"Lobster" Roach sources

[SludgeMunkey]

My critter room has reached the point again where I need to start culturing large insects (This is a good thing, I assure you!). I really hate farming crickets, the noise and smell are just too much for me in the amount I need to keep a viable stock.

After chatting with a few of the members here, and cruising through the forum search function, it appears that "lobster" roaches, Nauphoeta cinerea, appear to meet my needs. while searching about online, I came to the realization that I have never done business with any of the plethora of online suppliers for these particular feeders.


Could any of you suggest a source?

 

[slowfoot]

Not to butt in on your thread, but I think Blaptica dubia (the orange-spot roach) is a much better roach feeder: flightless, can't climb glass, slow, etc. Try Ken the Bug Guy: http://www.kenthebugguy.com/ for these. Just my opinion.

For lobster roaches, try Mulberry Farms: http://www.mulberryfarms.com/super2.htm I've used them before.

 

[ZephAmp]

I've been culturing cockroaches for 4 years now and have a wide selection of different feeder species.
My lobster roach stock is one of the only ones immune to "skinny" disease and has been culled extensively for robust, temperature-tolerant, high-producing individuals.

 

[fishkeeper]

I would reccomend Blatta lateralis for caudates. They have the additional advantage over lobsters(along with being plumper and mor readily eaten by most creatures) in being poor climbers. Both species IME(or, rather, that of my unfortunate folks) can survive long periods in a home despite what people say...I doubt they could truly infest, but our home is much cleaner/kept colder than many others and we have found lobster roach nymphs. Even found a (very sluggish, but much alive)adult in the garage in the winter! An amusing story is that I one timed dropped a container of some several hundred Blatta lateralis nymphs, of those I only managed to prevent about half of them from crawling away. 1-2 years later and these roaches begin popping up(mostly dead/dying). It took finding some of the golden males to realize they were lateralis and not small orientalis(which was seriously freaking everyone out!).

This all being said, escaped roaches are easily trapped with sticky traps baited with food.

dubia are not exactly the best feeders as far as acceptance goes(larger animals only for the most part)because they are slow moving armoured burrowers that also like to play dead. But they cannot climb and despite losing a few here and there I have only found dead ones(or ones that have escaped very recently..i.e dropped during feeding).

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I have had luck with them so far. Escapes have not been an issue, as I use a water filled moat around my rearing tubs (thank you kiddie pool full of daphnia!)