Are these things suitable for an enclosure?

L

Longhorn1234

Third Instar
I have been trying to make my enclosures look more natural, so I was thinking of adding "decorations." Do you know if the following items could be problematic to roaches if ingested or just by being in the enclosure?

Acorns

Magnolia pods

Mesquite pods

Pecan pods

Mexican buckeye pods

Pine cones

I have seen other stuff for sale on websites like Ram's head and Rabbit ears but I rather just pick them up myself and those are some of the things I have available around here. Thanks!

 
Roachcrossing.com says:

- pine and other conifers have insect-harming compounds

- so do nuts (like your pecan; I know it's only a pod but still)

 
Thanks for that info. I also read that Mexican buckeye has poisonous seeds and mildly poisonous pods. Acorns have a lot of tannins which apparently is also harmful. 

 
I think as decoration they'd be relatively safe since your pets are unlikely to eat a naturally occuring seed/nut/pod that is harmful to them.

 
Hmm. I wasn't aware that nuts were harmful to roaches so I've routinely offered walnut to all my hissers. They love it. Never seen any ill effects. They've also eaten acorn, though only once or twice. I don't have a great supply of those.

Does anyone know of any journal articles on the topic? I certainly don't want to inadvertently poison my colonies, but it seems strange that they would be so voracious for the walnuts if the nuts were toxic to them. Thoughts? 

 
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This is also the first time I've heard of nuts being harmful. I always see people on another forum using nuts as part of their gutload (fed to roaches) and doesn't seem to be a problem.

As for the acorns I read on some articles that you need to leach the tannins off the acorns, as too much tannins can be harmful. But again, how much is too much? Also, the article was talking about acorns as human food. No scientific journal or article though.

 
Longhorn1234 said:
Thank you for your response. I'm going to test some of these things with a small group and see what happens
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And this is where I digress... walnuts contain copper and if eaten as the only food for long enough might be harmful in the same way too much iron can be harmful to humans.

 
Allpet Roaches said:
And this is where I digress... walnuts contain copper and if eaten as the only food for long enough might be harmful in the same way too much iron can be harmful to humans.
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I'm offering walnuts every few weeks as a treat. Each colony (housed comfortably in a 10 gallon) gets a small handful of walnut meat (no shells) about once a month. I offer it to add another layer of variety and stimulation to their scavenging behaviors. I've been doing this for about a year now with no problems in the colonies.... but a year might not be long enough to see any effects on the species that live several years. 

I suppose the quick answer is to err on the side of caution and remove the nuts from their diet. I do really love offering the biggest variety possible. I know they're "just bugs," but I notice the behavior changes when I'm just doling out the same old chow, carrots and apples combo vs. those weeks when I put 20 ingredients into the spread. They seem much more stimulated and active... dare I say happy? Watching them discover something new like dried seaweed or a drop of yogurt is truly the highlight of the hobby for me.

 
Axolotl said:
I'm offering walnuts every few weeks as a treat. Each colony (housed comfortably in a 10 gallon) gets a small handful of walnut meat (no shells) about once a month. I offer it to add another layer of variety and stimulation to their scavenging behaviors. I've been doing this for about a year now with no problems in the colonies.... but a year might not be long enough to see any effects on the species that live several years. 

I suppose the quick answer is to err on the side of caution and remove the nuts from their diet. I do really love offering the biggest variety possible. I know they're "just bugs," but I notice the behavior changes when I'm just doling out the same old chow, carrots and apples combo vs. those weeks when I put 20 ingredients into the spread. They seem much more stimulated and active... dare I say happy? Watching them discover something new like dried seaweed or a drop of yogurt is truly the highlight of the hobby for me.
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I'm sure they're fine as a small part of the diet.

 
Isnt leaf litter high in tannins? and I was also made aware awhile back that orchid bark may not be great. I've used all of that and more(before I knew) and all 15 of my colonies still seem to be doing well. I know that probably doesn't help much, but figured I'd share my experience.

 
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