Eublaberus posticus rehouse

[WarrenB]

From 13l to 18l, better vents, actually transparent so I can see them. 6" waste pipe offcuts chopped up, scored, and stacked up for hides:

Cork bark for more perching spots:

Lastly, since I got back into invert keeping I've had 'cross ventilation, cross ventilation, cross ventilation' drummed into me. But using heat mats in a relatively cool room, I still got pretty bad condensation on the room-facing side, except under the vents. I figured that whatever way the air flowed, there still needed to be a little top ventilation along the edge, to wick away that excess moisture. So I taped down a strip of graph paper on the lid and drilled some 1mm holes this afternoon.

 

[Bhjjr]

Looks great! Are the vents held in place with an adhesive or just a snug fit?

I've been using hot glue but I'm not sure how long it will hold. I'm considering getting a soldering gun to melt the screen I use into the plastic tub.

 

[Bhjjr]

The wast pipe pieces almost look like wood being scored like that.

 

[WarrenB]

Thanks!

Are the vents held in place with an adhesive or just a snug fit?

Hot glue. It's convenient enough and I think it should hold okay*, but to be honest I'm moving slowly back to silicone sealant. I don't know if it's the climate here or what, but the stuff cools and hardens almost as soon at it comes out the gun. If I put a bead of glue around one of those vents I wouldn't have time to push it into place, let alone reposition it. As it is, there's a mm or so gap between the vent tube and the edge of the cut hole. I held the vent in place and squeezed the hot glue into and around that gap. Even with the extra width of the tub it was a faff getting the gun in there!

It works a lot better for gluing the mesh into the vent, though.

* I scored a groove around the cylindrical part of the vent for more grip. Also, I think the rigid plastic of the vent helps a little. I remember sticking flexible mesh straight onto a rubbery food tub lid years ago, the stuff was always peeling loose. I can sympathise with your own mesh problems.

The wast pipe pieces almost look like wood being scored like that.

Not entirely unplanned! It wouldn't fool anyone but for free and easily scrubbed 'fake bark' it's good enough, and the roaches don't care. I hope to use more of the stuff with future periplaneta, less scoring, more of a roach hut setup.