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REPTILES : - Snakes - Lizards - Turtles-Tortoises AMPHIBIANS INSECTS : - Beetles - Others bugs - Mantids - Butterflies - Phasmids ARTHROPODS : - Tarantulas - Scorpions - Millipedes

Foods of the animal's terrarium   All the animals which we present in this site feed, generally, exclusively on alive preys. We are going to enumerate them : Acheta domestica Grillon domestique Locusta migratoria  Criquet migrateur Grillus campestris Grillon des champs Schistocerca gregaria Criquet migrateur Grillus assimilis Grillon des steppes Tenebrio molitor Drosophila melanogaster Drosophiles ou Mouches du vinaigre Asticots de mouche domestique COCKROACHES Blaberus atropos Gromphadorhina portentosa Blaptica dubia Panchlora nivea Blatte verte américaine Fiche d'élevage Elliptorrhina chopardi Nauphoeta cinerea Blatte cendrée d'Afrique Fiche d'élevage Blabera gigantea The breeding of preys   The breeding of small cockroaches   BREEDING CARD of Mr Thomas HOUZIAUX thank you ; o)   AlWhile cockroaches called huge can constitute the main menu of the tarantula of important size (as Theraphosa Leblondi for example), the smallest sorts can be an interesting alternative in crickets, and it for different reasons: · Contrary to big sorts, they are in most of very prolific cases and have a much shorter cycle. · Some sorts climb in pane, what is an advantage to feed the tree-dwelling tarantulas. · Their breeding is much less binding than a breeding crickets.   The choice of the sort is crucial, because it is necessary to avoid having a breeding cockroaches in attic or in the cellar, for it our choice will go on "exotic" sorts which will not be able to survive very for a long time in case of evasion in our moderate climates. So two main sorts can answer this expectation : Nauphoeta Cinerea and Panchlora Nivea. 1/ Nauphoeta Cinerea Called " ash cockroach ", she is native of Africa. It is the cockroach about 4 cms in length, which is almost black in stadia subadultes and brown when she is an adult and winged. The main defect is to release a sticky and nauseous substance when it is disturbed or when one wishes to catch it. The female has the same aspect as the male but is a little longer and wider. The baby measure about 5 mm in the birth, cycle is very short, about 2 months in 25°C. The young and adults climb in surfaces glazed then distrust.   2/ Panchlora Nivea It is a small green cockroach native of United States and of Mexico. She measures between 1.5 and 2 cms in adulthood, she takes the green coloring at the end of about 3 or 4 metamorphosis. The female has the same aspect as the male and it is very difficult to differentiate them nevertheless one can notice that the female is slightly bigger than the male. When she is disturbed, she is not ashamed to set are flight, then station in evasions, young and adults climb in panes. Babies measure about 1 mm in the birth, and can advantageously replace babies crickets to feed little tarantula, regrettably it has a very long cycle which turns near 6 months in 25°C.   Another sort of cockroach called Schultesia Lampyriformis presents even characteristic as Panchlora Nivea, without this one is brown and possesses a cycle about 2 months in 25°C.   Conditions of breeding :   To keep these small sorts, I use glass terrariums of 15 x 30 x 20 cms with superior opening, the fenced in opening is covered with a piece of nylon bottom to avoid the evasion of young subjects. With these small sorts, I consider that it is better to have 2 or 3 small tubs rather than a big. As for the big sorts of cockroaches, it is necessary to put some petroleum jelly on the top of the tub, on about 4 cms to avoid evasions.   Substratum consists of a thickness of 2 or 3 cms of shavings of wood, to lavish them hiding places, I stack 2 halves of the patches with eggs, what in a terrarium of this size is amply sufficient for 70 in 80 specimens, even a little more. This substratum should be renewed about every 2-3 months because small sorts tend fast to make dirty their environment.   Cockroaches are insects omnivores, they eat of everything, croquettes for dog, sound, bread, and appreciate particularly fruits and fresh vegetables (apple, orange, cucumber …). I arrange the perishable food in small small dishes made paper aluminium, what to be disposable and allows not to moisten pointlessly substratum and to avoid so the development of molds.   To develop suitably, these insects need heat, To do it, I have to opt for a small heating cable arranged under the terrarium, so, heat coming from the bottom allows of assecher substratum and avoids so the too fast demonstration of stenches.   Regulation of the breeding : In case of overpopulation (what is not surprising with these sorts) several solutions offer themselves to you: · To warm less the terrarium. · To give less food to insects, for example only once a week. · To take the grown-up cockroaches to feed your animals, what will have the effect of making a "hollow" in the cycle. The combination of several solutions evoked above give results more than convincing.   NB: to avoid any degeneracy of the tree stump, I advise to add about every 6 months 10 or 20 grown-up specimens to your breeding to bring some " new blood ", should the opposite occur, I noticed one to lower with the reproduction and a longer cycle from 10 to 25 %. This phenomenon of degeneracy is smelt otherwise at the end of 8 in 12 months. Return in the top of page