Blaberus Craniifer
Second Instar
I am new to the hobby and have purchased a couple Deaths Head nymphs from BugsInCyberspace and I was wondering if anyone has advice or tips for me about preferred foods, habitat, heating methods, etc
Thanks, I'll be careful about how often I check on them =)Conrats, good luck with them. I don't have death heads, I do have some blaberus hybrids. I culture them just like dubia, except I try to disturb them as little as possible. I had aborted eggsacs when I checked the colony often.
Thanks Hisserdude, I'll put up some more hides for themPretty good care info here: http://www.roachcrossing.com/for-sale/roach/all/deaths-head-roach/
Most people keep them moist, with lots of vertical hides for molting, as well as a couple of inches of substrate to burrow in. The diet should be mostly dog food, along with fruits and veggies.Overall a pretty essay species to keep!
No problem, hope they do well for you!Thanks Hisserdude, I'll put up some more hides for them
Thanks, I'll grab a spray bottle and a humidity meter so I can monitor the humidity levelA few observations based on my experience with Death's Head Roaches. They do not tolerate high temps like Dubias, I keep mine at around 80 degrees, although it does go up to the mid 80s in the heat of the summer. They also need a little more humidity than Dubias, but not as much as Peppered Roaches. After years of keeping them, they seem to have the uncanny knack of eating primarily orange foods - oranges, carrots, butternut squash, etc. when given the choice. They also do not seem to be inclined to eat higher protein foods when given the choice. I currently have 3 allegedly distinct strains and for the life of me, I cannot tell them apart and their behavior seems to be identical.
Thanks, I didn't know that some die within a day of molting so thats some pretty helpful info because I would've been super confused.If you keep adults below 72F you'll probably never see a nymph but they can grow at cooler temps. Like Blaberus giganteus, some adults die within a day of molting. It is one of the best species! Good luck.