I would LOVE roachs but...

[andy65]

...my family thinks it stupid. They are DEATHLY afraid that if one or two get out then the house will be over run with them. I know that we would not, but they don't believe me.
I would love to get them breeding so I would not need to buy worms for our guy, plus they would be better for him in the long run.

Could you guys post some stuff in here to try and clam their fears of them. If the roach breeders on here would not mind, can you post some stuff too?

Thanks

 

[Jiffy]

I was reading somewhere on here that a guys wife wouldnt let him have roaches, so he told her they were beetles (b/c they dont look like regular roaches) and she was fine with that. (sorry, I cant recall who it was that was saying that)

So if all else fails, maybe you can get some "beetles" :wink:

 

[Sp1ke]

Well, I recently switched to roaches, and I couldn't be happier! They are definitely a little gross and take some getting used to, but they are so much better than crickets. No more chirping, they don't smell and they are easier for both my guys to catch. I probably have more crickets roaming free around my house than anything, but if the roaches get out, they are really easy to catch, and even if I don't catch them, they'll just die off. it's too cold and dry for them to breed outside of there enclosure.

 

[Lunamatron]

I would just provide your family with as much information as possible. The crickets are far more likely to jump out and infest your house. Trust me. I have had several hundred manage to escape and take weeks to find them all and kill them. My roaches, on the other hand, don't crawl up the sides of the container, don't fly and even if they could, hide when I open the top. http://www.bestroach.com has a great information page explaining how simple they are to care for and why you won't regret making the switch. I still have to deal with crickets until my colony grows, but I can tell you that the males that I have fed off my BDs LOVE them.

Best of all, when one doesn't get eaten I don't hear it chirping in my BDs tank for days. Roaches ROCK>

 

[patrickb]

Well, you apparently know all of the benefits of roaches over crickets, so we can skip that part

For one, as many have said, the tropical species of roaches that are the more common feeders will not infest your house. Though I have doubts about Lobsters and Turkestans, I stand by the fact that unless you live in a mud hut in the middle of South America, you won't have Dubias infesting your house. My house is quite old and would make an ideal place to infest but I am not in the least bit worried. The other thing to consider is that roaches won't just escape. You almost have to pick them up and set them on the floor to get them to escape. As long as they have food, water, and a place to hide, they aren't looking to leave the comforts of their home. Crickets on the other hand can jump quite a good height compared to their size and they get lose all the time. I am more worried about the crickets being loose than the roaches anyways, because the crickets will eat any and everything. Clothes, carpets, wood, your first born child. Crickets are evil. The roaches will just crawl off and die.

The suggestion of calling them beetles can work, but I am not a fan for deception. Maybe making a compromise like keeping them in a heated garage or something like that would work. Once your family has a chance to deal with them to some degree, they may let you keep them inside. Just my $0.01 worth.

 

[stephenrose06]

I've had a hard time with my family and roaches but once I talked them into it, I found that they are easy to keep. Even the one I dropped had no problem getting back. I can actually put them in a bowl in the cage and they don't climb out. And I can put them on their back and they will stay that way for a while. They don't smell, they don't bite, They don't make loud noise and they are much easier for Draco to catch.

 

[BestRoach]

Most of my customers actually are suprised once they get their roach order. According to most, dubia nymphs, and Blaberus species, do not look like roaches. I have even had some customers think they were cute looking :shock:. Perhaps ordering a small quantity to sample....show them to your family, etc. If it works, get more...if not, feed your lizards.

You can try Eublaberus Posticus....when nymphs they look nothing like a roach. In fact, they are very attractive...with a deep ruby color and a chunky body. You can barely see their legs. Once they mature, they get wings and start to take the shape of a roach. They are still very colorful however, and that can offset the creepiness a little bit. I personally think they are an amazing insect. Strong defense odor however, which makes handling them often a bad idea (like anyone would play with a roach ).

Take care,

Chad

 

[patrickb]

Most of my customers actually are suprised once they get their roach order. According to most, dubia nymphs, and Blaberus species, do not look like roaches. I have even had some customers think they were cute looking :shock:. Perhaps ordering a small quantity to sample....show them to your family, etc. If it works, get more...if not, feed your lizards.

Very sound advice. The fear aspect fades away in a lot of people when they see these species in person. Nothing like the roaches you are conditioned to being afraid of. Just do it, and if it doesn't work, oh well, you tried. Many times I have read of people just giving them a shot and falling in love with them (almost literally in a few occassions)

(like anyone would play with a roach ).

Funny thing is some people might read this and think you are just joking about playing with the roaches. :lol:

 

[invictusrules]

You're not supposed to play with the... um... beetles? :wink:

Honestly, we need to come up with another kind of common/scientifically acceptable name for the tropical roaches we use as feeders. Cockroach - no. Roach - no. Too mundane for the EXOTIC :laughhard: RARE :laughhard: NUTRITIOUS :laughhard: POPULAR feeder we know as Dubia/lobster/orangehead/six-spotted/Turks/etc.

If we called phoenix worms *maggots* would they sound as cool? No!

So how does a colony of tropical Neopterans sound? That way, when your squeamish spouse/parent/roommate asks (like they'd care) what a Neopteran is, you can truthfully say, "They're a feeder that's getting really popular with dragon owners. Much better than crickets. A little pricey to start with, but you can raise them yourself and save tons of money, and..." The conversation shifts to how wonderful this "new" feeder is without the r-word that send people into convulsions.

And even if they don't trust you and Wiki the word, all they'll find is a generic article about insects including <drum roll> BEETLES. (roaches are in the list, too, so it's not dishonest)

 

[jajabinx89]

Haha, yea when I wanted to set up my own colony, the only thing is my way was my step mom. I finally convinced my dad to let me keep it out in the back shop, and should my step mom every encounter it.. we'd just call them 'tropical beetles.' well what do ya know she finally saw one couple months ago in Inigo's cage (luckily only a week before I bolted off for college again haha) but she freaked and was like 'is that a roach!?" I was like no no.. they're tropical beetles .. totally different.. Anyways, it softens the blow. Normally when people hear the term 'roach' it just triggers a response of pest/vermon/infestation, so putting it in terms people can better cope with seems to have better results. Twas fun convincing my roommate this year what was in the large tub in my closet hahah.

 

[dawnki]

Roaches are very um....educational to keep. A GREAT learning experience and rewarding at the same time.

 

[ZANESMAMA]

Well, I just saw this post and had to put my 2cents in!!! I started a Turkistan colony about a year and a half ago. I got them because they couldn't climb. And they can't, but here's the problem: The shipper mixed up some other kind of roach, lobsters I think, in with the shipment and everytime I moved the bin I was keeping them in, the other roaches, whatever they were, would run up the side of the bin and get out. Three months after I got them, Elvis got sick and wouldn't even eat the Turkistans so I ended up giving them away. Now, I have a roach problem in my house and my husband is so pissed at me right now. He turned on the light in the kitchen over the weekend and say a big one and a baby. I've been using bait traps, but I'm going to have to call an exterminator to get rid of these other roaches. This doesn't mean that you will have a roach problem. Just make sure before you put the bin in the house, that you didn't get some other kind of roach mixed in with non-climbing ones. If you didn't, then you will be fine and not have any roach problem. They are so much cleaner than crickets, IMHO. Well, I don't know if cleaner is the right word but the smell alone is worh it. There is no comparison: crickets just stink and roaches don't. Moral of the story, if you get non-climbing roaches, watch out for loose and fast "others" and make sure nothing gets out, just in case.

If I had it to do over, I don't think I would get the Turkistans. They have this icky sticky defense substance that's kinda gross and they are pretty fast too!
I think I would go with Dubias.

 

[Chubz]

my girlfriend and i were a little freaked out when we got our roaches especially about them escaping and multiplying like crazy. I keep them in a bin in a closet in our bedroom and the only ones that really can climb inside the bin are the tiny little ones witch rarely even happens. I dont really disturb mine cuz i want them to mate but most of the time i forget they are even there since they dont make any noise and dont stink like crickets.


I would try it for sure, i'm a new dubia colony owner and i can honestly say its going to save me a ton of money in the long run and i dont have to worry about the stink and noise of the crickets.

i got my setup at http://www.theroachguy.com you cant go wrong. Good luck to ya !! 8)

 

[Digby_Rigby]

100% of all people who use mealworms instead of roaches fall in one of these categories.

1. They are ignorant of the fact that roaches are available
2. They are willing to sacrifice quality and ease of maintenance because
they either find roaches yucky or are cheap
3. They dont know where to get them
4. They have no clue what they are talking about. Maybe 10 species of
roaches are pests. Its like saying no snakes because theyare venomous or get huge. Or that wolves are dangerous so they dont like dogs.

Digby Rigby [email protected]

 

[lillybd2008]

if the Turkistans are so fast are they hard to get to feed and does the beardie have trouble catching them?