[EDs Fly Meat]

Hey Gang,
Having a dislike of crickets, I tried some lobster roach nymphs and man the frogs do love them. I fed some to my azureus and tinctorius and they macked on them. The roaches are soft bodied (so no impaction concerns) and grow rather slowly. They died rather quickly when introduced into the tanks. Anyone else tried these?
Dave

 

[Guest]

lobsters

Hey Dave. I also culture lobsters and have not tried them in my tanks (theyre for the chameleons). Ive heard some ugly stories about juvies surviving and becoming a nuisance to the frogs, or worse. Are you sure they died quickly? What aspect of the tank environment do you think did them in? My colony survives rather well and a warm, humid rubbermaid, and Ive always thought they would do well in a frog tank.....hence my fears. Would love to be able to feed them if I felt safe, theyre soooo much easier to raise than crix....

 

[EDs Fly Meat]

I also keep mine in a rubbermaid container. What do you use for a water source? I use orange and apple wedges. My frog tanks are pretty simple 10 gallons. I fed out some fresh nymphs and am quite sure they died upon release. They have long spans between moltings so if any did make it, they will be small for a long time. I take out fresh roach eggs cases and separate them into a smaller container. When they hatch, they are the perfect size to feed out. Instant food so to speak. I have not seen any "Left overs" but am concerned just case. I have heard of hissing roaches turning on herps, but hissers are huge, and they take meat in the wild. I don't think that they would go for an adult dart, but we'll see. One of the reasons I picked Lobster roaches was that they are mostly a vegatable eating bug, and I thought the risk of frog loss was very low. However, they do cannabalize each other when food and water are lacking. Mine did at first, but I got that under control.
I usually only feed out two or three at a time. And watch the carnage. My tanks are very humid and I wonder if the roaches can survive with that high a humidity (But hey they're roaches they're supposed to survive nuclear blasts). So I'll see. But I fed them to my monster tincs and azureus as an experiment. They slammed them rather greedily and I think the variety is well needed in dart diets. I hear they are great for larger herps. I am a fan of low chitin feeder bugs and lobster roaches fit the bill. Savaanna monitor people enjoy them as a feeder insect for their stock, and we are having a go at a larger market so we'll see.
But I couldn't agree with you more. They are WAY better than crickets. No smell, they breed lots, and live a long long time.
Tell me more about your roaches.
Dave

 

[Moe]

Can they be an alternative to FF? To tell you the truth, i hate having to deal with fruit flies more than crickets. Are they ok as a staple?

M.N

 

[Ryan]

Id say they are, as long as you get them after they molted because they do have a hard exoskeleton if i remember corectly.

 

[Scott]

Sounds like it might be tough to get the volume you need to feed very many frogs though Moe.

s

 

[Arklier]

I have raised lobsters for my other herps. Once they get going, you will have them coming out your ears. They are extremely prolific. Prolific enough IMHO that a large colony could easily support dozens of frogs.

 

[Moe]

I dont know what you mean scott. But the roaches arnt just for frogs.

M.N

 

[Guest]

lobsters and such

Hey Dave. I dont really set up a separate souce for water, just keep the rubbermaid humid, and feed lots of veggies and fruits. The humidity stays at about 100%, theres no vent holes, and the substrate stays wet. So, theres my concern about them surviving in a frog tank. The conditions are similar enough that Id be concerned. However, if youre feeding from egg cases, and watch virtually all get consumed, I guess youre okay. Id love to expand my feeder selection, but Im still leery about the roaches, they eat EVERYTHING I put in there. I like the egg case idea, maybe Ill give that a try with my large tincs. For anyone reading though, Id make sure this was in a small cage setup, as a large one could harbor them as they grow. Id want to make sure they all got eaten.....To culture, I basically throw all kitchen waste in there, though not meat waste. For protein, I use a good cat food every other feeding.