I recently began breeding my Dubia and Turkish Red Runners because crickets don’t last and i want something more nutritional for my scorpions and spiders.
I am trying this out, not sure how it will go, and i will definitely have to change it daily im sure.
Im no expert on this and who knows i may be doing it wrong.
I basically mixed nuts, oats, rat chow, oranges, apples, pears, a little bit of honey and a small amount of protein powder. This is my 1st attempt at this blend, they mostly got these individually not in this form. I figured maybe with it blended up they would be able to eat it easier. I made enough to last a while and i vacuum sealed the remaining so i can keep it in the fridge longer and fresh.
Wow! My roaches really loved the roach chow i made. They have really devoured the food and this is boosting the colony.
My scorpions and spiders aren’t so keen on roaches but will eventually eat them, it seems like they prefer crickets, which is “ok” but i don’t feel they are so nutritious.
I have nothing that will eat adult roaches so i just feed the small ones and leave the adults for breeding, some of my roaches are huge!
Yeah, when my previous roommate and I kept a colony of hissing roaches, some of the big adult females were as long as my hand. We didn’t have any insectivores that could eat something that big. I feel like you’d need something like a monitor or tegu to be able to feed off something that huge!
looks really good! good work! heck, omit the rat chow and i might eat it…
we’ve found they really love banana too
I didn’t have the heart to feed off a really big hisser one day to a group of chickens (chickens love roaches, fyi), so i ended up with a pet hisser named Charlie.
Me too! Me too! i was tempted to try just a little taste. . My friend threw out my last batch because she thought it was expired food. I make a batch at a time and vacuum seal it and keep it in the fridge.
I will definitely try bananas next time. I did notice how fast they devoured my chow though so i know they loved it and i know its healthy. My scorpions aren’t big on eating roaches but will eventually eat them, crickets is like dinner bells but crickets die way to fast for me and wont have the nutrients of the roach. I try to juggle up various foods for diet and variety.
My big female roaches are like my pets besides they are much to large for any of my animals. Eventually when my Parabuthus Villosus Orange reaches adulthood its like 3i currently so still tiny, but got the nice scorpion swagger that species reaches about 7 inches the second largest scorpion species. I kinda prefer not to take breeding stock for feeders, i want to keep my stock up so i have to buy less of them, id love to totally replace crickets if i can, i can’t seem to keep crickets alive, i may try an open air screen enclosure ( but they could probaby chew through it) im sure that gasses or whatever builds up in the plastic bin and likev3 days later all dead. Its getting expensive to buy crickets.
My friend commented mmmm that looks good as a yogurt topping im like yeah, minus the rat chow ( mainly because i don’t exactly know whats all in it) it probably tastes pretty darn good, maybe ill have to make a “human” version its got healthy foods in it so can’t be that bad.
Looks great! Whatever you are doing is working great! Just separate those dubia and red runners and you’ll be up to your eyeballs in healthy feeder roaches whether you want them or not! XD
I put the instructions on separating them in the other thread where we have been talking.
Made my roaches favorite chow. They seriously devour this.
1 fresh apple
1 fresh pear
1 fresh orange
( banana optional they like that too )
1 Tbl. Spoon honey
1 Tbl. Spoon protein powder
1/2 cup dry oats
1/2 cup unsalted assorted nuts
1/2 cup rat chow
Put in food processor and chop until its like paste.
You can serve some right away and I’d recommend placing the rest in a food sealing bag or container for optimum freshness. Place in refrigerator.
If you don’t have food sealer a plastic container with lid or zip lock bag is ok ( but it won’t stay fresh as long)
You can certainly adjust it as you see fit. I found that the paste form is easier for them to eat.
Thank you for posting this!!! We’ll all be up to our eyeballs in roaches soon and have you to thank! I’m sure you never thought you would hear anyone tell you that as a compliment. XD
Thank you that means a lot to me. I started with like 50 total roaches 25/25 split. I decided i want to raise healthy feeders for my animals so in turn they stay nourished and healthy.
With escalating prices i thought how can i make something nutritional at home and i know its healthy and i know what i put into it.
I never thought id have so many roaches so quickly. Like im always seeing the females with egg cases hanging out their backsides.
Im going to revamp my colony and separate the 2 breeds. Im trying to come up with a breeding system where the eggs can drop through a plastic grid where the adults cannot go and have easy access to eggs for me. With dubias they have live birth so i won’t need to do that.
Im still trying to work a system to capture the roaches for feeding as they run fast and seem pretty smart for an insect.
From the net: cockroach has nearly 1,000,000 brain cells; a fruit fly, only 250,000. Still, insects exercise impressive information management: They pack neurons into their brains 10 times more densely than mammals do. They also use each brain cell more flexibly than mammals. they sure out smart me and my scorpions
I will incorporate some veggies in the mix to see what they really like id like to come up with a well balanced naturally sugary chow. Perhaps sweet potatoes and carrots.
Seriously great job! We have one bin that someone gave us where they cut off the bottom and replaced it with wire mesh so eggs and babies fall through. Then you can use finer mesh to sift through the frass to get the babies. Next time i’m “in the office” i’ll try to take a picture of it!
And YES the roaches do seem a bit more cognizant than other insects. Erego, Charlie.
I often wonder how the science people count things like that: 1…2…3…let’s just round up a few.
But wow i had no idea their brains were so active! I guess it’s good we play classical music in the roach room.
wait babieeees??? Congrats!!! How big is a scorpling brood (this sounds like a cool sci-fi movie)? Isn’t it like tons on the mothers back? Or did i totally make that up
i was tempted to try just a little taste. 
that means a lot to me. I started with like 50 total roaches 25/25 split. I decided i want to raise healthy feeders for my animals so in turn they stay nourished and healthy.
they sure out smart me and my scorpions 
