I went to a ComicCon yesterday, and there were some people there who'd brought some reptiles, both preserved (dead of natural causes) and live. They also had some roaches, including some peppered roaches, that they'd brought as display. The roaches weren't intended to be sold, but, when I asked, the owner was happy to sell me a couple. I now have two male peppered roach nymphs, one almost 2" long, one closer to 1".
They're both in my domino roach tank, and I haven't seen them since I put them in, unsurprisingly. They were really charming to hold before I put them in, though, calm and seeming curious more than anything else. I impulse-bought these guys after chatting with the owner about how they were kept, but I'm strongly considering trying to get some females.
The owner was keeping them in a bioactive enclosure with hissing cockroaches, and there were a couple of teeny peppered nymphs in the moss they'd been brought in, so they were definitely doing well. Apparently the enclosure was just wet enough to keep the decomposers happy, so I thought I'd give these guys a try in mine.
The enclosure is an 18" cube aquarium, with a 3" layer of petroleum jelly to prevent escapes. The substrate is a mix of coco fiber and coco chips, 3-4" deep, with about 1" of pecan leaf litter on top of it. There's a big piece of driftwood that would make a good hanging surface, plus a goat skull and some pieces of slate, so there's room for shedding. I keep about a third of the substrate damp enough to keep springtails happy, and there's a heating pad on one side so the temperature doesn't go below 68F. The dominoes seem pretty happy, though it's hard to tell when I only have two adults.
Anyone have any thoughts on if I could add female peppereds and have these two do well together? I don't think they'd fight each other. I know the peppereds eat a lot of food, but I don't think it'd be too hard to keep both species supplied with cat food, and the 5 pecan trees in my yard mean I could keep them supplied with literal heaps of leaf litter, so I'm pretty sure I could give them enough food to keep them from outcompeting each other. I haven't seen them interact yet, but I'm reasonably certain they wouldn't stress each other- dominoes stay mostly on the floor, peppereds climb.
Do domino roaches actually need a dry area of substrate, or could I keep all the substrate at least slightly damp to help up the air humidity? Mine were damp all the time in a smaller tank before I put them in here, and they didn't seem to mind, though a lot of mold happened.
Also, has anyone tried keeping plants with either of these species? I've turned on a light over the tank to see if they'll come out under a light, and, if so, I'm hoping to plant some ferns or something else that can grow in coco fiber, or maybe tuck some pots in somewhere. Maybe try some ivy- though I'd have to make sure it didn't climb over/through the jelly layer. I know the dominoes won't eat plants, but what about peppereds? And I assume there's no concern about them burrowing into the roots and getting stuck, since they'd encounter roots in the wild.
They're both in my domino roach tank, and I haven't seen them since I put them in, unsurprisingly. They were really charming to hold before I put them in, though, calm and seeming curious more than anything else. I impulse-bought these guys after chatting with the owner about how they were kept, but I'm strongly considering trying to get some females.
The owner was keeping them in a bioactive enclosure with hissing cockroaches, and there were a couple of teeny peppered nymphs in the moss they'd been brought in, so they were definitely doing well. Apparently the enclosure was just wet enough to keep the decomposers happy, so I thought I'd give these guys a try in mine.
The enclosure is an 18" cube aquarium, with a 3" layer of petroleum jelly to prevent escapes. The substrate is a mix of coco fiber and coco chips, 3-4" deep, with about 1" of pecan leaf litter on top of it. There's a big piece of driftwood that would make a good hanging surface, plus a goat skull and some pieces of slate, so there's room for shedding. I keep about a third of the substrate damp enough to keep springtails happy, and there's a heating pad on one side so the temperature doesn't go below 68F. The dominoes seem pretty happy, though it's hard to tell when I only have two adults.
Anyone have any thoughts on if I could add female peppereds and have these two do well together? I don't think they'd fight each other. I know the peppereds eat a lot of food, but I don't think it'd be too hard to keep both species supplied with cat food, and the 5 pecan trees in my yard mean I could keep them supplied with literal heaps of leaf litter, so I'm pretty sure I could give them enough food to keep them from outcompeting each other. I haven't seen them interact yet, but I'm reasonably certain they wouldn't stress each other- dominoes stay mostly on the floor, peppereds climb.
Do domino roaches actually need a dry area of substrate, or could I keep all the substrate at least slightly damp to help up the air humidity? Mine were damp all the time in a smaller tank before I put them in here, and they didn't seem to mind, though a lot of mold happened.
Also, has anyone tried keeping plants with either of these species? I've turned on a light over the tank to see if they'll come out under a light, and, if so, I'm hoping to plant some ferns or something else that can grow in coco fiber, or maybe tuck some pots in somewhere. Maybe try some ivy- though I'd have to make sure it didn't climb over/through the jelly layer. I know the dominoes won't eat plants, but what about peppereds? And I assume there's no concern about them burrowing into the roots and getting stuck, since they'd encounter roots in the wild.
I would have previously said that the temp might be something to worry about, but mine have gotten a bit lower than that recently and I saw no aborted eggs.
