as chameleons and geckos. Cockroaches can also be fed to your praying mantis. The information on this page can also be used to keep and breed healhty cockroaches as feeder insects, so your reptile stays healthy too.

dubia cockroaches – commonly used as food for reptiles

Morphology of a cockroach

Cockroaches have the same body plan as other insects: three body segments (head, thorax and abdomen), six legs, two pairs of wings, two antennae and two eyes. Some species have underdeveloped wings that cannot be used for flying. Others having wings of normale length but are still not capable of flying.
Cockroaches generally have a head that faces downwards and is covered by their back shield (actually an extension of the thorax reaching over the head). When seeing a cockroach from above the head is not visible for most species.

Species of cockroach

There are around 4500 species of cockroach. Just a few are kept as pets or feeder insects. The most common cockroach species bred as feeder insects are the Dubia cockroach (Blaptica dubia), the Red Runner roach (Blatta lateralis) and the Green Bananna Roach (Panchlora nivea). The most common cockroach species that are kept as pets are the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa), the Death’s Head Roach (Blaberus craniifer) and the Indian Domino Cockroach (Therea petiveriana).

The senses of a cockroach

Cockroaches have the same senses as we do: sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. Their senses are not located in the same organs as in humans! Cockroaches can hear with their feet. They actually sense vibrations with their feet instead of with an ear-like structure. Their sense of smell is located in the antennae. Cockroaches have compound eyes with which they sense light, including ultraviolet light.

Development and life cycle

Cockroaches are part of the hemimetabola insect group; they have an incomplete metamorphosis. Newborn cockroach nymphs look exactly like adult cockroaches, with a few small differences (e.g. the absence of wings). These nymphs shed their skin (molt) every few weeks into a bigger nymphal stage. Newborn nymphs are called L1 nymphs, the next molt L2 and so on until they are adult. Adults can be recognized by their wings; nymphs do not have wings while adults do. Some species never develop wings, also not when adult.
The eggs of cockroaches are located in egg-sacks called ootheca. These ootheca are made of a type of foam to protect the eggs. Some species of cockroach drop these ootheca to the ground, others glue them on a chosen spot and yet others keep the ootheca inside their body until the nymphs hatch.

Natural habitat

Cockroaches occur in all continents (except Antarctica) and almost all countries. This means their habitat is also very diverse; some cockroach species live in humid conditions, dry conditions, hot places, cold places etc. Most species that are kept as pets live in humid environments in the tropics. These cockroaches are usually really big and easy to keep, which contributes to their popularity.

Keeping cockroaches as pets

On the pages about the specific species of cockroach you can find all about taking care of that species. Here is just some quick info about keeping cockroaches as pets.

Housing your cockroaches

Your cockroaches need a terrarium or enclosure which is safe, escape proof and big enough. Young cockroach nymphs can escape through the smallest cracks because their body is really flat. Sliding doors commonly used in terraria have an open space between the doors where young cockroaches can escape through. Some cockroach species can walk onto vertical glass or plastic while others can not. Some species can fly. Be sure to check what your species of choice is capable of to provide it with an escape-proof enclosure.

The size of the tank depends on how many roaches you want to keep and and on their size. Generally speaking the tank should be at least 6 times bigger than the space the cockroaches occupy. In this way there is enough space for them to walk around and to get away from each other if they want to. Bigger is always better.

You need to provide your cockroaches with a good substrate and with hiding places. What is suitable depends on the species of cockroach you keep; some need a moist environment while others need a dry environment. For moist environments you can generally put moist soil at the bottom of the tank. As hiding places you can provide tree bark, flat stones and wood. For dry environments you can cover the floor with oats and you can provide egg cartons or small cardboard structures as hiding places.

Temperature and humidity

Adequate temperature and humidity are crucial to the survival of your cockroaches. Be sure to check what your species needs. A too high humidity will cause death, a too low humidity will cause bad molts, wrinkled wings and also death.

Food and feeding your cockroaches

Cockroaches generally eat fruit, vegetables, moistened dry cat food, moistened fish food, rotting wood and rotting leaves. Not all species eat the same. Some species only live of specific food sources such as rotting woods, while others can live off anything.
You can feed your cockroaches just by placing the food in their enclosure. If the food goes bad easily, like fruit and vegetables, remove it before it starts to mold or rot.

General Cockroach caresheet

courtesy to : www.amentsoc.org/insects/caresheets/cockroach

There are more than 4,500 described species of cockroaches (Dictyoptera, Blattodea) in the world, of which only 25 to 30 have a pest status, some of the rest make great pets.

Housing cockroaches in captivity poses two main problems:

Most species come from tropical countries and therefore need to be kept at a minimum of 25°C.
The risk of the cockroaches escaping and infesting the house. This problem is easily overcome by careful selection of species and an escape proof cage.

Housing :

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 to the cage can be obtained via a cloth or mesh sleeve which can be tied tightly closed when not in use.

The best method is to house them in a specially heated room, but for most people this is not possible, an alternative is to keep the cage in an airing cupboard. However, the commonest method is to use an electric heatpad, these come in a variety of shapes and sizes and it is best to talk to your local retailer as to what you need. A good estimate is that the pad should rest comfortably under the cage/aquarium so that two thirds of the cage is directly over the pad. This produces a temperature gradient giving the cockroaches some choice over what temperature they experience. The use of a thermostat can make things easier but it isn't really necessary for most of the commonly kept species.

The floor of the cage should be covered with wood shavings for leaf litter species such as Gromphadorhina portentosa or with peat-free compost for burrowing species such as Pycnoscelus surinamensis, as well as a mixture of surface objects to offer hiding spaces; egg boxes and the inner roll from toilet and paper towel rolls are excellent.

Feeding :

All known species of cockroach are omnivorous though in captivity most species do well on a mixture of dried feed/grain and fresh vegetables or fruit. A good diet would be rolled oats and fruit like bananas and apples though they especially like over-ripe peaches and plums. Although 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. You should also removed any uneaten fruit before it goes mouldy.

Water :

Water should be made available in a shallow bowl filled with cotton wool which should be changed as it gets dirty; alternately water can be supplied in mini inverted drinkers similar to those used for poultry.

Breeding :

As a general rule breeding will take care of itself, eggs are normally laid in an ootheca or egg case. Some species will secrete these in the corners of the cage or other 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 and no males are ever seen) i.e. Pycnoscelus surinamensis. Other species have both males and females. For example the Madagascan Hissing Cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa - the males have prominent bumps on the pronotum (the shield-like plate behind the head of the insect), females do not.

Suggested species

Surinam Cockroach (Pycnoscelus surinamensis)
Madagascan Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa)
Death's Head Cockroach (Blaberus craniifer)
Blaberus discoidalis

Further information on Cockroaches.

Remember: it is important that you know the needs and requirements of your pet before you obtain the animal. You should never, ever obtain an animal before researching its needs and preparing the housing and conditions.

Madagascan Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) make great pets.

Recommended Websites :

- Information , information for Kids and Cockroach as a pest Can be found here in this Great Website :https://cockroachfacts.com/

- (( Review below ))www.bugsincyberspace.com/Roach_Care_Sheet.

- www.richard-seaman.com/Arthropods/Belize/Highlights/

- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach

- www.roachforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2093

Homemade Cockroach Bait

For More Information about live food click here

Madagascar hissing cockroach-LOUD HISS! (HD)

Madagascar hissing cockroaches give birth

My Pet Cockroaches

Some Videos :

Further Reading :

- Allpet Roaches: Care and Identification Handbook for the Pet and Feeder Cockroaches

Housing: While very few of the species available in the hobby are capable of infesting homes, nearly all roach species are escape artists. With this in mind, proper containment is essential. Obviously, choosing a container size is a first step. Roaches are very communal and will often cluster together even if they are offered a large cage. Cockroaches prefer a cage that is wider than tall. While roaches enjoy climbing up branches or bark in their habitats, they spend most of the daylight hours hiding. These tend to be nocturnal bugs, so fewer hiding spots means more visibility for you. However, anything you put in the cage increases the surface area (living area) for the roaches. Pieces of bark or wood work great, but many hobbyists prefer to use disposable paper egg cartons. If you are raising small roaches of a glass/plastic climbing species, you will may want to rub a 2 inch layer of petroleum jelly around the upper area of the habitat. This product is sometimes sold under the name "roach barrier" by dealers in the roach hobby though it is available in the pharmacy or toiletries sections of your local department store. This is really a necessary product if your lid is anything less than perfectly sealed.
Display- A ten gallon aquarium seems to be the standard of measure that most people are familiar with. Up to 30 large adult roaches can live in a cage this size, if given ample layers of egg cartons. Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are the most popular pet roach and are one of the largest species in the hobby (both in terms of length and weight/mass). A ten gallon glass aquarium from your local pet store could easily house several hundred cockroaches of a small species (or the young nymphs of a large species). I might as well give a plug for the environment and suggest you shop the garage sales during summertime for used equipment. Everybody is always getting rid of their old stuff. You might also try craigslist.com. If fed regularly, your roaches will be less likely to nibble on each others wings or antennae. Some species are more prone to this than others and it should be noted that antennae are fragile anyway and are occasionally damaged during shipment.
For Breeding Feeder Roaches in large numbers- I recommend a large plastic bin. I prefer a transparent bin because it's easier to see when the food or water dish is getting low. However, many people prefer to use bins that are not transparent because roaches do just fine in dark conditions (and maybe because these bins are cheaper?). Plastic buckets are also used by a handful of hobbyists because they tend to be absolutely escape-proof.
Substrate is the term used to describe what you line the bottom of the habitat with. I prefer coconut fiber as it retains moisture for a very long time and also inhibits the growth of mold. Peat moss is also very good and available at garden stores. Dirt is okay, but wet dirt is much more prone to mold and uninvited bug-visitors usually show up pretty quickly. Newspaper works, though it's far from attractive.

Introduction: First, let's point out that less than 1% of roach species are pest species! Roaches are among the easiest pet insects to care for. Roach enthusiasts enjoy the fact that many species get quite large and can be kept together in colonies. A surprising array of patterns and bright colors are exhibited by many of the species in the hobby. It's a shame that Western society has such a stigma attached to cockroaches. A few pest species have given a bad name to an otherwise clean and safe animal. For the purposes of this caresheet, I'll classify roaches into three sizes: small, medium and large species. Young roaches are referred to as nymphs. Adults are simply referred to as adults. Cockroaches grow by shedding their skin and cease shedding once they become adults. Before the final shed they are referred to as sub-adults. Many adult roaches have wings, though many species are completely wingless. Roaches could be classified as either glass/plastic climbers or non-climbers. I'll discuss the benefits and requirements for keeping both in the various sections below.

Ventilation: All pets that are being housed in containers need fresh air. A little bit of air flow goes a long way in preventing the kind of habitat that promotes the growth of mold and even small mites that occasionally infest food that is left too long in roach cages. Ventilation is achieved simply by poking holes in a container or by cutting out a section of the lid and gluing a bit of plastic or metal screen over the opening.
Humidity: Humidity is doubly important for pet bugs. Roaches like to drink water and they need a bit of environmental humidity in their habitat when the time comes for them to shed their skin. Luckily, roaches have fewer problems molting than most other bugs. However, larger species of Blaberus do need vertical surfaces with a bit of texture to them as they molt into maturity. Otherwise, their wings will not dry properly, resulting in a wrinkled appearance. Water is offered to roaches in two common methods. A small, shallow water dish is preferred. A deep water dish may result in drown bugs. The addition of a few pebbles will help prevent drowning. If you don't want to spend the couple bucks for a nice looking water dish, any upside-down lid will do. Alternatively, you can just pour water into one corner of the cage every few days. The substrate will absorb most of it, but your roaches will still be able to drink from it and benefit from the humidity that it helps their habitat to maintain.

Temperature: Room temperature is just find for raising all pet roach species, whether nymphs or adults. However, adults of many species require temperatures above 80 degrees to reproduce. Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, for example, will usually not reproduce below 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit. As with most bugs, warmer temperatures and a good food supply mean faster growth. Cold temperatures lower metabolism and the roaches will grow much more slowly.

Food: One of the really great conveniences about keeping roaches as pets is how easy they are to feed. Roaches are omnivores, so they eat pretty much anything and everything. Everything from fruits and vegetables to grains are breads are eaten. Dried pet food is offered by many hobbyists and some species actually require this protein component for healthy growth and reproduction. One of the fun parts about keeping roaches is that you can experiment with offering them leftovers from your dinner table. Some people even keep roaches exclusively to reduce the amount of garbage that would otherwise end up in a landfill! Roaches can definitely compost your leftover dinner scraps. I'd recommend against offering them meat scraps, just because of the potential bacterial growth that might occur.

Incubation: Some species of roaches are live-bearing (live birth to nymphs) and some lay oothecae (egg cases that later hatch). In either case, a minimum of 75 degrees F and even ten degrees warmer are recommended for many species.