She Kept A Parrot
A Journal For Charlie
Conversing With Roaches
Charlie, if you saw a video of an old lady talking to a box of roaches
after midnight in her kitchen, which of the following would you think?
A. Eww! That’s totally disgusting, and in the kitchen, too.
B. That old lady is definitely suffering from a serious case of dementia.
C. I wonder what animal she’s feeding the roaches to.
♠
Actually, this box is almost empty.
I order a thousand roaches each time (small, medium and large)
since both dragons eat them, and Koko eats them too.
They are the source of protein for the animals.
The Dubia Roaches are tropical and will die if they escape into the house.
I was talking to a roach who crawled off the bottom of an orange slice onto my hand.
I said, “Don’t you dare leap off onto the floor!”
Be careful about first impressions.
Chuckle…
26 Comments on “Conversing With Roaches”
Comments
She Kept A Parrot 
They’re very different from the other roaches I’ve seen – like Ashley said, these look like woodlice.
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Be careful: the Roach Protection Patrol will get you for keeping the poor things up so late… 🙂
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Only you, George, would be up and talking to roaches at midnight! You are lucky your housekeeper is still with you with all the creatures you have.
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Ha-ha! I think you may be right, Jo Nell! Irma is a jewel. She does the major cage cleaning once a week. Otherwise, I would have a hard time keeping up! She’s always telling her favorite, Cheeky, to behave since he would be in trouble if she wasn’t his housekeeper! It’s funny to hear her talking to the animals. I think she enjoys them as much as I do. 🙂
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Well those roaches take it another step. I thought super worms were bad, you got one up on me. We couldn’t even get roaches here. Thank God. All the best to you.
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Aw Liz! The Dubias aren’t bad at all. They’re easy to keep and don’t smell like crickets. An adult Beardie might eat four or five a day at most. You can order them online, you know. They do very well in shipping. However, the sight of a couple of hundred Dubias in one writhing pile is impressive the first time you see it. Now, I just reach in and grab a handful from the pile! They can’t breed in normal household temperatures, so there is no danger of getting a roach infestation! Thanks for the visit. Joseph said you are preparing another post. I’m looking forward to keeping up with your “zoo”, too! 🙂
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I’m wondering about the sort of care you take of these … and how you can sustain them for the brief time they are with you … if, in fact, they will succumb if they were to escape into the house. Do you provide moisture that they cannot do without? Good for you George … going to such great lengths to take the very best care of those dragons! By the way … what does 1000 dubia roaches set you back? And where does one procure them? D
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You can read explicit details about keeping or breeding a colony of Dubias at http://tinyurl.com/nt6rnp5. That’s the website of South Texas Dragons. The guy’s name is Joseph Cattey. He is a hobbyist Bearded Dragon breeder who sells some of his feeders and roach colonies online. He lives in San Antonio. I have ordered roaches from a supplier in California, and was very pleased with their packaging and service, but I buy from Joe because he has been so helpful to me. 1000 large feeders sell for $170 priority shipping included. That gets pricey, so most people buy his starter colonies and breed them. The roaches can survive for up to a year in a plastic container if you feed them slices of fresh orange every day. They get moisture and enough nutrients from the oranges. You have to be careful to provide adequate air circulation to avoid developing mold in the boxes because that will kill all of the feeders. Otherwise, it’s very simple to do. The large Dubias are not adults, so they don’t breed. Also, in order to breed, they require a constant temperature of 95 degrees in a dark box. I keep mine in translucent plastic storage boxes with the lids open part way for air circulation. If they escape, they die shortly because they can’t tolerate the cold, slate floor. The sight of a couple of hundred Dubia roaches in one writhing pile is impressive until you get used to seeing them. Then, you just reach in and grab a handful without thinking about it. Chuckle… The roaches are the best feeder insects for all insect-eating animals, I think. They are not smelly like crickets, either. 🙂 And, you don’t have to gut-load them before you feed them.
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The Midnight Roach Warrior posts again ! Hi-ho Koko away ! 😀
Liz is prepping another post for the family zoo blog. 🙂
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I should get an email when Liz posts, but I haven’t been getting them recently. Maybe I checked something wrong. Yes, Hi-ho, Koko is right! She eats five or six every night, and she would eat more if I gave them to her. She has Hedgie chow, too, so I make her eat it instead of eating up all of my roaches! She is going to be re-homed, as they say, to a family who have two girls. They are just too excited to be getting a free hedgie! Their parents keep parrots and other animals for them. They will take good care of her. Charlie has so many other interests now that he neglects her.
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I would be so afraid that they would one day spill & —well — you know… multiply like roaches! EEKK!
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Ha-ha! No, they are tropical roaches who can’t survive in our climate. They die within a day or two if they escape onto the cold slate floor. The housekeeper is always finding them on the floor, but she just throws them back in their boxes. They’re called Dubia roaches in case you ever get a hedgehog or a Dragon who eats them. You can order them online or breed your own colony. I much prefer them to smelly crickets who hop all over the place and aren’t as good for the animals. Chuckle… Thanks for always stopping by, RoSie. You’ve meant so much to me all along! Bless you, child!
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I’m not sure I could repeat what I’d say if I witnessed this…. lol
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I take it you are not a roach keeper. They are the best source of protein for my Dragons. I was dubious about keeping them at first, but I rapidly got desensitized. Now, I don’t pay much attention to them. I laughed at your comment, as usual, Rob! Hope everything is good in South Africa!
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George, as I said, you are and I are very similar in some ways. I certainly don’t think it odd that you talk to roaches – I talk to any little creature that comes near, and especially those I might inadvertently kill by treading on them. Over the past week, such critters (how Yankee can I get???) have included a grasshopper, snails and slugs, a moth, and several spiders – its the only way to be!!! I hope this finds you content and happy, my dear! Adrian 🙂
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I talk to everything, including inanimate things! 🙂 I found one big boy roach near the front door the other day. I did check to be sure he was a Dubia before I threw him back in the box. My housekeeper has found so many escapees that she just picks them up and puts them back in the box, too. They’re too pricey to throw away! 🙂 Thanks, Adrian.
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Actually, they don’t look as bad as I had imagined; however, a roach in any form isn’t too cute. I don’t remember who Koko is…maybe the hedgehog? I can’t wait to see all the animals.
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Koko is the hedgehog. She is going to live with Ray’s granddaughters. Charlie is too involved in other things now to pay much attention to her. And, I don’t handle her. The roaches creeped me out at first, but I am used to them now, so I just handle them the same way I would handle anything else. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Hazel next weekend! 🙂
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Whoa! They don’t look like the cockroaches we have in Sydney! Yours look like giant wood lice!
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And these are rather small. The tropical Dubia roach reaches three inches or so as an adult. For some reason, they don’t creep me out like our domestic roaches! I suppose they are exotic insects, huh? Chuckle… Thanks, Ashley!
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Hi George!!!
Only you and my Mama would do that. She used to catch grasshoppers and pinch their heads off and feed them to her ducks!!! Glad I found you again. You are an amazing woman.
All my love,
Suzie
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Ah, I’m so glad to see you here, Susie! I thought of Kaye when I saw my first bag of the Dubia roaches. Yes, she wouldn’t have thought twice about keeping the feeder roaches. I do so miss her, Susie! I will be happy to find her again. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by to visit me! I love you too, girl!
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ewwww….. I shudder to think where they might jump….. not a roach or millipede fan…
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Ha-ha! I’m not a fan of roaches or many-legged insects either! I was dubious about keeping them as feeder roaches, but they are much easier than crickets to manage. Most people breed their own colony, but I order mine from a supplier. They are tropical roaches and cannot live in my climate if they are outside the box. So, there is no danger of getting a roach infestation in my house! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
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You are amazing dear George, 🙂 Thanks and Love, nia
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Ah, thank you, sweet Nia! 🙂 I loved the photographs of the cats that you just posted!
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