Breeding domestic cockroaches for pet food. Mass breeding of fodder insects Are marble cockroaches dangerous for humans

The main item of expenditure in the maintenance of terrarium animals is food. An alternative to purchased feed will be the breeding of fodder insects. Among the many options (meal worms, crickets, fly larvae), cockroaches are the most popular. Arthropods breed quickly, do not require care, and are a highly nutritious product. Feed cockroaches are universal food, they are suitable for all reptiles, birds, spiders.

Types of feed cockroaches

Cultivation of cockroaches has become profitable business. Financial investments in the business are small, but the demand is good. In China, entire farms are being created to grow arthropods for pet food and fish. Insect colonies reach millions of individuals. Products are bought up only by livestock owners, but also by restaurateurs various countries. Cockroach meat is popular, it is considered a healthy and tasty delicacy.

Several characteristics contribute to the popularity of arthropods as a prey item:

• low cost of insects;
• unpretentiousness in nutrition;
• high fertility;
• undemanding to the conditions of detention.

Full information about feed consumers in the article "".

Marble (Nauphoeta cinerea)

One of the most common food items. The birthplace of insects is Northeast Africa. Sexual dimorphism is expressed in body size - females up to 30 mm, males 25 mm. Another feature, in females, the abdomen is wider. Arthropods have wings but do not fly. The species is ovoviviparous. The females carry the egg capsule in their abdomen. Periodically they expose it for airing. The incubation period is 30 days. Imago live 6 months. The population density is 5 individuals per 5 cm 2.

On initial stage buy 30-40 individuals, the number of females and males 3:1. The larvae take 4-5 months to reach sexual maturity. The species is non-aggressive, but when it enters the terrarium to spiders or reptiles, it quickly burrows into the substrate. Main advantages: unpretentiousness and fast dispersal of the colony.

Insects are settled in a glass or plastic terrarium. Its size depends on the planned size of the colony. The recommended temperature is 25-32°. Any substrate: wood or coconut sawdust, paper, egg trays. Marble cockroaches easily move along a vertical surface. The upper part of the walls to a width of 5-6 cm is lubricated with petroleum jelly. For ventilation, small holes are drilled (diameter 1 mm) or a grid is installed. The litter is moistened 1 time in 2 days.

Information. Once a year, it is desirable to add adults from another colony so that inbreeding does not occur.

Feed

The main part is dry food ( cereals, milk mixtures, food for animals and fish). Their juicy foods are recommended apples, beets, carrots, lettuce, grass.

Turkmen (Shelfordella tartara)

A popular fodder cockroach, it is easy to keep, has a soft chitinous cover. Under natural conditions, it lives in the deserts of Asia and the Middle East. It is characterized by pronounced sexual dimorphism:

• Females are massive, brown with reddish spots on the sides, the wings are reduced. Length 30 mm.
• Males are slender, have long wings, and are orange in color. Size 25-30 mm.

For growing arthropods, you will need a cage with good ventilation. It is best to use cardboard egg trays as shelters. The optimum temperature of the content is 27-30 °, humidity 60-80%. Insects need regular access to water. Vermiculite is poured into the drinker or cotton wool is placed to prevent the larvae from drowning.

Feed

The species needs a variety of food: bran, vegetables and fruits, bread, oak leaves. To exclude cannibalism, protein is given in the form of gammarus, eggs, dog food.

reproduction

Adults live 3-4 months, females lay ootheca with eggs every 2 weeks. For the development of offspring in the capsule, high humidity is necessary. It is recommended to collect cocoons and place in wet moss. The larvae will need shelter from the adults.

Representatives of the species do not run along the walls, lubrication is not required. Because of small size reptiles are fed several adults at once. The disadvantage of Turkmen cockroaches is an unpleasant smell.

American (Periplaneta Americana)

This species ranks third in the ranking of food objects. Insects, along with a load of sugar cane, settled around the world. Adult size 27-44 mm. Sexual dimorphism is expressed in the reduction of the female's wings. Representatives of the species have a reddish-brown color. Life expectancy is 8-10 months.

Insects are grown in cages with a lid. When catching, they are careful, adults run fast. Installed for ventilation metal grid. Temperature from 22 to 32 °, humidity is moderate. Trays are used for shelter. Food should be varied: vegetables, dry cereals, meat, greens. The disadvantages include the aggressiveness of the species, they can attack weakened spiders.

Madagascar (Gromphadorrhina portentosa)

For lizards of the genus Eublefara, more protein is required, they are fed with large Madagascar cockroaches. The size of the female is 60 mm, the male is 55 mm. Imago brown, wingless. Aggressive in nature, emitting a hiss when threatened. Threatening sounds are produced by contraction of the abdomen. Larvae and adults coexist without problems in one terrarium. One individual is enough to feed a lizard or spider.

Information. Males are distinguished by characteristic projections on the pronotum.

A feature of the species is a high life expectancy of 2-3 years and slow maturation - about 6 months. It is recommended to pour a layer of substrate 2-3 cm thick (peat, sawdust) into the holding tank. Insects are slow, but they can move along vertical walls. They prefer plant foods, especially oranges. The diet should include fruits and vegetables. When using juicy products, they do without a drinker. If it is necessary, take purified water, without chlorine.

The starting number of insects is 5 females and 2-3 males. The species is ovoviviparous. At one time, 20-50 larvae are born. With improper maintenance, arthropods reproduce poorly, young animals die.

Green (banana) (Panchlora nivea)

The view has not received much distribution, but has its advantages:

• soft cover;
• does not take root in an apartment;
• does not move along the walls of the cage;
• multiplies rapidly.

The size of insects is 22-25 mm. In the terrarium, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 25-30 °. Water is sprayed daily, the optimum humidity is from 70%. A mixture of shavings and vermiculite is used as bedding. What to feed green cockroaches? They are omnivorous, but their jaws are not adapted for solid food. It is better to give apples, bananas, peaches, tomatoes, muesli. The species is ovoviviparous, the larvae burrow into the ground after birth. A bedding layer of less than 5 cm is desirable.

Advice. Carefully open the cage, insects are capable of flight.

Red or Prussian (Blatella germanica)

A synanthropic species can be kept in a terrarium and be beneficial. The size of Prussians is 10-13 mm, they are suitable for young birds, reptiles. Imagoes have an elongated, yellowish-coffee body. The larvae are small, able to squeeze through the smallest gap. When breeding, attention should be paid to the integrity of the cage. Insects multiply rapidly and reach maturity. The optimum temperature is 30°. The substrate is not used, instead I put cardboard trays. Prussians are omnivorous, they are given oatmeal, bread, vegetables and fruits. There should be a drinker in the garden.

Advice. Choose candidates for cultivation with care. Prussians do not always die from poison, but their body is poisoned. Such food will harm reptiles or spiders.

Black (Blatta orientalis)

Imagoes are quite large up to 30 mm. The color is black or dark brown. Insects are secretive. The female leaves 20 ootheca with eggs during her life. Each leaves 10-20 larvae. In favorable conditions, they grow in 5 months. Black rams need food with protein (dry pet food, eggs, meat). When food is scarce, they are prone to cannibalism.

Before you breed cockroaches, study all the information about their needs and habits. In beginners, insects often escape their cage. In the warm season, they take root indoors, begin to actively breed. For the sale of live food, specialized forums, ads in groups, and pet stores are used. The conditions for keeping all tropical and synanthropic species are similar. But when growing Prussians, special care is required, otherwise, instead of growing cockroaches, you will have to deal with their destruction.

List of the most common forage insects kept and propagated at home. The description and characteristics are shown for pet lovers, but in principle, the calorie content and usefulness of this food leads to its logical use for people :)

1. Drosophila (Drosophilidae) - fruit fly

Http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Drosophila_melanogaster_-_side_%28aka%29.jpg/275px-Drosophila_melanogaster_-_side_%28aka%29.jpg

Drosophila flies (Drosophila spp., fruit flies) have a soft body that is not covered with a thick layer of chitin, making them ideal food for small insectivorous terrarium animals such as frogs, toads and young arthropods.

2. Mealworm (flour beetle larvae Tenebrio molitor) - flour beetle

Http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Mealworms_in_plastic_container_of_bran.jpg/556px-Mealworms_in_plastic_container_of_bran.jpg

3. Zofobas (Zophobas morio)

http://telcontar.users.photofile.ru/photo/telcontar/3730030/xlarge/84609484.jpg

4. Locust (Acridiodea)

http://eublepharis.ru/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_locusta-migratoria-1.jpg
Since locusts are better in size and nutrition than crickets, they are preferred by owners of spiders and large reptiles. Two types of locusts are usually bred: migratory (Locusta migratoria) and desert (Schistocerca gregaria) - it is more elegant and brighter colored, despite this, the recommendations for breeding both species are almost the same.

5. Banana Cricket (Gryllus assimilis)

http://www.antclub.org/files/sver4_1.jpg

Of most species of insects intended for food, crickets can only be compared with locusts, but even they do not surpass crickets in the presence of some amino acids. For animals that eat insects, crickets- this is the best and optimal food. Moreover, they are easy to breed and practical to feed.

6. Marble cockroach (Nauphoeta cinerea). Stern cockroach

http://eublepharis.ru/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/nauphoeta.jpg

Nauphoeta cinerea - medium-sized, therefore not suitable for large animals, for example, adults of most spiders, large lizards, run on glass - you need a tight-fitting lid or petroleum jelly, leaving it in the terra for a long time is fraught with escape, do not fly, they like to burrow into the substrate, running speed medium, fairly soft, especially the larvae, breed very well and quickly at any room temperature (higher, of course, faster), in my opinion, they are great for feeding eublefars, teenage spiders (terrestrial) of most species, but care must be taken not to buried in the substrate or did not escape.

7. Turkmenistan cockroach (Shelfordella tartara). Stern cockroach

http://eublepharis.ru/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_shelfordella2.jpg
Shelfordella lateralis (= Shelfordella tartara) - medium-sized, fast, does not run on glass, males occasionally fly, do not burrow, on high legs, likes to climb branches (good for chameleons), prone to predation (including cannibalism) ), some have problems with breeding, others are fine, the favorite food crop of many terrariumists, but because of its size it is of little use for large animals.

8. Argentine cockroach (Blaptica dubia). Stern cockroach

http://eublepharis.ru/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/Dubia_Roaches.jpg
Blaptica dubia - medium-large, whether it runs on glass, does not run, does not fly, running speed is quite high, reproduces very well and grows rapidly, but only when high temperatures(about 38 degrees)

9. American cockroach (Periplaneta americana). Stern cockroach

http://eublepharis.ru/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/periplaneta5.jpg
Periplaneta americana - medium-sized, on high legs, which makes them clearly visible to all pangolins, run on glass, fly, they hold the Guinness record for running speed among insects, in general, they need an eye and an eye, usually do not burrow, breed mercilessly under any conditions, the only fodder culture of insects in the Nikolaev zoo, but they are given there only crushed, if you feed them constantly, some will inevitably run away and form a small population in the apartment, because of this. and also because of the total infection of my culture with nematodes, I refused them as a food object.

10. Madagasca Russian cockroach (Gromphadorrina portentosa),giant Madagascar hissing cockroach . Stern cockroach

http://eublepharis.ru/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/gromphadorrina-portentosa-1.jpg

Gromphadorrina portentosa - large, not fast, with a low landing, juveniles walk on glass, do not fly, because there is nothing to wave, the development rate is different, depending on the conditions, it requires an increased temperature. fecundity is low, the growth rate of the colony is low, very hard thick covers, IMHO, rather than a fodder, but a decorative cockroach.
It is considered almost the largest cockroach in the world. Its dimensions are females - 60 mm, males - 55 mm. Some specimens grow up to 80 mm.

11. Phoetallia pallida

http://zoodogma.by/index.php/prajs-list/item/298-phoetallia-pallida.html
Phoetallia pallida- small fodder cockroach, runs on glass, generally similar to marble, but is not inclined to burrow, does not fly, runs fast, requires high humidity, high fecundity, newborn larvae are very small, which makes it possible to use them for feeding spiderlings of the first age, more I won’t say anything yet, because I don’t keep them for long.

12. Archimandrita tesselata- a very large fodder cockroach, does not run on glass, the disadvantages are the same as those of Madagascarians + low growth rate.

13. Blaberus giganteus

http://gallery.connectedbypets.com/photo.php?id=130128&user=681 http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0106+0068

Blaberus giganteus- a very large fodder cockroach, does not run on glass, grows quickly, but is rare (for six months I can not find an adult female for my male)
14. Blaberus discoidalis- a medium-large fodder cockroach, like all blaberus, does not run on glass, does not fly, the running speed is average, likes to burrow, it grows and multiplies quite quickly, but is not as prolific as other blaberus, maintenance is easy, but heating is desirable, according to unverified information, the only blaberus that does not emit a pungent odor when in danger, and therefore it is recommended for especially capricious reptiles (I don’t know if this is justified).

15. Dead Head Cockroach (Blaberus craniifer)- Colombian, winged, forest

Blaberus craniifer is a large fodder cockroach, larger than the previous one, but smaller than Giganteus, biology features, like other blaberus, growth rate is medium-fast, fertility is high, content is easy, but heating is desirable. The most common of the large fodder cockroaches.

16. Blaberus boliviensis- a large fodder cockroach, a little smaller than the previous one, the features of the content, like those of other blaberus, but it breeds much better than other large tariks. Recommended for adult spiders and large lizards.

There is also such a business.

My dacha neighbors are still in Soviet times were engaged in moth. They caught it in the swamps near Moscow in the summer, froze it in the freezer, and sold it at exorbitant prices in the winter. They say that back in those days they had 2-3 thousand rubles per season. Bloodworms are fed to fish, why not sell cockroaches for food? Cockroaches can be sold even in larger volumes than bloodworms, you can also grow them in large volumes.

For a long time I accidentally saw a program about animals. They told how some people, either in the USA, or somewhere else, bred cockroaches. Then they were sold for food for various pets. Cockroaches are readily eaten by almost all types of poultry, reptiles, small animals such as monkeys, and even fish or some aquatic animals. My Kuzya, when we had cockroaches, deftly caught and gnawed them. I even read somewhere that live cockroaches are shown to cats, for example, during postoperative rehabilitation. Dietary clean meat, protein and healing chitin. Cats smell the benefits and bite into them, even like valerian. Those who have tasted cockroaches say that their meat resembles the taste of shrimp. A cockroach is one of the cleanest insects.

And recently, on one of the forums, I found how someone shared their experience in breeding cockroaches. It was a Serpentarium worker. They took ordinary household cockroaches for growth. They placed them in an aquarium, and made a double side wall. It was like a sandwich: a rigid substrate and a small metal mesh into which an adult cockroach would not slip. Small wastes of today's food (large crumbs of bread, peelings, etc.) are placed between the substrate and the mesh. The mesh presses the contents and the sandwich is inserted along special guides into the aquarium wall into the slot, which is usually covered with a rubber strip (so as not to run away). Adult cockroaches can eat crumbs by biting off a piece, but they do not crawl inside. The sandwich is changed twice a week to prevent mold. There are also simpler feeders - at least crumble pieces of bread. One small crumb of bread is enough for a cockroach for a week.

Breeding (breeding, fattening, sorting)

The bottom of the aquarium, as a rule, is covered with a special mesh of such a size that eggs fall through there. The fact is that you always have to sort eggs, juveniles and adults for sale. In the process of breeding, it is necessary to immediately make a selection according to the time of the brood (about 2 weeks). Individuals with the same laying time + -1 day are identified, the rest are tried to be separated or killed. Then a certain simultaneous rate of brood is artificially created, and when the eggs are taken, the small fry does not yet appear (and when the eggs are taken, they immediately spread and they always have to be killed). After retrieval of eggs, this group of individuals can already be sold, or left for the brood of the next generation. Eggs are placed in an aquarium to hatch a new group of individuals, thus maintaining the same rate of brood, since the conditions are the same for everyone.

Cockroaches should be kept in a semi-dark room in dark room or in the corner of the balcony. The main thing is to maintain a constant temperature and the frequency of lighting. Then the brood rate will not change significantly in many generations.

When shaking cockroaches into packaging boxes for sale (this can only be done after removing the eggs and food from the aquarium), they still scatter, there are some nimble and juveniles - “premature” or “post-term”. The fines are collected with a brush.

A proven technology is described here, but you can initially do it easier.

If there is a balcony in the room where cockroaches are bred, then it is advisable to periodically treat the perimeters and escape routes with insecticides, for example, with special crayons, so as not to create inconvenience to yourself and others.

Implementation

It is necessary to negotiate with the nearest pet stores and pet markets, paste over with ads possible places where lovers of exotic animals gather. Negotiate with zoos, serpentaria and circles of young naturalists. You can make a call or mailing to specific people from the forums of animal lovers for permanent targeted service. There are many such clients throughout the country. You can send live or dried cockroaches in sealed boxes by mail throughout the country (pre-frozen so that the cockroach does not die of hunger, losing weight). Cockroaches - accelerators of their own breed! An hour is not equal, and casinos will start organizing once-traditional cockroach races for the sake of exoticism. Also, you can’t avoid the fact that you yourself will have to stand in the bird market, selling and advertising your unusual product, collecting phone numbers and addresses from potential customers. There can be many, many such people.

As you can see, a million can be made even from a trash can, without initial capital and special efforts.

Good luck, and send your cockroaches for mating and brood!

The marble cockroach is one of the food insects. They are bred at home as food for various reptiles and arachnids. Cockroaches are not whimsical in food and breed easily, the main thing is to know some subtleties and follow the rules.

Different. That is why we treat them differently. With some we have been fighting fiercely for centuries, trying to expel them forever from our environment, while for others, on the contrary, we are ready to spend money, time, and effort to multiply them. In particular, we are talking about the so-called "marble cockroaches" (Nauphoeta Cinerea).

Appearance, lifestyle

Marble cockroaches are small, fast, brown, exotic, tropical insects native to the Caribbean.

When they are adults, their size reaches up to 30 mm. Although they have wings, they cannot fly. You can meet them in numerous photos of "cockroach breeders"

Why breed marbles

Marble, marzipan, is grown to feed domestic reptiles, for other captive invertebrates such as tarantulas. Compared to other insects that reptiles feed on, cockroaches have a number of advantages.

Marblers are easy to store as they are omnivores and will happily feed on any wide range of foods. They breed easily without special egg-laying trays, etc., making them easy to grow at home.

They have a much higher meat-to-shell ratio (meaning they are more nutritious and easier to digest) than crickets or worms.

Cockroaches are quiet insects, they do not drive the inhabitants of the apartment crazy with their constant chirping.

Marble cockroaches do not jump around, which also makes them easier to keep. They are long-lived and very hardy, with a lifespan of a year or more, unlike crickets, which are very fragile and short-lived.

Cockroaches don't smell as bad as crickets, and their cages don't need to be cleaned as often. Cockroaches don't bite, and won't attack first.

Breeding marble cockroaches

Insectarium owners are extremely interested in breeding marble cockroaches in order to always have live and fresh, dietary, high protein food for their pet lizards.

Arrangement of the insectarium

• Marble barbels are extremely prolific and are easy to breed and reproduce with even minimal care.
• To protect their place of residence, use a glass aquarium or Plastic container. The size depends on how many marble cockroaches you intend to breed. The main thing to remember is that marble cockroaches easily crawl out of plastic and glass, so you need to provide some kind of barrier.
• Eat interesting way- Spread a strip of Vaseline three inches wide along the top of the container. Vaseline works very well and should only be reapplied if it accidentally rinses off, rubs off or dries out. You can also use olive oil.

• Like all their cousins, marbled cockroaches need hiding places, so put cardboard boxes in the insectarium. If the insectarium is large enough, lay them vertically, and if not, then horizontally, as you see fit. Just make sure there is space between the boxes so they don't fit snugly together.
• Some people use paper towels and toilet paper rolls, but this is less practical as the cockroach is hard to get out of the pile of paper afterwards.
• Cockroaches hate the light and love the dark! The darker you keep them, the faster they will multiply.
• The size of the housing really depends on how much of the colony you want to keep.
• Although adult cockroaches have wings, they cannot fly. Some cockroaches will sort of "jump" and then "flutter" on the floor if you disturb them, but rest assured, they cannot fly up and out of the tank.
• A lid on the insectarium is not desirable to provide ventilation. But it's smart to put a lid on if you have pets or kids that roam freely around the house.

Temperature and humidity in the insectarium

Without heat, your cockroaches will not breed, or will breed very slowly. Keep cockroaches at temperatures over 32 degrees. This temperature is ideal for almost all types of food (tropical) cockroaches. At temperatures below 22 degrees, they will stop breeding.

You can heat marble cockroaches different ways. You can use a ceramic emitter hanging directly above the insectarium. The heat emitter maintains a temperature of about 38 degrees at the top of the bath and about 27 degrees at the bottom. This gives the ideal warmth vector for marble cockroaches.

You can also use other options for heaters, but it is safer to use a ceramic radiator.

If you live in a warm climate, you can leave your cockroach colony in your garage during the summer and save on electricity!

Humidity is important for cockroaches. Without sufficient moisture, they will not be able to properly shed their old skins and will die during the molt. If you see a lot of dead cockroaches in your colony that died during the molt, it's safe to assume that the air in your colony is too dry.

Keep the relative humidity between 40% and 60%. When humidity levels rise above 60%, you are at risk for mold. Surprisingly, marble cockroaches cannot survive mold and you could lose your entire insect population.

Since your insectarium is full of cardboard, it will retain moisture well if you spray the cardboard with water about once a day.

Feeding ash cockroaches in captivity

Your ash cockroaches need a high protein diet. High quality cat food or dog food is just fine for this purpose. You can go and buy expensive cockroach food if you have extra money. Dry food with a high protein content should always be available for cockroaches. You can just throw it in the corner, it's better to keep the food in the bowl.

Many people grind dog or cat food before putting it on the cockroach. This step is completely unnecessary. The cockroaches will be her anyway.

In addition, you should offer cockroaches fresh fruits and vegetables at least twice a week. Put them in a separate bowl. Any food that the cockroaches haven't eaten during the night should be removed to prevent mold and fruit flies. Broccoli, carrots, apples, cabbage, and oranges are all favorite cockroach foods.

Just remember that whatever you feed your cockroaches will end up feeding your pet anphibia, reptiles, arachnids. So feed the cockroaches healthy foods!

Interesting. Fresh oranges act like Viagra on marbled cockroaches. Feed them lots of oranges to increase their reproduction! There are several ways cockroaches can get their water. Undoubtedly, The best way is to use "dry water crystals", add water and wait until they turn into a gel. Do not place damp sponges or wet rags in the insectarium. Bacteria will only grow on these items and they will become nasty very quickly. You can't just use water because your cockroaches will die. If you don't want to spend money on water crystals, just spray your colony twice a day and make sure there is always a piece of apple in there for them to eat/drink from.

How do they reproduce?

Marble cockroaches mature at 3 to 4 months of age (depending on temperature). Females can give birth to 30 to 40 babies almost every month. They are growing fast. As long as there is enough high protein food, plus a source of moisture, everyone lives peacefully together.

Female marbled cockroaches can reproduce by facultative parthenogenesis, meaning some are able to switch from sexual reproduction to asexual reproduction when isolated from males. But such parthenogenesis gives 10 times fewer offspring due to a decrease in both the number of offspring in the clutch and the number of clutches produced.

Parthenogenetic offspring are less viable than sexually produced offspring. The development of such cockroaches in adulthood is slower. Fewer parthenogens survive to adulthood, and the lifespan of adult parthenogens is reduced. These data show that there are certain limitations in the transition from the meiotic mode of reproduction, which requires fertilization, to the parthenogenetic mode, in which zygotes develop in the absence of fertilization.

Differences between male and female

Male and female marbled cockroaches differ in body size. The wings of males are shorter, the back of the body is pointed. They actively flap their wings before mating. In the male, the upper side of the abdomen is almost black, in the female it is lighter.

In addition, you can determine that a female is in front of you by the ootheca that she wears.

Are marble cockroaches dangerous for humans?

If your cockroaches escaped from the insectarium, then the harm from them is the same as from ordinary cockroaches. They theoretically cannot bite, but they will carry infectious diseases. And they will also poison your life, capturing your territory and hosting your kitchen.