Lobster Cockroaches Care Sheet

ccfcexile · #1 (**permalink**) 27-03-09, 09:15 PM

This is a care sheet picked up off the net that I swear by, I got it from InvertExotics website who got it from New York Worms:

Lobster Cockroaches
Nauphoeta cinerea
Lobster roaches are extremely prolific and will breed and multiply readily even with minimal care. For an enclosure, use a glass aquarium, plastic critter keeper, plastic bin or garbage can. Size depends on how many Lobster roaches you intend to keep. Most important is to remember that Lobster roaches climb plastic and glass so a barrier is needed. You can use a product such as bug stop but the method I prefer and use is to smear a three inch wide strip of Vaseline along the top of the container. The Vaseline works very well and only needs to be re-applied if it gets accidentally streaked or otherwise every few months as it dries out. You can also use Olive Oil. Even though they are a climbing species, Lobster roaches are easily contained so there is little reason not to keep this fast breeding species of roach.
Like all roaches, Lobster roaches need hiding places so place egg flats in their enclosure. If the enclosure is large enough, stack them vertically or if not then horizontally as you prefer. Just make sure there is space between the egg crates and that they do not fit tightly together. Some people use substrate such as bran bedding but that makes it harder to keep the enclosure clean. Plus it’s impossible to get the baby Lobster roaches out of the bedding as they will hide in it. Periodically brush the waste up from the container to keep it clean.
Unlike crickets, roach enclosures do not smell and can be kept clean with a little attention to housekeeping.
Make sure that the Lobster roaches have a constant supply of high protein food at all times. Cat food and roach diets are all good protein sources. Also try whole grain cereal or baby cereal. Food can be placed in the corners directly on the container floor or in a shallow dish. Water should be supplied by water gel as it does not get stinky the way sponges will. Water gel also solves the problem of drowning and provides a clean, easy source of fresh water that should be available at all times. Use the plain gel, not the calcium gut loaded type for crickets as too much calcium will kill roaches.
Offer your Lobster Roaches fresh fruit or vegetables at least once a week. Carrot, apples, oranges, fresh leafy vegetables and fruit are all eagerly accepted. Remove any fruit or vegetables that are not eaten in a day or two to prevent mold. Mold is a threat to your roach colony, so best to feed only what they consume in a short while.
Keep your Lobster roach colony at a minimum temperature of 70 degrees. If you want Lobster roaches to breed 80 degrees is minimal and 90 degrees or higher is preferred. The warmer the Lobster roaches are kept, the faster they will breed. Lobster roaches are a tropical species from the Caribbean. They like it hot. Humidity levels should be mid range. Unless you live in a very dry area of the country, there will be enough humidity at 90 degrees.
Lobster roaches mature at about 3-4 months old. Females carry young for approximately one month and give live birth to 30-40 babies every month or so. The young are very small, about 3/16 of an inch but grow quickly. As long as there is enough high protein food, plus a moisture source, all live peaceably together.
It is best to allow your Lobster roach colony to become fully established before feeding heavily out of it. Six months is a reasonable time to allow the colony to establish before feeding them off. The more adult breeders there are, the more young are produced. Watch your Lobster roach colony to see how many roaches you can use as feeders while still maintaining colony numbers.
Once the colony becomes sizeable, it is best to split them up because sooner or later the size of the colony will literally explode. The roaches can produce a toxic gas that can kill the entire colony unless the colony is well aired.
Once Lobster roach colonies are well established you will have roaches of all different sizes to offer lizards the exact size they need. Soft and yummy, think of Lobster roaches as living hamburgers full of juicy meat just waiting for your animals to consume! Raising roaches is easy and raising Lobster roaches easiest of all.

Good luck with your colony!

ViRMiN · #2 (**permalink**) 27-03-09, 09:38 PM

Thanks for citing your references... I don't think there'll be a problem as you've done that.

ccfcexile · #3 (**permalink**) 28-03-09, 08:32 AM

Well, it's free advertising for the respected web sites!!! If a complaint is made then I will write my own (what a nightmare!!!!!)

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