Phoetalia pallida...

Do these guys need substrate? Can they climb glass/smooth surfaces?
I keep them on two inches of coco-fiber with a few egg cartons on end on top. Not sure how necessary this may be though but it works for me. They seem to do better if its a little on the dry side.

By the way, it's Phoetalia pallida ;)

 
Livebearers and very good climbers on glass and smooth surfaces... I breed them without substrate, only egg crates...

 
I keep them on a thin layer of vermiculite which I water a little bit from time to time. The roaches then drink, in addition to wet food. I've read that the nimfs are vulnerable to deshydratation.

I also keep a colony in a naturalistic setup. I cannot say yet which is the best because there are too many hiding places. I just can't count the little creatures, although I see plenty antennae and other bits an pieces of cockroach in the cracks of the bark in their tank.

I also tried a substrate of fish flakes but this setup was very fast infected with mites. So that experiment didn't last very long.

 
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I keep mine on no substrate, just eggboxes and they breed very well.

The can and do climb - just about anything - and will always escape and set up new colonies if possible.

 
I can only comment on the happenings in my own colonies, but yes, I do believe that with conducive conditions, they can become pestiverous. (Not sure if that's a word, but it sure should be! ;) )

Our ambient temps are high - in the region of 25 degrees centigrade in all but the coldest three months of the year. Couple that with a food source which most homes / buildings have and yeah, I think they will survive. Certainly I have escapees from a container with a lid that if not airtight, is at least a close fit, and mine all find a nearby drawer or even enter the - supposedly sealed - colonies of other species where they breed strongly.

 
So, I am reviving an old thread, but I expect to be receiving a group of P. pallida in the near future. This is what I gleaned from what I read above, please correct me if I am wrong:

  • Climb smooth surfaces well
  • Do not need substrate
  • Potential pest
  • Livebearing

Any other points that I should be aware of? Dietary requirements pretty much like any other roach? Any other terrible stories about these guys to report? Thanks!

 
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