Raising my own feeders Roaches and Silkworms

[amymboxer]

Since beardies are pigs I think I am going to breed my own feeders and a couple different kinds to provide variety if it isn't too difficult.
So I bought some roaches from the pet store the other day. They are not dubia's but another kind that is smaller and I can't remember what they are at the moment. I was thinking about breeding them except that I worry about them escaping. They are currently in a covered 10 gal fish tank and can't climb the glass but it still worries me we've already had a cricket escapee disaster. :shock:
I may not do roaches, they kind of creep me out. Go figure maggots (pheonix worms) don't bug me but I really don't need roaches in the house. I have visions of them all over my house. yuck!
If I do roaches though how do you keep them warm enough in the winter and what do you keep them in so they can't escape?
I also was considering ordering silkworm eggs and just ordering more after I run out.
My question is, I would like to keep them in the garage, (don't really want house bugs indoors) and was wondering what kind of heat source is neccessary to keep them alive during the colder season. I live in California so it doesn't get below 30 Degrees.
What do I incubate silkworm eggs in? Will a warm glass tank do with a heat lamp or a plastic bin? Do the silkworms need light? Do they need a lot of room?
I know they need special food and they only eat mulberry leaves but beyond that I'm not sure how to take care of them. I would like to do silkworms as I know through reading here they are excellent for the beardies.
Also do the silkworms require dusting as well? I currently use miner-all.

 

[Bellalee]

Most feeder roaches are not the same kind of roaches that infest your house. They are mostly tropical warmer species, they need it around 80ish, I could be wrong. I use a human heating pad underneath my roach bin. I have dubias though, but I still put a top on with a mesh hole to let some air out. I would put a top on, and you also can put vasoline along the top of the container/tank that stops most of them. I would really look up how to breed them.
I currently do not breed silk worms, although I have heard that they are a pain in the rear. Hopefully you will get more information from someone wiser then I.

 

[amymboxer]

Thank you for putting my mind at ease with the roaches. I've already had 1 escapee from the reptile cage.
Anyone with silkworm ideas. How difficult are they?

 

[LuvMyHerps]

Most feeder roaches are not the same kind of roaches that infest your house. They are mostly tropical warmer species, they need it around 80ish, I could be wrong. I use a human heating pad underneath my roach bin. I have dubias though, but I still put a top on with a mesh hole to let some air out. I would put a top on, and you also can put vasoline along the top of the container/tank that stops most of them. I would really look up how to breed them.
I currently do not breed silk worms, although I have heard that they are a pain in the rear. Hopefully you will get more information from someone wiser then I.

I agree with the above...I started a roach colony several months back. They creep me out, too...not a fan of touching them or them touching me. They are good breeders if the temps and humidity are right. Mine as of late have been having babies like crazy. Once you get the setup...it's really easy

 

[amymboxer]

So I have lat. roaches. The pet store said they are easier to breed than dubia's, but they are smaller and I think I'll do dubias when she gets older since they are bigger. Has anyone tried this type of roach before
I think I won't breed silkworms, I'm busy and that looks a bit complicated, I think I'll just buy them...they won't last long around here

 

[Ihaggerty1313]

Blatta Lateralis roaches huh... I haven't used those in a while. I used to use them for smaller quicker species of lizard. Some people use them for Beardies but you'll go thru them like crix if your beardie likes them since they are smaller. I used to have problems w/ bigger, bulkier slower moving lizards like Beardies giving up on them as they got older since B. Lateralis are superfast.

They are definitely more of a "roachier" roach which skeevs certain people out. However the one aspect I really dislike about this species is that they drop fertilized egg sacs. Now they won't infest your house. However, I'm an electrician by trade and when I used to work the field we went into some pretty narly places. Of the 12 species or so of roach that DO infest houses (all from Germany and Asia btw) they ALL drop egg sacs. Hence people step on them, and track them back into their own house where they hatch and of course... you then have roaches. THIS is a thing that I've never been able to get over since I'm neurotic about "pest species of roach" (go figure right, I sell roaches lol). That's why I really dislike that trait about Lats and have never gotten over it. AGAIN I just want to stress that Blatta Lateralis aren't a pest species, and that aside from their speed is my only problem w/ them. They are definitely a proven feeder roach and very popular among herpers nationwide.

-Ian
http://www.theroachranch.com

 

[Triage]

Just throwing my two cents in here. I bought my Dubia from Ian (above). I've had them about a little over a month and already have tons of babies. I don't feed my 3 months old beardie the full grown dubia, I feed him the nymphs. They will be various sizes as your colony grows. Once he is full grown, I will start feeding him the males, maybe some of the large nymphs. He loves them SOOOO much, I just ordered another 400 small nymphs to feed him until the babies get a little bigger. Heck, sometimes I feel like my Dubia colony is just another one of my pets. ;-)

Amy, did I read that you have a box turtle too? What kind? I keep a female eastern box turtle in a 4'x4' vivarium that I built in my garage.

 

[amymboxer]

Amy, did I read that you have a box turtle too? What kind? I keep a female eastern box turtle in a 4'x4' vivarium that I built in my garage.[/quote]
Yes I do have a box turtle. Actually I will soon have 2. They are tiny babies right now. I have a gulf coast turtle and will be getting an eastern turtle soon baby again so I don't know the sexes yet.
Also if the roaches I have can carry around their egg sacs that's pretty gross so I think I will just let Isabelle eat up the rest of what I've got and I will purchase the dubias. The dubias are less creepy anyways.
In fact the roaches I have are the 1st feeder to really gross me out. Except I found something really weird in my turtle cage so I will start another thread called name that bug I don't know what it is.

 

[burt1016]

I have 3 types of roaches, dubias are my and my dragons favorites.

Now for silkies info. People say that it is hard to raise them, i have mulberrytrees in the back yard, wash, dry, drop in tank, watch them chow. Impossibly easy. Now the other way (with silkie chow) make the chow, put in fridge, grate it over the silkies, thats really it :|