how to stop canibalism in my roaches???

L

laughing dog

Third Instar
i have had roaches disapear before with no tracees, but i got in a half shipment a little while back of new dbias as a supposed starter colony, and all the nymphs and adult females were at least a fourth smaller than my other ones, and paper thin. now i seem to be having trouble breaking them of eating each other, even though they are about the same sizes as my old starter colony now, and given dry dog food, chick feed, crix feed, algae, fruit(mostly oranges, apples, bannanas, peaches), fish flakes, calcium powder, and alotta other things i cant think of(so basically just no cucumbers as i heard they are bad for them). they seem to take out other nymphs the most, now but as i dont keep good enough count on my adult females, i dont know if theyre eating each other in the seperated bin as well, but only noticing the eating each other in the nymphs now. any ideas as to the how to stop them? i think they were just starved as the guy didnt know anything about roaches, and said he just had way to many he needed to thin out, as he kept buying more to try to help out the blood lines, and said they would immediatly make oranges disapear(i also got some other kind of roach mixed in apparently as some look like b. cranifer, and ive seen some of the winged ones mating in the bachlor/feeder bin).

 
I can't recall a single instance of cannibalism in this species in the three containers I keep them in. My suspicion is that the starving ones died and some of the other starving ones nibbled on their remains, making it look like an act of cannibalism, rather than one of scavenging. And your B. dubia get a much better diet than mine do! Occasionally, the shed skin of a dubia tricks me into thinking it's a dead roach.

 
Peter Clausen said:
I can't recall a single instance of cannibalism in this species in the three containers I keep them in. My suspicion is that the starving ones died and some of the other starving ones nibbled on their remains, making it look like an act of cannibalism, rather than one of scavenging. And your B. dubia get a much better diet than mine do! Occasionally, the shed skin of a dubia tricks me into thinking it's a dead roach.
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i have seen them eating at each other alinve, and even saw some of the biggest ones eatin half away, or having their heads chewed at and even off (odd that they still act normal when that happened). think it was result of previous care, as they are finally stopping doing it for the most part that im seeing aside from eating tiny babies, but are even not eating the shed molts anymore so much, were as before i wasnt finding any unless i caught them right at molt. i also search the bin to get molting females before they get eaten, so that may be it, as if i dont search a couple times a day, i never seem to get any females, but two to six males if i do it.

 
BugmanPrice said:
What about water? Do you have a dish or put in water over the substrate often?
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yup. i have a large shallow water dish thats filled with water and already swollen water crystals, plus i provide fruit, and misting unless it starts to get to moist, then i axe the misting, as other wise the dry food gets moist or moldy if i dont check often enough.

 
Hmmm… Well, I was hoping for the quick fix with water. The only time I’ve ever seen Blaberus spp. cagemates eaten (I assume post mortem) was when I had neglected the watering. Even then it was only a couple of individuals.

What is your population density; could it be an overcrowding issue?

 
BugmanPrice said:
Hmmm… Well, I was hoping for the quick fix with water. The only time I’ve ever seen Blaberus spp. cagemates eaten (I assume post mortem) was when I had neglected the watering. Even then it was only a couple of individuals.What is your population density; could it be an overcrowding issue?
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in the adult bin i have about eighty females now (theyre growing alot quicker now) to one male per ten(thats how they worked it out on there own), but should have more as there should be about a hundred or more females the way they were growing and molting out awhile ago(theyve suddenly slowed to almost a halt). i would have about fifty males, but i feed them off regularly from a seperate bin i keep them in. the nymphs are maybe about a hundred assorted sizes in there own bin(not really sure as the amount fluxuates rather regularly). the breeders have five egg flats, the nymphs have three egg flats, and the feeder/bachler bin just has a few tp rolls(oddly they do the best). i just added the fifth flat for the breeders, and found an aborted egg case, and a leg(not molt cause no nymphs). also i put a sheet of newspaper over the top flats to give them more space to hide that they use alot, but still bunch together leaving extra spaces. gotta add some more oranges though next week(odd they dont eat the rind like the hissers do). though watever kind of cave roach i got will eat anything it seems, as they even eat the moss and paper i put things down on as well as the fern leaves(seem to be gettin giganeus to me, as im afraid theyll grossly dwarf my hissers soon, and would be a battle if they ever got together as their tubs are stacked on top of each other. lol).

 
How big are the bins? The only thing I could at least suggest is that it sounds like you may be feeding them dog food supplemented by fruit occasionally. I do the opposite and don’t have ‘roaches with zombie like tendencies, maybe it could help. I'm sure some other people around here could offer you better suggestions then I can.

Has the problem decreased any since you got them from the guy and started giving them proper care?

 
lol, zombie tendancies!

about 18 gallon bins each. i was keeping everything in at all times, but as they stopped eating things at a time i decreased them, and now just feed small amounts when i see the rest getting low, old, or moldy. tanks seem really humid, but not dripping except for my dorkus beetles and hissers. the cannibalism is noticed in spurts as the amount seems to be fluctuating, so i guess its still going on. they seem alot heathier though, and non of my old adult colony is eating each other(though im not noticing any new nymphs from them on the flip side, and i added a chocolate, and a albino male to the colony aside from the original molted out normal male).

on a side note, i havent seen the females in my old colony mating at all, and seem to shy away from the males advances. why would that be, and can i fix that???

 
laughing dog said:
on a side note, i havent seen the females in my old colony mating at all, and seem to shy away from the males advances. why would that be, and can i fix that???
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Have you tried Barry White or Zale’s?

Really I don't know how to fix the problems you are encountering except leave them be, give it time, and see if things work themselves out. I don't think that they would be too overcrowded in those conditions and it seems that food/water is adequate. Maybe someone else has some ideas...?

 
BugmanPrice said:
Have you tried Barry White or Zale’s?Really I don't know how to fix the problems you are encountering except leave them be, give it time, and see if things work themselves out. I don't think that they would be too overcrowded in those conditions and it seems that food/water is adequate. Maybe someone else has some ideas...?
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In some ways they can tell you are there, so try not watching them for a while (unless you have a clear bin). If they are kept properly, I can guarantee they will reproduce. :)

 
Matt K said:
In some ways they can tell you are there, so try not watching them for a while (unless you have a clear bin). If they are kept properly, I can guarantee they will reproduce. :)
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i have a clear bin, and can observe them in a corner of a closet. i just last night found one newborn dubia in the old colony bin, and also may have two new females which my have been large nymps that fell in a bit ago. the males in that bin try though their hardest to woo them, and even just try to lock up with out it.

ive seen so many times the courtship, locking up, and mating for hours of the dubias in my new colony in the short time ive had them, compared to the old ones ive had since july, but only had males in since august(first month had no males, but lots of babies kept coming out, but disapearing).

 
laughing dog said:
i have a clear bin, and can observe them in a corner of a closet. i just last night found one newborn dubia in the old colony bin, and also may have two new females which my have been large nymphs that fell in a bit ago. the males in that bin try though their hardest to woo them, and even just try to lock up with out it.ive seen so many times the courtship, locking up, and mating for hours of the dubias in my new colony in the short time ive had them, compared to the old ones ive had since july, but only had males in since august(first month had no males, but lots of babies kept coming out, but disappearing).
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stopped problem, as i added potting soil, and removed all the males (i had hundreds end of last month again), leaving only the new molted ones that just came out to breed, and i have more than i imagined i would have now again so quick, as they will consume a hand full of food four times a day, with at least two of the times if not all four in minutes, and put them all together in a 50 gallon tub about maybe a month or two to taking all the males out.

 
i drill holes in wood i heat tree.babys can hide and adults cant get there heads in deep enough.3 inches of bedding helps too.keep roaches 1 male to 5 females males will spmetimes eat babys if they are stressed make sure every male has his own area to hide

 
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