Any tips for a vacation?

[Vulgaris]

How do you guys keep your colonies watered when you go on vacation? I can't really take mine with me for the 10 days I will be gone, and I don't think they will survive without me there to water them. They are the Parcoblatta that I have been raising by the way. I've worked too hard at this to just take a chance and leave them and possibly have them all die

Thanks

 

[Ralph]

You could move them into a container with less ventilation, then feed and water them before you leave. My Parcoblatta are in an almost airtight container, which is big enough to suit their oxygen needs for a long time while allowing humidity and heat to stay in. Otherwise, you could set up some kind of "drip bucket" where a drop of water would be released every so often.

 

[Roachman26]

Is there no one who can open the lid and drop in some orange or carrot two or three times while you are gone?

 

[Vulgaris]

Nope, I am not giving anyone a key to the house. I suppose I could leave them in the workshop and have a friend come over and drop some fruit in, but then we run the risk of a mouse breaking in

I will have to figure something out. I would just take them with me but then the parents will be asking "what's in there and why did you have to bring it?". and of course then I would have to tell them roaches.

I am going to have to take them with me to college, by the way. lol. Hope my roommate won't mind that. When I decided I wanted to breed them, I did not think about the long term aspects of it. Now I have well over a dozen babies that are going to need cared for no matter where I go

 

[Ralph]

Your parents still don't know...?

You could probably stop mice from entering by putting the container on a pedestal in the middle of the room, like a chair with metal legs. The mice might not think of/be able to climb that. About college, the good thing about raising natives is that you can always release the excess.

 

[Zephyr]

What you can do is increase the substrate depth before you leave. If they need to stay hydrated they can move deeper/towards the corners, which usually have more moisture than the surface. You can also leave a little bit more food for them than usual and they should be fine (apple works very well as it doesn't seem to grow any/alot of mold, and when it does it's not the fuzzy kind the roaches won't touch, but a green kind they seem to like.)

 

[Matt K]

What I do:

Slightly overwater and over feed, then hope for the best. Turn temps down a little (10' -15'). I've left them 2 weeks and they were happy to see me feeding /watering when I returned.

 

[Vulgaris]

Thanks for all the tips. And nope, parents don't know, and I think it's better for them if they don't. IMO keeping these guys is just like keeping any other kind of bug which they would be fine with, but whatever

They really seem to like the carrot (it's the first time I have ever tried giving it to them). Maybe I will just load them up before I go.

 

[Ralph]

That's typically what I do, just put a bunch of food in and let them ration it. I tried this with mantids, who just ate all four crickets in the first hour and then had to starve for a few days... Nice photo, by the way!