Easy Staple Food?

wodesorel

wodesorel

Seventh Instar
I've got too many containers and I'm getting tired of doing fresh fruit every other night! Was hoping someone could make suggestions for making an easy-feed staple food so that dinnertime goes quicker. To this point the roaches have been eating nearly the same as my hermits - they get fresh fruits and veggies, and only the roaches get dog food once a week as a protein source. I'd like to switch over to a dry mix (homemade or purchased) that I could leave in the tanks for a few days at a time, and only do fresh fruit maybe once or twice a week. I have hissers, polyphaga, therea, and dubia. Any ideas welcome!

 
hi

I let the fruits a few day in the tanks, they aren't rotten after one or two days. I know a friend of mine gives fruits twice a week, the other days they just eat dog food ;)

 
I feed once a week at most. Dry dog food, banana or orange and the occasional bit of leftover dinner stuffs. I really think people over feed their insects, which is fine if you're using them as a breeding colony, but weekly feedings will more than suffice. I go a month in between feeding my Periplaneta to keep their numbers tame and twice a month on my Panchlora because they eat so little. I have no issues with reproduction or overall colony health. Personally I suggest twice weekly feedings to others simply because you need to learn how much a colony can and will eat before you reduce their schedule.

 
vfox said:
I feed once a week at most. Dry dog food, banana or orange and the occasional bit of leftover dinner stuffs. I really think people over feed their insects, which is fine if you're using them as a breeding colony, but weekly feedings will more than suffice. I go a month in between feeding my Periplaneta to keep their numbers tame and twice a month on my Panchlora because they eat so little. I have no issues with reproduction or overall colony health. Personally I suggest twice weekly feedings to others simply because you need to learn how much a colony can and will eat before you reduce their schedule.
Click to expand...
I second this. I feed my roaches once a week and even then in most cases they don't eat all the food I offer them. Good food items that can be left in the cage for a while include carrots, yams, and apple slices. Dry food mixes tend to mold or become so hard roaches won't bother eating but if you use powdery ones like duck food or chicken mash, so long as these are kept dry, the roaches will nibble on them as long as they're around and not moldy.

 
I use either water crystals or water dishes, so they always have something to drink.

Been having a heck of a time with fruit flies though. Ugh... They're getting through the house now, too. (Even with vinegar and sticky traps.) So I really need to cut down on the fresh fruit for a while. Had to stop with bananas completely a few months back because of the fruit flies, but now they're swarming even the apples and oranges. 24 hours after feedng there are clouds around the tanks, and I've been having minor mold issues so the fruit gets fuzzy rather quickly, too.

It seems if I leave the food dishes (yes, seriously, they have dishes) empty for more than two days the roaches start to eat each other. My adults aren't old enough yet to be dropping dead from that, and it always happens when they go without another food source. (Plus, pink maggots when I go to clean the mess up. That's always a lovely find. :roll: )

I finally found a crumbly type of horse treat over the weekend that has apples and a good mix of ingredients and protein. Going to try that out for a while and see how it works. It's like a non-meat-filled dog food type biscuit. Just hoping it doesn't mold overnight like everything else does....

 
Baby foods. Nutrition, safe, and Gerber has snap plastic lids that are shallow you can pour the food in, place in colony, and day or two remove lid, easy clean up!

 
I only feed them twice a week at most, with parrot fruit and veggie flavour pallets. Occasionally some kitchen leftover or some fresh veggies and fruits that's about to go bad. Once a month, I offer some cat/dog pallets to some species that need extra protein.

 
Potatoes, sliced in half since they will not eat the skin. Good cheap source of moisture. Resistant to mold. Been using potatoes for years. U will still get fruit flies though.

And i feed whatever i have on hand. dog food,, spent grain, powdered baby formula, etc.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top