I have no such experience, perhaps a BotD reader can offer advice???
They’re very simple to care for.
The main issue is that they’re good at escaping, especially the babies. If you have a male and a female, you will have babies. To prevent escape, smear a band of Vaseline all around the inside rim of the enclosure, at least three inches tall. They’ll slip on that and won’t be able to climb.
For a few, an enclosure of only a cubic foot is sufficient. I recommend a 10 gallon aquarium so they have plenty of room to grow and breed.
They don’t specifically need a substrate, but it’s good to give them one. Coco fiber, coco chips, or some mix of those are best. They also need things to hide under, like cork bark chunks, and like to have some branches to climb.
Feed them cat or dog kibble, either one. Make sure they always have some available, and give them fruit or veggies once a week. Don’t give them citrus or onions, but most other fruits are good. They also need to have a source of moisture- cricket gel or a damp sponge in a dish are fine. Keep the rest of the enclosure lightly humid if you can.
They need to be kept at a bare minimum of 70 degrees. If kept at 78 or above, they breed, and give live birth rather than laying eggs. Females who are gravid (pregnant) may lose the young if the temperature drops too fast.
Males have small horns on their shell, females don’t. They’re fairly easy to sex once past an inch long. If you don’t want babies, split them by sex, but be aware that all adult females kept in groups should be assumed to be pregnant.
The more you handle them, the calmer they get, and the less they hiss.
If kept in dim lighting and not disturbed, they’ll come out sometimes and you’ll see them going around doing things.
They’re roaches, they’re very easy to keep. Just don’t drop them.
Check roachforum.com for more info.
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