Good roaches for a terrarium

specimen24-6

specimen24-6

Fourth Instar
I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but I have a question. What roach species will do well in a forest like terrarium with small live plants like pansies(I have plenty of pansy seeds and I have successfully germinated this plant, I have also sowed some of these seeds in the corner of the terrarium). This excludes Madagascar hissing cockroach, Dubia roaches and probably all burrowing roaches (if any of you can convince me I might get a burrowing Species). So far the substrate medium I'm using is potting soil mixed with dead long fiber sphagnum moss and wood chips, I also put a large hollow animal bone that I found in the forest one day(I don't know what kind of animal it belong to but all I know it must have been big) this is gong to be a hide for my roaches. I also put a peace of bark in the terrarium, also for hiding. The whole thing is in a large critter keeper. The roach species I think should go in this terrarium is Gyna lurida. I read that this species nymphs burrow but do they disturb the root system? Please respond to this post as soon as possible.

 
Gyna nymphs do burrow, they may disturb the root system, I do not really know. To be on the safe side, I would not use any Gyna sp. Perhaps some Pseudomops septentrionalis, or some Parcoblatta sp? I don't think either of these burrow, and the P.septentrionalis and some Parcoblatta sp are very attractive. Maybe some zebra roaches?

 
If you don't mind the looks of the roach, blattella ashihnai actually bask in light. Gyna species do burrow and I think if the root system is good and has been there for a while it won't matter. I know people with Gyna species in a planted terrarium.

 
If RomanBuck is correct I think I will keep the Gyna sp. in a separate enclosure until the root system in the terrarium develops and if that fails I will try to plant one of my pre stablished plant with the pot and if that fails I will try a different plant like ivy. I really have my heart set out for a Gyna lulrida, just look so darn interesting especially with that pronotum marking and coloration, they seem to show some very interesting behavior when there adults, they also seem very skittish judging from the YouTube videos I've seen on these creatures. I also have another question, how do I post pictures on the forum? I finally got a iphone with a camera, I would like to post images of my current specimens.

 
What about Ectobius species? Not sure how easy they are to culture but they are ridiculously common where I live. They might be small and not much to look at, but they're diurnal, arboreal and very active. Sometimes I use them as feeders for my gray tree frogs and they're certainly very interesting to watch- they run around on leaves and the glass and never seem to stop moving. I imagine that a well planted terrarium full of Ectobius could be interesting. Assuming you can catch the things... They fly really well.

 
I have had Gyna lurida in a planted enclosure for about a year and a half now. The nymphs you never see except when they come up to feed, but the adults are both day and night active. They fly all over the enclosure and like to bask on the plants I have in the enclosure. They don't bother the roots and all the plants I have in the terrarium have been very healthy. The enclosure is 18in by 18in by 24in. The only concern I have for putting G. lurida in your enclosure is the type of enclosure it is. Critter Keepers (most of them) have that annoying lid that you have to try and get off to maintain the cage. This could be a problem since the Gyna lurida will find the highest part to sit at. This includes the screen top and any plants/decor that is close to the top of the terrarium. I would definitely NOT recommend Gyna lurida if you are going for the critter keeper setup.

 
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Does any body knows if Therea petiveriana will do well with desert plants. I think desert plants are less prone to root disturbances and the roaches will provide the fertilizer for the plants. I do Haworthia sp. with white stripes that is just waiting to be place in the terrarium, I brought this up because I noticed that the critter keeper has high ventilation and it dries up pretty quickly.

 
Well it's settled, I will get some of these as soon as possible and I think I will rear them in a separate container until the colony gets going, so until then the plants will have plenty of time to establish and maybe a little trial and error along the way, I will also get some Gyna lulrida with those Domino roaches because they look so interesting and by the way I'm entering uncharted waters in term of roaches. I only successfully reared Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Dubia roaches, and blatta lateralis. I think I'm ready, So, wish me luck.

 
Gyna and Therea species can be a little tricky. Gotta get the conditions juuuust right for them to breed. Gyna lurida is much easier though.

 
Thanks for the heads up RomanBuck . I've already done the order, all I have to do is get ready for there arrival ( which I'm half way ready), wait, and dream of roaches. Which would probably be a nightmare I'll see it as good sign, I mean who here doesn't dream of roaches.

 
I would honestly do away with critter cages .... go with a 5-10 gallon with a locking screen lid. If you want air tight screen lid, just tape some clear plastic bags to the lid ... You can get the bags from your local fish store

 
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